The NUJ says entrants, students and young working journalists, wrote a column or review and explained how their writing had been influenced by the 1984 author.
The winners of the two categories, political opinion writing and arts review, were revealed at the Orwell Society’s AGM in London on Saturday, May 11.
Entries were judged by a panel made up of noted Orwell experts including George Orwell’s son Richard Blair, who is also patron of the Orwell Society, Hardeep Matharu, editor of Byline Times, Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff, formerly a senior staff editor at The New York Times and editor-in-chief at gal-dem magazine, Dorian Lynskey, journalist and author of The Ministry of Truth: A Biography of George Orwell’s 1984, and Tam Hussein, award-winning journalist and author, shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Journalism.
The panel agreed to award the prize for best arts review to Dan Paling, a BA English Literature graduate and future Oxford Master’s student, for his essay entitled Natural Beauty in The Zone of Interest, a treatise of a film adapted from Martin Amis’ novel The Zone of Interest.
In the political column category, the winner was a piece by current Pembroke College, Cambridge undergraduate Matthew Taylor for his essay, A Life No Longer Simple, Memories No Longer Mine.
Chair of the judging panel Dr Jaron Murphy, award-winning journalist and academic in Journalism and Literature at Bournemouth University, said: “What was notable about this year's entries was the close attention to forms of toxicity online, including some of the negative impacts of the rise of AI, as well as to kinds of inequality in society such as housing and education. Fittingly, up-and-coming journalists are deeply concerned about how the younger generations in the UK are being adversely affected by such issues.”
The Orwell Society Young Journalist’s Award, held in conjunction with the NUJ, of which George Orwell was a member, says it aims to recognise the writing of promising students of journalism or working journalists aged 30 or below.
Each winner receives a prize of £1,000, with £500 going to each runner-up.
Applicants could enter one of two categories, submitting either a review, or a column.
ARTS REVIEW CATEGORY
Winner: Dan Paling
Entry: Natural Beauty in The Zone of Interest
Runner-up: Georgina Parbrook
Entry: Milla Sofia, The Artificial Influencer
Highly commended: Giorgia Ambo
Entry: Paintings See Us More Clearly Than We See Ourselves
Highly commended: Georgia Luckhurst
Entry: A Hero Just for One Day - On Me and Mr Jones: My Life with David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars
POLITICAL COLUMN CATEGORY
Winner: Matthew Taylor
Entry: A Life No Longer Simple, Memories No Longer Mine
Runner-up: Lucy Gilder
Entry: Building Equality: Why There's More to School Maintenance Than Safety
Highly commended: Harry Goodwin
Entry: Silvertown
Highly commended: Jem Bartholomew
Entry: Four Walls of Despair: 235 Days Stuck in The Homelessness System
The judging panel in full: Richard Blair (patron of The Orwell Society and Orwell’s son), chair of panel Dr Jaron Murphy (award-winning journalist and academic in Journalism and Literature at Bournemouth University), Hardeep Matharu (editor of Byline Times – the fearless independent news site and print newspaper covering ‘what the papers don’t say’), Tam Hussein (award-winning journalist, shortlisted for the Orwell Prize for Journalism, and author), Dorian Lynskey (journalist and author of the acclaimed The Ministry of Truth: A Biography of George Orwell’s 1984), Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff (award-winning freelance journalist, formerly a senior staff editor at The New York Times and editor-in-chief at gal-dem magazine), Frances Rafferty (senior editorial and communications officer, National Union of Journalists).
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