Young Environmental Writers Competition 2024
Left to right: Mikael Bergman, Charlotte Hetherington (Director, Artica Svalbard), Line Nagell Ylvisåker (editor of Svalbardposten and jury member), Ruth Møllerplass Huse
In 2024, in an effort to engage young people in Svalbard with the urgent issues surrounding environmental sustainability, we launched the Young Environmental Journalist Competition. Our goal was to provide a platform for young voices to express their perspectives on the environmental challenges facing this unique Arctic region and to inspire others to think critically about the role we all play in protecting fragile ecosystems. By encouraging local youth, aged 14 to 20, to share their thoughts through writing, we aimed to nurture a new generation of environmental advocates and storytellers.
The winning essays from our 2024 competition showcased the insightful work of these young writers. These essays addressed pressing environmental challenges in one of the world's most unique and fragile ecosystems. Ruth Møllerplass Huse’s “The Paradoxes of Living in Svalbard” explored the complexities of life in an environmentally sensitive area, while Mikael Bergman’s “Hunger and Guilt: The Polar Bear's Climate Struggle” provided a compelling perspective from the viewpoint of a polar bear affected by climate change. Through their narratives, these young writers contributed to the conversation on environmental sustainability and stewardship.
Read Ruth Møllerplass Huse’s essay here
Read Mikael Bergman’s essay here
The competition was judged by a panel of experts, including Line Nagell Ylvisåker, editor of Svalbardposten; Martin Lerberg Fossum, communications advisor for the Ministry of Climate and Environment; and Susanne Kaluza, director of the House of Literature Foundation in Oslo.
The competition was generously supported by Sparebankstiftelsen SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge.
