So many journalists. Quiet whispering, tense looks, in some hands their own newspaper. Is all this real, after two years of corona-related absence, empty rooms and conferences in the digital space? “Really great,” says Ulrich Schäfer, deputy SZ editor-in-chief, looking at the hall and the many faces. And Anna Stolz, State Secretary in the Bavarian Ministry of Education: “Finally school life is possible again.” And it is again possible to honor those who contribute in a special way: school newspaper editors. 21 of them were honored as the best in the country in the leaf maker competition on Monday in the glass SZ tower.
This competition for the best journalistic product – a cooperation of Suddeutscher Zeitung, Ministry of Education and Nemetschek Foundation – took place for the 17th time. Nevertheless, after two digital, non-present Corona editions, the big award ceremony could feel a little like a premiere, even for those who have been there for a long time and regularly win prizes. The nice thing about the meeting of the best is the direct exchange and the inspiration that results from it. When, for example, the editors of the Ludwig Reinhard School in Kaufbeuren were praised by the Blattmacher jury for the fact that their newspaper clear as day works with colored hyphenation for easier reading, the competition whispers appreciatively: “cool.”
“Less reported, more talked about”
In view of such ideas and details, the jury once again found it difficult to single out a few of the 81 applications. When he compares today’s school newspapers with the one he worked on 40 years ago, says SZ journalist Schäfer, “then we were amateurs.”
On Monday, state secretary Stolz – who represented the ill minister Michael Piazolo (FW) – among others the members of parliament Matthias Fischbach (FDP), Margit Wild (SPD) and Anna Schwamberger (Greens) as well as the president of the state parliament Ilse Aigner ( CSU) convince. The latter admits that she was never part of a school newspaper editorship: Instead, her path into politics was probably preordained because she “reported less, chattered more”.
She has – allegedly – never received a reprimand: Ilse Aigner, President of the State Parliament in Munich.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
What is striking in the most recent round of papers is the thematic diversity. Some school newspapers focused on the war in Ukraine, while others sought their own focus away from the world situation. for max For example, at the Dr.-Max-Josef-Metzger-School in Meitingen, the focus was on “retro”, from retro clothing in the school building to the almost antediluvian button cell phone. Focused on Egbert-Gymnasium Münsterschwarzach PEERPlus on the other hand, to the question: “everything good?” Answer, attention, spoilers: no, but yes too.
That all sounds quite demanding – especially given the fact that the young journalists practice their craft alongside the already demanding school day, at some point between homework and the sports club. The editors of the reveal how it ultimately turned into a successful newspaper Fast line (Primary school Nördlingen-Mitte): “We just did what we enjoy.”
More and more online appearances
The urge to go online is also noticeable, i.e. to where editors and readers go as a matter of course. A third of all submissions focused on the online category. The top three winners are representative of what is possible digitally.
The point of the Freising Special Education Center, among other things, impressed the jury with “clean optics” and humor. the frido-Editorial staff at the Friedberg State Vocational School drew attention to itself with current articles. And the Blog in the Blue Land convinced as a “multimedia piñata”: including an essay about child poverty, caricature with corona virus, podcast about the Ukraine war and its own Instagram presence. New texts go online every week on the website of the Realschule Murnau – you have to put up with such a workload first.
Of course, a prize also includes prize money. This is done by the Nemetschek Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting democracy. “Democratic education starts at school,” says project leader Silke Zimmermann. And: “It’s important to us to give back appreciation.” The third-place winners receive 200 euros each, the second-place winners 300 euros each and the first-place winners 500 euros each. The latter will also be part of the so-called Club of the Best for a year: you can now look forward to workshops, including with the head of the SZ Bayern editorial team, Sebastian Beck, who will lead the award ceremony on Monday with ex-Blattmacher winner Charlette Maier.
The Munich singer Ami Warning provided the musical accompaniment.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
The Munich musician Ami Warning and her guitar are responsible for the sometimes quiet, sometimes loud, but always soulful nuances. Those present could understand some lines of text as motivation for the next edition and the 18th round of the papermaker’s competition. Your song “Fliegen”, for example, is dedicated to going through against all odds, no matter what others say. “If you really want it / Then just run away” – and make prize-worthy school newspapers.
The award winners:
elementary schools: 1. Ketchup, Wunderburg School Bamberg; 2. The fast line, elementary school Nördlingen-Mitte; 3. The Lincis, elementary school and day care center on Lincolnstrasse in Munich.
middle schools: 1. The Waldi Times, Freie Waldorfschule Landsberg (comprehensive school); 2. Hummelnews, Middle School Hummelsteiner Weg Nuremberg; 3. Leaflet, Montessori School Dachau.
special schools: 1. KOKO, Adolf-Kolping vocational school in Munich; 2. Sonnenklar, Ludwig-Reinhard-School Kaufbeuren; 3. Nord-Ost Post, Munich North-East Special Education Center.
high schools: 1. PEERplus, Egbert-Gymnasium Münsterschwarzach, 2. Camerjäger, Camerloher-Gymnasium Freising; 3. Eye contact, Von-Müller-Gymnasium Regensburg.
secondary schools: 1. The idea, Maria-Ward-Realschule Mindelheim; 2. &Punkt, State Realschule Schonungen; 3. Mäxle, Dr. Max Josef Metzger School, Meitingen.
Vocational schools: 1. EUROPAblatt, Samuel Heinicke Technical College Munich; 2. Zoom, Technical and Vocational School Freising; 3. Own life, Klara Oppenheimer vocational school in Würzburg.
On-line: 1. Blog in the Blue Land, junior high school in the Blue Land Murnau; 2. friedo, vocational high school in Friedberg; 3. The whole point, SFZ Freising.