The Telegraph in Schools (TTIS), a weekly newspaper published by The Telegraph for Calcutta schoolchildren, has won an international laurel — the 2004 World Young Reader Prize. Given by the World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and judged by a panel of jurors from worldwide entries, TTIS is one of two papers to win the honour this year.

“You faced tough competition from around the world, but the project clearly emerged at the top because of its quality, breadth and benefits to all involved,” said Aralynn McMane, director, development and education, WAN.

The Telegraph is the recipient of three international awards this year, including a gold medal from IFRA, the world’s leading organisation of newspaper and media publishing, and honorary membership to the Newspaper Colour Quality Club 2004-06 — the first from India. A certificate for printing quality from the Newspaper Association of America was the first to be conferred outside the US. Earlier, The Telegraph had been awarded by IFRA Asia, too.

In response to the presentation sent in by TTIS for the award, the jury replied: “Since September 2003, The Telegraph has produced The Telegraph in Schools, a separate weekly publication that does far more than give young people a chance to write about news interest to them. For example, the paper organises an array of activities and clubs for the young and helped send a group of young people to Pakistan as ‘goodwill ambassadors’ who then wrote about the moving experience in the paper.”

When the TTIS team set about informing teachers, principals and the students involved with the publication, the response was words of pride and joy. “I have been with the paper for four years, and it’s finally beginning to get recognised. It’s the best thing to have happened. Now people will understand what international force a young people’s newspaper can have,” said Sangeet Shirodkar, a Class XII student of Apeejay School, Park Street, and one of the oldest TTIS tiger reporters, who has been there from the beginning.

From clubs and other activities to the Pakistan trip in January this year, TTIS has made people around the country sit up and listen to young people’s voices. So, the triumph is for the children who make the paper, feels Rudrangshu Mukherjee, editor, TTIS. “Ninety per cent of the contributions come from them. A lot of hard work has gone into the paper, and the award is recognition of that. It’s a tremendous boost for us. It is also a challenge to keep up the standards and take the TTIS movement forward,” he added.

Finally, a word from Barry ‘Sir’ ’Brien: “The winners are the people who have stood by it and believed in it, even during the bad times. The newspaper cuts across social barriers and reaches out to students from English, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu-medium and other vernacular schools. The award is for this TTIS cult.”

The prizes to both TTIS and The West Australian will be awarded at the 2004 Editor and Marketeer Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, on November 25.