In the Munich House of Literature, not only great literature is discussed, but sometimes heavy fare as well. On this Monday, however, the difficult looks easy because it is interesting: the covers are adorned with drawings and photos, bright colors and sober restraint. On the third floor, the newspapers of those editorial offices that are waiting for their coronation in the room behind hang on the wall. He himself used to work for a school newspaper, says Ulrich Schäfer, deputy editor-in-chief of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. But when he looks at the booklets here, “I don’t want to pull them out again”. Minister of Education Michael Piazolo (FW) sums up the performance in one word: “top!”
These are indeed the winners. Bavaria’s best school newspapers were honored for the 18th time, in cooperation with SZ, the Ministry of Education and the Nemetschek Foundation. With that, the papermaker’s competition has more or less come of age, although in the previous years many school newspapers could not be denied maturity. They appear well thought-out in terms of content, with cleanly argued articles and clearly set pages. Can that really be the work of children and young people, so incidentally between classes and sports club, the pressure of grades and leisure time?
The answer has to be yes, definitely. Or as Sebastian Beck, head of the SZ Bayern editorial team, put it as one of the laudators this Monday: The school newspapers that were submitted were becoming “more and more professional”. Many look as if you could also buy them at the kiosk or at the gas station.
It is also fitting that the jury, in its 18th meeting, had long discussions in order to select the 21 winners in seven categories. Little things often make the difference: perhaps a clearer layout here, a more exciting topic there. At the grammar schools there was even a contest for first place, the pupils on the one hand and the adults on the other were so divided. In the end, the student group and the contours-Rhön-Gymnasium Bad Neustadt editors. “We were amazed by your creativity,” says SZ editor and jury member Nina von Hardenberg about all the submissions. Together with the former state student representative Marlena Thiel, she leads through the event in the Literaturhaus. The musician Gündalein provides musical nuances from hip-hop.
The range of ideas is striking again this year. That’s how he succeeded bumblebee news-Redaktion (middle school Hummelsteiner Weg Nuremberg) the balancing act, war, tetrapack ban and women’s rights in one newspaper. The camera hunter of the Camerloher-Gymnasium Freising, on the other hand, discussed the human body. The message, which can hardly be repeated often enough in times of blurring social media filters: you are okay as you are, no matter what stereotypical ideals of beauty and Instagram claim.
The fact that school newspapers no longer only rely on the written word is shown, among other things, by the insider (FOS/BOS Ingolstadt). The editors produce online – and use the internet to regularly publish new episodes of the self-produced podcast “Hingelisten”. There is also something for the ears from the Franziskus School in Bad Windsheim, their printed ones Franzi a CD is included. “Bold idea,” says the competition in the audience.
Minister of Education Michael Piazolo applauds the junior editors, as does Ulrich Schäfer (front right), deputy editor-in-chief of the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.
(Photo: Robert Haas)
Because the Blattmacher Awards also give their 200 guests the opportunity to identify themselves personally – and in return maybe take something new with them. For example, when the editors swap their award-winning magazines with each other as inspiration for the next issue. Or when a student who has only been in Bavaria for a few years reports how lucky he is to be able to work on a school newspaper. “There was nothing like that in my home country.” And you can even learn something about ministers this Monday – for example when Minister Piazolo says that although he never thought of becoming a journalist, he would still like to interview “normal people in quotation marks”.
The detour to the Literaturhaus is also worthwhile financially for the award-winning newspapers in the truest sense of the word. 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 – and can look forward to workshops. A video shows what they can look like: young people talk about courses on camera technology and media ethics. “Everyone has a voice,” says Ursula Saekel from the Nemetschek Foundation. And if you notice that “you are heard, then you can also make a difference”. Only great literature can do that.
The award winners:
elementary schools: 1. inkblot, elementary school on St.-Martin-Strasse Munich; 2. pea newspaper, primary school Bergtheim / branch Erbshausen; 3. NewsWorldelementary school in Stöttwang-Westendorf.
middle schools: 1. bumblebee news, Middle School Hummelsteiner Weg Nuremberg; 2. detention, Middle School Buchloe; 3. MS VoiceMiddle School Geretsried.
special schools: 1. Colorful treasure chest, Hans Bayerlein School SFZ Passau; 2. Franzi, Franziskus-Schule Förderzentrum Bad Windsheim; 3. cillyCäcilienschule Fürstenfeldbruck.
high schools: 1. contours, Rhön-Gymnasium Bad Neustadt; 2. camera hunter, Camerloher Gymnasium Freising; 3. innfleaRuperti-Gymnasium Mühldorf.
secondary schools: 1. Girls Power & Everybody, Elly-Heuss-Realschule Munich; 2. &Point, State Realschule Schonungen; 3. d`WirZDeggendorf State Business School.
Vocational schools: 1. WE – because international rocks, Vocational School Center Oskar-von-Miller Schwandorf; 2. life of its own, Klara Oppenheimer School in Würzburg; 3. exchange of wordsVocational High School Erding.
On-line: 1. Friedo, Vocational High School Friedberg; 2. insider, FOS/BOS Ingolstadt; 3. cheat sheetJoseph-Bernhart-Gymnasium Türkheim.