Pupils across Wales are being challenged to try their hand at journalism to tackle negative media images of young people.

A competition run by the Assembly government and CLIC, the National Information and Advice Service for Young People, is encouraging young people to pick up a notebook or video camera and report on positive things their peers are doing at home, in school and in their community.

The exercise is designed to highlight the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and to challenge disapproving portrayals of young people in the media. It is hoped that entrants will also learn valuable research and reporting skills.

Selected news stories, features and reviews will be published in a special newspaper to mark the 21st anniversary of the UNCRC.

The competition is part of a wider initiative promoting a five-year action plan that sets out how the Assembly government intends to put the UNCRC into practice in Wales.

The government is also working with schools to develop a learning pack introducing pupils and students to editorial and wider media and communication skills.

The competition is divided into two categories for children aged seven to ten, and for young people aged 11 to 25. The all-Wales winner will receive an iPad, while eight regional winners will receive a specially created reporter’s kit including a Flip video camera, audio recorder and a guide to reporting the news. The closing date is October 8. For more details, see: www.cliconline.co.uk.