Behind the scenes
Digital detox: how Europe is switching off
by Catherine Barth
More than fame: good social media content can win an award
15.4.2025
Translation: machine translated
There is a new youth media prize in Switzerland. Young people and young adults can now submit their work until the end of June. What young people submit for Instagram or Tiktok, as a blog or podcast should be relevant, informative and creative.
Former«Tagesschau» presenter Franz Fischlin is behind the YouMedia Award. He launched YouMedia as a new project last summer. The aim: to empower young people in their dealings with the media and to sensitise them to fake news. These are becoming increasingly common on social media.
The flood of lies and propaganda is difficult to stem. Yes, you can report problematic content. However, it is ultimately up to the platform providers to decide whether it is problematic enough. And yes, there are initiatives such as Mimikama, the Faktenfuchs or the Faktenfinder der ARD-Tagesschau. Various institutions in Switzerland are also endeavouring to provide information. But so far not very successfully. In any case, an OECD study confirms that the Swiss have difficulty distinguishing true from false information. And since the advent of AI, it has become even more difficult to distinguish a deep fake video from a real one, for example.
The YouMedia Award organised by Franz Fischlin and his fellow campaigners focuses, among other things, on ensuring that young people who create high-quality content learn for themselves what is important.
I am convinced that there are many talented young media creators out there. With the articles they submit for the YouMedia Award, they can show what they are capable of and inspire others. What's more, they also have the chance to win a top prize.
Source: YouMedia
Prize money of up to 7000 francs
Young people applying for the YouMedia Award with their own articles can submit content until 30 June. This can be articles that have already been produced and published or articles that they have created especially for the award. Submissions are possible from individuals as well as from groups to entire school classes. (Here's all the information.)
In order for content to have a chance, it should convey researched facts, interesting facts and information. It should encourage critical thinking, be formally attractive and innovative and set an example for peers. They can also be humorous. Personal experiences can also be a topic. There are no other requirements: Length, form and playout platform - it's all open. Young people aged between 13 and 20 who live in Switzerland can take part. Older content published after 1 August 2024 may also be submitted. There are six categories in total: Happiness, Health, Money, Society and Justice. In case you've been counting - yes, category number six is missing. In this category, the jury honours articles that are created during the Youth Media Week YouNews.
Speaking of the jury: it is a prominent one. Content creator and influencer Franny, Mina Perroni, who has over 180,000 followers on TikTok as «minareads», and «Tschugger» creator and lead actor David Constantin.
The winners will be announced and celebrated at a party at the PROGR in Bern on 19 September 2025. Workshops on the topic of «dealing with media» will take place in the preliminary programme. There will be prizes worth between 3,000 and 7,000 francs each.
Header image: Shutterstock
Martin Jungfer
Head of Content
Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.chJournalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment.
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