Justin Chater, chairman of the Periodical Publishers Association Scotland, which runs the competition, said: “We know there is talent in our schools, but many young folk don’t know much about the printing and publishing industry.

“We want to capture the interest and enthusiasm of schoolchildren before they take decisions about college and university courses, and The TESS is ideally placed to work with us in communicating the message.”

PPA Scotland has put together an independent judging panel drawn from the publishing industry, which is chaired by the distinguished journalist and business expert Ray Perman. He said the competition was “designed to encourage school students to show their enterprise, creativity and flair, alongside more traditional skills such as literacy, design, artwork and organisation”.

The deadline for entries, published from July 2007 onwards, is Wednesday, April 23. The competition is open this year to all state secondary schools in Scotland, and entrants could win any one of nine categories, including the overall Scottish School Magazine of the Year.

Last year, the top award went to Bootleg from Boroughmuir High in Edinburgh. The winners of the 2008 competition will be announced on Friday, June 6, at a special ceremony that will be held at the Scottish Parliament.

All entries should be sent to Kathy Crawford, Business Manager, PPA Scotland, 22 Rhodes Park, North Berwick, East Lothian EH39 5NA.