23rd September 2026
What is school media today?
Dear teachers,
The Shine School Media Awards exists to recognise students who are the creators of tomorrow. Over 15 years of the competition, we’ve seen that it’s students who lead what the future of both media and message are. They’re shaping the world, whether they know it yet or not. We’ve learned that by following students, by listening to where they go and rewarding innovation, we give them the leg up they need.
So what is school media today?
- Vibrant, content-crammed magazines
During the pandemic students pivoted to digital magazines, including ones that were specially designed for sharing on phones. In the time since we’ve seen the pendulum swing back in the other direction completely and nearly every submission in 2026 was printed. Every school did it their way, with an amazing mix of collage, illustration and modern typography created by students unbound by design apps like Canva. - Thoughtful, razor-sharp newspapers
Shine’s judges see the biggest space for opportunity today as school newspapers. Produced on cheap newsprint combined with a minimal design aesthetic, their feel is immediate and eyecatching. We encourage students to see the national press as an inspiration or an approach to subvert, with their own writing, creative photography or satirical cartoons. - Special interest passion podcasts
The fastest area of school media opportunity today, podcasts offer an opportunity to create quality programmes aimed at fellow students by focusing on niche areas of interest that will resonate beyond the classroom. They require hard work and careful editing, but are easy to record, edit and share on platforms like Spotify.
Encourage your students to start a school media project or funnel groups of students with talent interests into one of these areas. Even better, you might find they already create school work that is eligible for the Shine School Media Awards via the AQA Level 3 EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) where, for instance, a student has led a completed and assessed media project.
We’d love your students to be part of the Shine School Media Awards next year. We’re accepting registrations for the 2027 competition right now, just tap on the link below.
Entry deadline: 7th May 2027
Do you have any questions? Email us direct at shine@stationers.org
Best wishes,
Richard Chapman
Chair, Shine School Media Awards