Shine news

Back in June, student Annabel won the Terry Mansfield CBE Award for Tomorrow’s Talent at the 2026 Shine School Media Awards. Annabel had been involved with school magazines from the age of 14, joining a longstanding team at one school and (impressively!) starting a new publication from scratch at her next.

After her win, we asked Annabel what teachers can do to support student editorial teams working on newspapers, magazines and podcasts. Here’s what she told us…

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?

Back in June, Stationers’ Hall welcomed our most competitive field of Shine School Media Awards finalists yet. Journalists, editors, illustrators and podcasters, all under eighteen, all with a story to tell.

The day started with workshops, including cartoon drawing, bookbinding and two new hands-on sessions this year: metallic foiling and letterpress printing.

Then came the ceremony itself, with an Oscars-style reveal as each winner was announced, including the surprise unveiling of a brand new award, Best Humour, added after we noticed just how much wit and satire had come through in this year’s entries.

We’re pleased to announce the list of schools shortlisted for the Shine School Media Awards 2026.

The entry deadline for the Shine School Media Awards 2026 is this Friday, 1st May.

Whatever your students have been working on this year, it deserves to be seen. Our judging panel includes industry professionals at the top of their field, and they’re genuinely looking forward to discovering what’s out there in schools.

The entry deadline for the 2026 Shine School Media Awards is Friday 1st May. If you haven’t submitted yet, this is the moment.

We know what happens at the beginning of term. Inboxes fill up, exam season is approaching and competition deadlines slip quietly past. So consider this a cheeky nudge: if your school produces a student newspaper, magazine or podcast, your entry is almost certainly ready. It just needs submitting.