Amity International School, Gurugram, Sector 46 bagged the ‘Best School Newspaper Award’ while Amity International School, Pushp Vihar bagged the First Runners Up trophy, followed by a tie between Amity International School, Mayur Vihar and Amity International School, Noida, at the third position during the 10th edition of the Global Times (GT) Awards held at Amity University, Noida on August 9, 2019. 7 students were also bestowed with School Time Achievement Award for their continuous contribution towards the newspaper throughout their years at Amity.
The GT Awards mark the culmination of a year-long journey of the annual Inter-Amity Making a Newspaper Contest, in which students from eight branches of the Amity International School from Delhi and the NCR wore editorial and designers’ hats to prepare a 12 paged newspaper completely made from scratch by their school branch. Amity International School, Saket bagged the GT Editorial Award while GT Design Award was won by Amity International School, Gurugram, Sector 43.
Focusing on the various social and educational themes, India’s only RNI registered newspaper, GT is also the only credited newspaper in the country run by students. With focus on social, political and even economic issues, students across the eight Amity branches reached out to over 50 people across a cross section of the society for interviews and stories.
This young brigade of future writers and journalists aims to sensitize its readers on various social issues like the story and journey about qawwali or sharing their insights from gastronomy or even astronomy like the best poster of the competition titled ‘A Celestial Reunion’ by students of Amity Noida or the Ground reportage on ‘Dastan-e-Zaika’ that won the position of first runners-up by students of Amity International School, Gurugram, Sector 46. And it is not just the seniors that bagged all the honours. Uday Saini and Zohaib Hasan of class V of Amity International School, Gurugram, Sector 46 won the first prize for the ‘Best Fictional’ story titled ‘The Mid Christmas Crisis’.
The Global Times, a visionary initiative of Dr (Mrs) Amita Chauhan, Chairperson, Amity Group of Schools and RBEF, this student newspaper has evolved into a voice of students providing them a platform to use their education beyond the boundaries of professional degrees and achievement. GT provides intellectual opportunities to students to learn while they are still at school and expand their horizon.
Chief Guest Ms. Padmaja Joshi, well-known Anchor & News Editor shared her views on the role of media that has been garnering lot of opinion and how being a media person is a challenge that needs one to be prepared always. Taking a volley of questions from aspiring student journalists, Ms Joshi inspired and guided the students with her journalistic experiences. “Television gives you just one opportunity to sink or swim, so don’t swing between extremes. “It is important to know the right things and invest in the diversity of education and knowledge. As a journalist, you have to be on top of everything, which was something I witnessed in every Amitian!” said Ms Joshi to the students.
Jury member Ms. Henna Rakheja, shared how students of Amity schools inspired her and made her look forward to education and life. “GT gives students a wonderful platform to students to learn how to write,” shared Ms Rakheja. She also inspired and urged the students to become responsible citizen journalists using their mobile phones and social media and never be afraid to ask questions.
Jury Member Amit Kumar told students how GT was an amazing platform for giving education and making readers socially aware through the stories done by students.
Expressing her happiness over another successful year of GT Making A Newspaper Contest and the vigorous talent it promotes, Dr (Mrs) Amita Chauhan, shared her various memories of the platform that inspires creativity, research, innovation and expression. She reminisced about the days when Dr Ashok K Chauhan, Founder President, Amity Universe, had to go through a vigorous ordeal just to get the name ‘The Global Times’, and expressed her joy over the hard work that the entire editorial team of all the schools did.
The GT Awards ceremony was attended by over 500 students, and showcased the young talents by acknowledging and felicitating them with trophies and certificates in individual and school categories, namely, Most Outstanding Story, Best Editing, Best Graphics, Best Photograph, Best Illustration, Best Design, GT School Time Achievement Award and GT Best Newspaper Award. Also present on the occasion were Pooja Chauhan, Vice Chairperson, Amity Humanity Foundation; Jayashree Chauhan, Vice Chairperson, Amity Finishing School principals of Amity schools across Delhi-NCR.