Cinema, Hip-hop and classical music: meet the Vlogstar Challenge 2017 finalists

15 July 2017

After months of workshops and presentations, thousands of young people have been whittled down to 15 finalists in the Vlogstar Challenge.

Now in its second year, The Vlogstar Challenge aims to inspire, engage and support young people to get the stories of their positive contributions to society heard.

Trudy Kilcullen MBE, Chief Executive of the Jack Petchey Foundation said “At the Jack Petchey Foundation we know young people enthusiastically support their communities and are passionate about a wide range of issues.

“They don’t always get a platform, but Vlogging on YouTube can give them the opportunity to amplify their voices and tell thousands of people about what matters to them."

The campaign is run by Media Trust and the Jack Petchey Foundation, in partnership with YouTube and the Evening Standard. The aim: to provide young people from London and Essex aged 16-25 with the technical and creative skills necessary to become vloggers.

In addition to workshops, there is also a competition element. Out of the hundreds of vlogs created since the launch last year, 15 vloggers have been selected as the best of the best, and will be judged at an event held at BAFTA on July 14. The winning vlogger will receive £2,000 for their school or youth group, £500 worth of filming equipment, and 1-2-1 mentoring with experts at YouTube.

Abigail Holsborough, the 2016 Vlogstar Challenge winner said of her experience: “I hadn’t really made any vlogs before entering the competition so winning was totally unexpected.

"I really enjoyed the process and have learnt so many new skills. I would urge all young people to have a go and get involved.”

The 15 finalists represent a broad range of backgrounds and cover a wide array of topics and themes in their vlogs. The judging panel is made up of representatives from YouTube, Vidsy, the Evening Standard, the Jack Petchey Foundation, and Media Trust.