On Monday 11th July Media Trust and ITV News will launch Breaking Into News 2011; a competition to discover new talent and find top broadcast journalists of the future. Breaking Into News will be fronted by BAFTA award-winning ITV News at Ten presenters Mark Austin and Julie Etchingham.  

The competition offers 18-25 year olds the chance to be mentored by experienced broadcast journalists from the ITV News network newsroom in writing, presenting and production skills. Six finalists will be given the opportunity to develop their ideas and turn them into a news report.  

Those shortlisted will present their news reports to a high-profile judging panel including ITV News managers, Mark Austin, Julie Etchingham and executives from Media Trust. The winner will be given the chance to work alongside the ITV News at Ten team for a day, be presented with an iPad to help with future projects, and the chance to have their final piece considered forinclusion on an ITV News platform.

Entrants need to submit a short description about themselves and their backgrounds, what theyd like their report to focus on and why they deserve the opportunity to break into news. The entry form can be found at www.mediatrust.org/breakingintonews.

Julie Etchingham, Presenter of ITV News at Ten, said: "This is a fantastic chance for young people out there who have a story to tell and an interest in broadcast journalism. Often the difficulty with starting out in journalism is getting an initial foot in the door and solid experience for your CV. Breaking Into News is the perfect opportunity and I'm really looking forward to seeing some of the finished entries."  

Robin Elias, Managing Editor of ITV News, said: "We're delighted to be working with Media Trust to find undiscovered talent among harder-to-reach groups. We have committed some of our best journalists to helping these talented young people to expand their ideas through the Breaking Into News initiative. We want to encourage young people from a wide variety of backgrounds to enter Breaking Into News 2011." 

Katie Simpson, Deputy Chief Executive at Media Trust said: "Media Trust believes young people should have a voice, be enabled to talk about the things that matter to them most and be heard. It's difficult for young people in today's economic climate and we believe that mentoring and media are powerful tools that can be used to encourage and inspire. Through Breaking into News, Media Trust is proud to be helping ITV News reach out to a huge range of young people that it might not normally have an opportunity like this."

The closing date for entries is Monday 8 August 2011 at midday. To enter and for terms and conditions please go to www.mediatrust.org./breakingintonews.