Young Humanitarian Journalists Competition 2022

The Young Humanitarian Journalists Competition (YHJC) 2022 was launched today to commemorate 50 years of humanitarian action and journalism. The themes for this year's competition are "Humanitarian action in Malaysia and beyond – lessons from the past and emerging challenges" and "International humanitarian law – alleviating human suffering". The aim is to raise awareness of the impact of media reporting on humanitarian issues and to encourage the youth to proactively seek story angles that can have positive impact on their community and the country.

This year's competition is particularly significant as it marks the golden jubilee celebrations of the organizers, the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies (FCMS), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), both of which were established in the country in 1972. Additionally, this year also marks the 60th anniversary of Malaysia's accession to the Geneva Conventions that make up the core of international humanitarian law (IHL).

"We're pleased to celebrate this special year by encouraging young people in Malaysia to report on humanitarian stories of the past 50 years," said Biljana Milosevic, head of the ICRC's regional delegation in Kuala Lumpur. She added that having an increased awareness and understanding of IHL can provide the humanitarian lens through which the media can report on humanitarian issues.

Associate professor Massila Hamzah, dean at FCMS, UiTM, urged young journalists and media aspirants to take on this challenge because their genuine curiosity and intuitive humanitarian reporting can lead to hugely positive changes for vulnerable communities. "We also urge today's youth to take into consideration, humanitarian actions that have alleviated human suffering, including the promotion of international humanitarian law," she said.

Supported by the Malaysian Red Crescent Society, the competition is open to anyone aged between 18 and 30 in Malaysia, and also Malaysians residing abroad. The submissions can be made in either essay or video format. The final day of submissions for the competition will be 11 November 2022. For more information, please refer to the competition poster or visit the websites of the organizers and supporting organization.