Skip to content

BBC Young Reporter Competition 2022: Winners revealed

BBC BBC Young Reporter Competition logoBBC

The winners of this year's BBC Young Reporter Competition have been revealed.

Young people aged 11-18 submitted their original story ideas to the competition, which is in its fourth year. It gives young people the chance to produce their own story with BBC programme makers, producers and journalists.

In the BBC's centenary year more winners than ever before will tell their stories from across the UK about the subjects and issues relevant to them and their lives.

Following a tough round of shortlisting and judging, 40 winners have been chosen and their stories broadcast across the BBC, including on The One Show, BBC Breakfast,BBC 5Live, BBC News and BBC Local Radio programmes, as well as online and on social media platforms.

And in its 50th year, Newsround - the BBC's flagship news programme for young people - for the first time selected 15 stories, specifically from 11-13 year olds, that will feature online throughout 2022.

Judges included programme editors and commissioners from across the BBC as well as presenters and reporters, including Huw Edwards, Naga Munchetty, and Nikki Fox from BBC News, Radio 1's Roisin Hastie, The One Show's Alex Jones and Newsround's Ricky Boleto and Shanequa Paris.

The BBC Young Reporter Competition 2022 winners were judged in three categories:

• National

• Regional

• Newsround

BBC News Chief Presenter Huw Edwards, says: "Yet again the BBC Young Reporter Competition has drawn an impressive range of young people to propose original, strong ideas which affect people's lives. They showed maturity of approach and great empathy and honesty. I was enthused by some, and moved by others. It's probably the best standard of proposals I've seen to date. I look forward very much to seeing the results".

This year's BBC Young Reporter Competition winners are:

NATIONAL WINNERS

Bethany, 18, Bristol. Same work, different pay? The minimum wage and youth employment.

Bethany reported on Radio 5 Live and local radio stations and her story is available to read online: ‘My bus ticket was more than I got paid an hour’

David, 14, Manchester. Why aren't there more BAME teachers?

David shared his story on Radio 5 Live, local TV and you can read his full report online: 'Why don't more teachers look like me?

Janie, 16, Kirklees. The experience of alternative provision education.

Listen to Janie's story in an episode of the BBC News '5 Minutes On' podcast on BBC Sounds here.

Lauren, 15, Newcastle. Dementia - a grandchild's perspective and how it impacts the whole family.

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and  before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

Rhia, 16, Leeds. Getting more girls involved in cricket.

BBC Young Reporter Competition winner Rhia is hoping to break into the England cricket team.

Rose, 17, Castle Douglas. Life with Dyscalculia.

Dyscalculia: ‘Numbers look like a foreign language to me’
It was a privilege to see what young people are working on and interested in - all of the stories suggested were told with passion and enthusiasm. Without a doubt they are worth hearing.

REGIONAL WINNERS

Northern Ireland

Éireann, 16, Newry. Being a young carer (supporting my dad with his newly acquired disability).

Éireann, 16, cares for her dad who has arthritis and lost his hip after a workplace accident

Scotland

Kiran, 12, Stonehaven. How my local community hub helps people.

Watch Kiran's report about how her community centre is helping local people (produced in collaboration with BBC Scotland) here.

Wales (including Welsh language winners)

Riley, 11, Pembrokeshire. Having a dad in the army - the impact on young people. [Riley's report broadcast on BBC Wales Today in February 2023]

Lleucu, 16, Barry & Eli, 12, Peterston-super-Ely. Keeping the Welsh language alive.

Read Eli's report in English here and Lleucu's report in Welsh here.

England (South West)

Sophia, 15, Falmouth. How my Syrian heritage can help me connect with Ukrainian refugees. [Sophia's report broadcast on BBC Radio Cornwall and BBC Spotlight in February 2023]

Tillie and Ruby, 16, Jersey. Job opportunities and young people's aspirations on the Channel Islands.

Regional winners Ruby and Tillie say young people in Jersey are pushed towards a life in finance.

England (West)

Apple Class @ Silverwood School, 11-12, Devizes."Something exciting is happening at our school!" - the redevelopment of a SEND school. [Apple Class' report broadcast on BBC Points West and the BBC News Channel in December 2022]

England (South)

Anna, 17, Goring. How can sex education be more LGBT+ inclusive?

England (London)

Syesha, 13, Hackney. What has happened to all the sports facilities for young people in my area?

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read  and  before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

England (South East)

Maia, 12, Maidstone. Born by surrogacy.

England (East)

Anya & Sofia, 18, Sudbury. Living your authentic LGBTQ life in rural communities.

Jess, 16, Chalfont St Giles. Why more females should consider a career in farming.

Jess shared her love of farming as part of the BBC Young Reporter Competition

England (Midlands)

Jaipal, 16, Wolverhampton. Celebrating surrogacy in my family.

Kartaar has a surrogate mother

Naomi, 15, Grantham. The day to day reality of being a teenager with Long Covid.

Naomi has been coping with the impact of Covid since the start of the pandemic.

England (North)

Ciara, 16, Rotherham. What impact will the title 'Children's Capital of Culture' have on my town?

Rotherham will be granted a special status after it was suggested by local young people.

Summer, 13, Scunthorpe. What it's really like living with Albinism.

Ella, 14, Liverpool. You don't have to be male to love football- a fan's story. [Ella's report was produced and broadcast on BBC North West Tonight and BBC Breakfast]

Katherine, 17, South Shields. Reality vs social media perfection of life.

Young South Shields woman discusses bad habits with her social media use and why she wanted to take a break.
I always love being involved in the Young Reporter scheme, it surprises me every year that people send in ideas we haven't had before… the future of journalism is in safe hands!"

NEWSROUND WINNERS

Andrea, 13, London/Bristol. Being part of the Team GB Artistic Swimming squad.

See how Artistic Swimmer Andrea juggles training with school and family life.

Anisah, 13, London. Being lactose intolerant.

Carmen, 11, London. Finding out about other donor conceived children.

Hannah, 12, Rochdale. Living life offline - rural life without wifi.

Hannah shares about her life on a farm

Isla, 12, Dorchester. How chickens help me cope with anxiety.

For Isla, help came from an unexpected source - her chickens!

Jet (f), 12, Shrewsbury. A community trying to limit landfill waste.

John, 12, Plymouth. Where are all the deaf sporting role models?

Keziah, 12, London. My afro hair and celebrating its heritage.

Lilly, 11, Dudley. Being a young carer - how I help out with my young disabled sister.

Luke, 12, Hatton. Me and my online gaming addiction.

Maia, 12, Maidstone. Born by surrogacy.

Noah & Robyn, 11 & 12, Ballymena. Going to the first Catholic school in NI to transition to integrated education status.

Robin, 13, Bromley. The reality of being a South Asian teenager in 2022.

Tegan, 11, Stevenage. Wearing a back brace - an uplifting scoliosis story.

Tegan's story about having scoliosis

Theo, 12, Bury St Edmunds. Sleep and "the blue light monster".

Winning stories will be broadcast across the BBC in 2022, including on Newsbeat, Newsround, The One Show, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Sport and a host of regional television and local radio programmes.

Stories were considered on editorial merit, based on the strength of the idea, originality, and the judges were also looking for a range of diverse stories from across the UK. The full Terms & Conditions are available here.

BBC Young Reporter engages with thousands of 11-18 year olds across the UK every year, in partnership with schools, colleges and youth organisations.

The project has been running for 16 years as part of the BBC's commitment to media literacy and supporting young people's understanding and interest in broadcasting and the creative industries.

It works with young people in three ways - supporting them to tell their stories on BBC programmes and platforms, giving them skills and information about how to differentiate between real news and false information, and with the help of BBC staff ambassadors giving them advice and inspiration about careers in the media.

More details about BBC Young Reporter: www.bbc.co.uk/youngreporter

Follow us on Twitter @BBCYoungReport / #BBCYoungReporter