- Weston Green School in Thames Ditton Surrey wins first place in the primary school category
- John Willmott School in the West Midlands wins first place in the secondary school category
Draft. 9th February 2016. Internet Matters today revealed the winners of a national competition to find the best comic strip that illustrates how to beat cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is of growing concern in the UK, with 28%* of parents of 5-15 year olds saying that they are very concerned about it according to the latest Ofcom report into parents and children’s attitudes to media use.
To help raise awareness of cyberbullying, Internet Matters launched a nationwide search to find children from schools across the country that could create a comic strip that shows how they helped someone who is being cyberbullied.
Beating over 70 entries into the competition, the winner of the secondary school category was John Willmott School in the West Midlands, Treviglas Community College in Cornwall and Sponne School in Northamptonshire.
Carolyn Bunting, General Manager of Internet Matters commented: “Whilst the internet brings extraordinary opportunities for young people, cyberbullying has become a modern malaise that young people are enduring. Bullying doesn’t just stop at the school gates anymore and we want to make sure parents know how to interpret the signs and know where to turn to for support if their children are being cyberbullied or think their child is a bully.”
The comic strips were judged according to their relevance, presentation and design, story-telling and originality by over 1,000 public votes and a panel of cyberbullying experts.
Adam C, aged x is the artist behind the comic strip from Weston Green School. Bunting further commented: “Titled Don’t fight it alone, Adam showcased how a victim gets bullied in the classroom and how it doesn’t stop when school is over but it carries on online. It shows how the victim eventually tells some friends about what is happening and together they take a stand against the bully and tell the teacher. It won because it showed real insight and creativity about this issue.”
or
x, aged x is the artist behind the comic strip from John Willmott School. Bunting further commented: ”This comic was beautifully illustrated with a very clear message to victims of bullying, that they need to seek advice and tell someone it is happening, so the situation can be resolved.”
The winners were awarded their prizes at the launch of national Safer Internet Day on the 9th of February. They picked up prizes including:
- First prize. The Sky Academy Skills studio prize will take schools behind the scenes at Sky. They will have the chance to work with broadcast quality cameras, green screens and more to make their very own television report on cyberbullying
- Second prize. An X-Box One 1TB console
- Third prize. A signed copy of Usain Bolt’s “My Story” will be given to the school library.
For more information on cyberbullying please visit the cyberbullying section of the Internet Matters website.
