These resources are designed as a jumping-off point for students entering our writing prize on the theme of ‘Truth.’
They are not intended to be a complete guide, but rather to inspire ideas, help you explore different angles, and point you towards reliable, balanced information. Whether you’re researching global events, examining misinformation, or reflecting on personal stories, these materials can help spark your thinking and develop your entry.
Whether you’re writing an article, an essay, a story, or even a poem, it’s important to know your facts. This stage of the pathway aims to help you begin finding out more about the topics which interest you, and identify reliable sources of information.
We asked writer and researcher Sujana Crawford to tell us a little about her own research methods – read her tips for getting started here.
“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
George Orwell, ‘Politics and the English Language’
Writing is a creative process, but a bit of research is useful whatever form you’re writing in. You might come across surprising facts, untold stories, new perspectives, shocking statistics – all material which will help your work.
Let’s get the facts in order!
Whenever you’re researching a subject, you will find that some sources of information are more reliable than others. Some may not be reliable at all. Here are some links to advice on ways to critically examine the information you encounter, especially online.
- The BBC’s ‘Real News‘ have lesson plans to help you critically examine what you find online, and work out what is real. They also have helpful resources on reporting generally. BBC Bitesize also has this useful article and video with tips for spotting fake news online.
- You may also want to check out The National Literacy Trust for a range of resources on fake news and disinformation, suitable for all ages.
- For Sixth Form students and teachers, this series of quick online lessons introduces fact-checking and source-checking.
Like The Orwell Youth Prize, The Orwell Prizes exist to encourage good politically-engaged writing and reporting. Why not research the work of a previous Orwell Prize winner, or read an interview with an Orwell Prize nominated journalist over on our Substack?
Where to start? (Reading, watching and listening)
Where to start? (Reading, watching and listening)
Below we’ve collected articles, podcasts, games and resources recommended by the team and our Youth Fellows to help you explore the theme of Truth in today’s world — from misinformation and media literacy to political distortion and online identity. You don’t need to start here (and you certainly don’t need to read everything!) — but take a look and see what inspires you or challenges how you think about truth.
Conflict and Truth
Watch a video or two from this TedX Video series Freedom Rising. From the Arab Spring to the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe, this is a powerful series of stories of resistance against dictatorships and oppression.
What about the conflicts going on in our world? What truths may be obscured, and what is the truth about war?
You might consider looking into:
1/ How Conflict Affects People
4/ Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
You may also wish to research Gaza. This can be a challenging topic but some useful information could be:
3/ Spotting Misinformation on Gaza
AI and Truth
Read this Forbes article about the benefits which AI could bring – and for the other side of the argument, read this Global Citizen article about how AI is affecting our freedoms and human rights. Read this report from UNICEF about what AI is and how it could affect you (and watch the short video about what young people around the world think about AI).
You might also wish to look into:
1/ A beginners guide to Deepfakes
2/ The creation of AI Deepfakes
4/ What are AI Hallucinations?
Truth and Radicalisation, and Online
Ditch the Label have a great range of informative resources on everything happening online, from hacking, to Facebook trends, identity, and more.
Many people have been speaking and writing extensively about the rise of the Manosphere and online misogyny including the United Nations
Much of this is happening in online communities and forums, including on many social media sites we frequently use. Check out this on the radicalisation of Facebook
Truth and Homelessness
‘Being homeless means not being free’ – this article from The Conversation explains how being homeless compromises people’s freedom, exploring the personal experience behind the headlines. This is also explored in many articles, videos and stories from the finalists of the 2024 Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness, including these reports from Daniel Hewitt at ITV News and Vicky Spratt at The i.
Truth and Censorship
Evan Gershkovich is an American journalist who was imprisoned in Russia in 2023 under accusations of espionage. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison after a mere 2 day trial, but luckily was freed in a prisoner swap between Russia and the US on the 1st of August, 2024.
Here is a video from the Wall Street Journal summarising the fight to free Evan.
And a podcast from his friend and fellow journalist Pjotr Sauer talking about the prisoner exchange that eventually resulted in his freedom.
Evan Gershkovich attended the Orwell Prize Ceremony in 2022 as the guest of his friend Polina Ivanova who was shortlisted for the prize, meaning the Foundation has closely followed his bid for freedom. Jean Seaton, director of the Orwell Prize, wrote him a letter whilst he was imprisoned, as did the Orwell Youth Fellows.
Here is an article from Polina about Evan’s imprisonment, and the value of sending him letters.
If you could write a letter to someone imprisoned, what would you say? One of Amnesty International’s biggest campaigns is their Write for Rights campaign, where they ask people to write letters to prisoners of conscience all around the world – find out more here.
In essays like ‘The Freedom of the Press’, George Orwell famously warned that “unpopular ideas can be silenced, and inconvenient facts kept dark, without the need for any official ban”. For Orwell, writing in the Second World War, literary censorship in England was “largely voluntary”.
If you’re interested in Truth and brave reporting, then also check out Channel 4 and HOPE not hate’s undercover reporting on the far-right or BBC Panorama’s investigations on a range of issues from homebuilding, to the performance of the police.
Creative Forms
The Orwell Youth Prize supports many different forms of writing and mediums for expression. One of which is Game Design, if you’re interested you can start with this video made by Youth Prize Winner Benjamin McEwan
We welcome both concepts and games themselves, and here are some places you can turn those narratives into games:
1/ On Twine, it’s a great place to start because it can be used to create interactive, nonlinear stories without needing coding knowledge.
2/ This helpful Twine guide may help!
3/ Godot Engine
Full-length Fiction Works
George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm
Sandra Newman’s Julia
Isaac Asimov’s The Complete Robot
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451
Elif Shafak’s 10 minutes 38 seconds in this strange world
Poems
A Brave and Startling Truth by Maya Angelou
Tell me the truth about love by W.H. Auden
The Unknown Citizen by W.H. Auden
Sonnet 138 by William Shakespeare
The Boundary Commission by Paul Muldoon
Prize-winning Inspiration
Below are some previous Orwell Youth Prize entries which we think might inspire you to think about this year’s theme…
Testament by 2024 Runner Up Yeva Paryliak is a short story set in an imagined near-future Ukraine, where language has been distorted.
Men’s Shoes by 2023 Winner Lucas Wong is a poem about knowing one’s personal truth and gender identity.
‘If Liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear’ by 2016 Winner Alexander Butcher explores free speech and censorship.
Meritocracy: The Politician’s Pipe Dream by 2023 Winner Beth Anker explores one of the pivotal ideas which has underpinned British society, Meritocracy, and questions whether is is something we should truly value.
The Ethics of a KitKat by 2022 Winner Ruby McIntee explores the ethical controversy behind the creation, and purchase, of the humble KitKat.
Be Cynical by 2018 Winner Ammarah Yasin questions what happens when citizens no longer trust politicians, and our information becomes contaminated with lies.
Got your facts in order? Next, head to our Find Your Form page to start thinking about which form will allow you to best express your ideas…