Charlotte Fry from Tiffin School
“The article grabbed my attention right from the beginning and they return the story arc at the end with these same key words (hedge fund, stock market etc). ‘A hedge fund is the money that you save for neatening your garden. The stock market is where people go to deal oxo cubes. Gross interest is when the weird kid is into you. Liquidation is when you take ice out of the freezer. Stamp duty is speaking to your local philatelist.’ The writer makes a clear case for how financial literacy can lead to happier and more productive individuals in society.”
Charlotte says:
“I’d been looking at different competitions but struggled to find a question that interested me. The question I chose to answer – What are the main financial issues facing young people today? – was one that resonated with me and I felt I could grapple with.
“I do economics at A Level, and there have been times when financial issues have been touched upon, but financial education seems to be lacking overall in schools. It needs to be directed towards everyone, not just those who are studying certain subjects – especially as widespread education is the most sustainable way to drive change.
“If you’re thinking of entering the competition next year, my advice would be to look at a question and go out and research it. Quite often it can feel quite daunting when a subject is so unfamiliar. But even with your first article you start to get that understanding. Don’t be afraid of a topic, you’ll soon find that your research will spark conversation and garner that interest.”
18-19 age group
Winner: 18-year-old Lindell Brown from East Norfolk Sixth Form College, Gorleston-on-Sea. Lindell’s article looked at whether data was becoming as valuable as gold. Lindell Brown
Claer Barrett says:
Lindell Brown from East Norfolk Sixth Form College
“Quite a few of the entries tried to make some kind of play on the gold rush, but this entry did it with the most aplomb. I really liked the writer’s style. I also liked the refreshing honesty about their own laxity with data – ‘it wouldn’t take more than five minutes to find my origins, phone number and favourite food’ – and the high numbers of social media ‘friends’ compared to the relatively small number of people who got in touch to say happy 18th birthday.”
Lindell says:
“I’ve always had an interest in journalism. I also trade in my spare time and do technical analysis, and then produce reports. So I wanted to enter the competition to see if I was good enough and to see if a career in journalism was a possibility.
“I was elated to win, and very surprised. I sent my entry one day before the deadline! Winning a competition like this is something you can put on your CV and on job applications. You never know where it may lead.”
He’s also a fan of financial education.
“I didn’t get access to financial education until I went to college. The curriculum is completely lacking on things like tax, how mortgages and other financial products work, and it is essential knowledge in my view.”
We agree Lindell!
Highly commended: 19-year-old Ploypailin Allice from University of Srinakharinwirot, Bangkok, Thailand
Bobby Seagull says:
Ploypailin Allice from University of Srinakharinwirot
“Well referenced article that highlights to the reader that ‘data is worthless when isolated without context’ but can become a gigantic financial force when millions of users’ data is cumulated together.”
Marelize says:
“I entered the competition after hearing about it on an FT podcast. The question on personal data really excited me. That’s the area of law I want to get into. Once you start learning about the issues you realise that what seem to be quite simple things – use of your personal data by companies for example – are becoming a really big issue. This could cost companies a lot of money if they get things wrong.
“If you’re thinking of entering the competition next year, I’d say just go for it. It’s not hard to write an article if you enjoy the topics. And what might seem scary at first will become much more straightforward once you start researching it.”
