Nominees Selected for the YJA Young Journalist of the Year 2024
Four nominees have been selected for the YJA Young Journalist of the Year award 2024.
YJA Members now have the opportunity to vote for their winner. Click on the voting form link below to cast your vote.
Your nominees are:
- Kaia Bint Savage
- Anne de Kerviller
- Annie Means
- Jack Gore
Here are their entries:
- Anne de Kerviller
A 24-year-old sailor, naval architect and engineer. This year, I embarked on the Ocean Globe Race, the crewed race around the world divided in 4 legs. Selected in 2022 from 170 candidates, I trained for two years with 15 other crew members, sailing across the Atlantic and in various places. As we prepared for our 2023 departure, I realized that I wanted to tell our story from a different perspective. With no prior journalism experience, I reached out to various sailing magazines in France. Voiles et Voiliers offered me the opportunity to document our journey after each leg. While sailing from Southampton to Cape Town, I combined my personal reflections with those of my crewmates, aiming to amplify their voice. Throughout the race, I wrote 11 articles for the website. Each piece aimed to highlight not only our adventures but also the friendship and shared values that emerged during our time at sea. Upon returning from the race, I was inspired to craft a more comprehensive article encapsulating our experiences while emphasizing key themes such as gender equality, sustainability, and the beautiful principles that unite us as sailors. This larger piece not only reflects our journey but also aims to inspire others to appreciate the ocean and the values it represents. I am playing for this award because this experience has ignited a passion for journalism that I never anticipated. I am eager to continue giving a voice to diverse stories and sharing the adventures that connect us to the ocean. I am grateful for the opportunity to further develop my skills, connect with fellow journalists and contribute positively through my writing amplifying the important messages of sustainability and equality.PDF Download below.
- Kaia Bint Savage
I’m probably the least well known member of the Maiden team, and the worst at sailing. I know that’s a strange opening to a yachting journalist competition entry, but it’s true.
When I joined The Maiden Factor nearly 8 years ago, I had no background in sailing at all. I was passionate about education and empowering girls, and knew I wanted this role. Tracy actually hired me as the Office Administrator, but in the first meeting I had with her I brought up the fact that they had no social media presence yet, no way to share these incredible stories about to unfold, and Tracy upgraded my job role on the spot! My first Facebook live was me walking around a derelict Maiden explaining all the different areas of the boat; quickly I had comments stating “that’s not a kitchen! That’s a galley!” I realised that to truly understand the importance of my new role, I had to fully throw myself into this new world.
So I did. I jumped on board when I could (vomiting over the side of the boat for 4 hours in Crete comes to mind). I spent time working with the Maiden crew on the boat at each world tour stopover. I volunteered to go and get parts, I cleaned the deck, I asked questions (and more questions, and more questions). As the years went by, I developed my sailing knowledge, but also understood what our audience, and what the general public wanted to learn about. I learnt how to keep my balance in a tiny RIB in heavy weather when filming yacht races. I learnt what questions to ask sailors when interviewing them that others might not think of. I learnt why it was so important in the world of sailing that we continue to keep fighting and pushing for the inclusion of women and girls in this sport.
Eight years on, working as a digital content producer and head of social media, my footage has been showcased globally, featuring on prominent platforms like CNN, Sky, BBC News, TVNZ, The View, ITV, Good Morning Britain, and more. My photographs have been featured on sailing news sites and major publications, contributing to a significant media presence for The Maiden Factor. But what I’m most proud of is the impact that we’ve had through Maiden. We’ve raised hundreds of thousands to support girls’ education and empowerment, and I got to witness and document the impact that this has had on the girls we supported.
I’m entering the YJA awards now, as I believe the last and final year of my work with The Maiden Factor has been the most impactful, as well as being the year I’ve enjoyed the most. During the Ocean Globe Race alone, my social media updates, videos, reports and photographs reached over 10 million people. I was so proud to share the stories of the incredible crew members online, and help to bring those messages into the wider public view through online, tv and print publications that also shared Maiden’s story. My footage featured on The View, BBC, Sky News and more. Additionally, I was proud that we didn’t just celebrate Maiden through our updates – we wanted to celebrate every single boat in the race. It was important to me that we showed good sportsman(woman?)ship during each leg, so I strived to be at every single boat arrival I could to cheer as loudly as I could and share the updates as quickly as I could with all those following the journey – we often got news updates out first. When Maiden won the race, photographing their arrival and filming/editing their winning video was the happiest moment of my career so far. It wasn’t me up there jumping and celebrating and being showered with champagne and that didn’t matter – I am so honoured to be the one behind the camera, behind the keyboard, able to show the world what women and girls can do when they’re given the chance.
Download video here:
https://themaidenfactor.app.box.com/s/klpgp70qmx6khyyf2kvhhz2ieno8g84u/file/1621720755759
- Annie Means
For the past year, I’ve been deeply interested in the intersection of gender and the maritime industry. I’ve dedicated my writing and photography to showcasing the remarkable contributions of women in this field. I am entering the YJA Young Journalist of the Year competition because I strongly believe that women’s contributions should be highlighted and elevated on a broader stage. As a sailor and boater myself, this topic and my reporting on it are very close to my heart. Entering this competition affords me the opportunity to showcase not just my work, but also the contributions of those I have reported on, through a larger and more impactful platform. Thank you very much for the opportunity to apply.
YJA Young Journalist Entries _ Annie Means
A collection of my recent work can be found here (https://anniemeans.substack.com/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=substack_profile).
My work primarily focuses on women’s roles and leadership in the maritime and blue economy. From sailors to coral restorationists, I believe that women’s contributions deserve greater recognition in the reporting field.
- Jack Gore
I’ve always loved Jeanneau Sun 2000s, for as long as I can remember. When I was 8 or 9, I saw one at Burnham Yacht Harbour for sale with Clarke and Carter; the kind yacht broker let us look onboard, which cemented the Sun 2000 as one of my dream boats. There had always been a sad one – Victoria – at my home boatyard of Fambridge, which I had long lusted over, even in her dilapidated state. So when the opportunity arose to perhaps save Victoria from her sorry state, you can imagine my excitement. However, it was a tale of sadness and the reason Victoria had seemingly been abandoned became clear. Read my article for the whole story:
Access the voting form here:
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