IN the notoriously volatile world of journalism, not even school-magazine committees are exempt from the cut-throat competitiveness of the newsroom.

“The most challenging thing about producing a newspaper was not killing anyone,” said 15-year-old Caris Stevens. “We did actually have one boy hit someone else.”

Caris is section editor for Falkland Focus, winner of best international newspaper at the TES Newsday awards ceremony. The event, held at the House of Commons on June 28, was attended by pupils from 17 schools, chosen from more than 1,300 entries. The winners received their awards from Channel 4 newsreader Krishnan Guru-Murthy.

The Newsday competition, which has run since 1991, requires schools to produce a newspaper or website in one day: a demand that generated a lot of creative tension.

“We had a few stressful moments,” said Michelle Allan, 14. Her paper, The Piranha, won the secondary-school prize for Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen.

“The pressure at the end of the day felt very real - like I imagine a real newspaper must feel when it’s going to print,” added 15-year-old Richard Reynolds, whose school, Woolmer Hill, in Surrey, won the award for best website. “Some days you go into lessons and don’t feel motivated. But that day you could tell we all felt really motivated.”

Who scooped the prizes Best primary newspapers: Greenway Voice, Greenway school, West Sussex Brambles Buzz, Brambles primary, Middlesbrough

Best secondary newspaper: The Piranha, Robert Gordon’s College, Aberdeen

Best international newspaper: Falkland Focus, Falkland Isles Community school

Best website: Woolmer Hill school, Surrey

Best feature writer: Isaac Showman, Manchester grammar school