A-LEVEL STUDENTS ENCOURAGED TO ENTER 2014 SHORT VIDEO COMPETITION ON “EUROPE – IN OR OUT?”

Mark Hunter MP is encouraging all local A Level students in Cheadle constituency to take part in the Political Studies Association's Student Short Video Competition which returns for a fourth year.

The Political Studies Association (PSA) exists to develop and promote the study of politics. As part of their programme of activities to engage young people in the study of politics, the PSA hold an annual short film competition.

This year's competition asks students to explore the question: "Europe - in or out?" Groups of A Level and Higher Education students are invited to submit short videos on this subject. Shortlisted groups will be invited to The Speaker's House in the Palace of Westminster to discuss the ideas raised in their video with a panel of politicians, journalists and academics. Previous jurors have included Shami Chakrabarti and Baroness Doreen Lawrence.

The winners of the Student Short Video Competition will receive their award at the PSA's Annual Awards Ceremony in Westminster. This year's Ceremony in London takes place on 25th November, broadcast on BBC Parliament, and accommodation is provided for the winning group and their teacher in a central London hotel. On top of this, the winning students will each be invited to spend a week volunteering with and shadowing the YouGov political team during their school holidays.

Commenting, Mark Hunter, MP for Cheadle constituency, said:

"I see encouraging people of all ages to become more engaged in politics as a really important aspect of my role as an MP. As such I'd like to encourage all local A Level students to take part in this competition and submit their ideas and videos. Good luck to all of our local students taking part."

CEO of the Political Studies Association, Helena Djurkovic, said:

"The Short Video Competition is a great chance for students to explore contemporary political issues in a creative way and to learn or enhance new skills, such as video production and interview style. This year's theme on Europe we feel is very apt given the current political discourse. The competition is recognised at our Annual Awards Ceremony and remains very popular with our teacher members' schools. The quality of entries continue to improve year on year - we're looking forward to beginning the judging process for 2014."