Celebrating the best in young British journalism

One young writer tramped the streets of Salford to decipher the impact of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders on the lives of young people, another landed an interview with a Nobel prize-winning environmentalist, while others still warned of the implications of eating foie gras and factory-farmed chicken.

Each of the finalists in the Co-operative Student Journalist of the Year awards sought to demonstrate their own skills while tackling an issue that reflected the social goals of Co-op.

The response to the awards, run in association with The Independent, was outstanding, as students displayed real initiative in compiling features on the themes of climate change, social inclusion, crime, food ethics, and modern co-operation. Eight regional winners took home a £1,000 prize.

From these eight, Sara Pepper, an MA Journalism student from The University of Salford, was named overall winner for her piece of original reporting on ASBOs. As well as being named Student Journalist of the Year she won a 3,000 prize. Highly commended was Pauline Diamond, who is studying at the Scottish Centre for Journalism Studies, Strathclyde University, for her striking interview with the Kenyan-born Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai (left).

"The judges were extremely impressed by the quality of the thought-provoking entries we received," said Jeanette Timmins, Co-operative Group Board Director. "It is extremely encouraging to see such talent demonstrated by the journalists of the future."

Read the winning article and the runner-up by clicking on the links on the right-hand side.