Three years ago, Young People Now set out with a bold ambition. That ambition was to change the way young people were portrayed in a predominately negative light in newspapers, on television and on the radio. An exclusive study was carried out, which found that nearly three-quarters of all stories written about young people presented them in a negative way.

To challenge that perception, Young People Now launched its Positive Images Awards in 2005 to reward media organisations and young people who have successfully countered the stereotypical view of the disgruntled antisocial teenager. Now in its third year, the awards invite youth organisations and the media to submit entries of their work, which are judged by a panel comprising leading youth sector figures, previous winners and, most importantly, young people themselves (see far right).

This year, the awards have been split into eight categories, recognising the achievements of local and national newspapers, radio stations, youth magazines as well as the best use of broadcast, interactive media and publicity campaigns by youth groups. There is also an individual award for the best involvement of a young person in promoting a positive media portrayal. All the winners were presented with certificates at a ceremony that took place at the Youth Summit in London on 25 June.

There are signs that the awards are starting to have an impact. Some newspapers, such as this year's local press winner The Southern Reporter, now actively involve young people in their production and the Department for Education and Skills has launched Mediabox, a £6m fund to help young people engage in the media.

Follow-up studies to the original Mori study also show an improvement in positive coverage, with just over half of stories being negative in 2006 and just under half in 2007.

But there is still more work to be done. Many newspapers continue to focus on the negative aspects of teenage behaviour. They take pleasure in highlighting cases where young people have received antisocial behaviour orders (Asbos) and naming and shaming them across their pages. Broadcasters are equally culpable. Reality TV shows such as Channel 4's Brat Camp present teenagers as lazy, spoilt and rude and in need of reform. Documentary-makers also continue to highlight subjects such as teenage pregnancy and alcohol and drug misuse rather than the positive aspects of adolescents.

Ravi Chandiramani, editor of Young People Now, says: "It's encouraging that negative coverage of young people has now dipped below the 50 per cent barrier but there's a long way to go. This year's award winners are the finest example of young people being themselves and making a positive contribution."

BEST MAGAZINE PRODUCED BY YOUNG PEOPLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

WINNER: Exposure

Haringey-based youth magazine Exposure triumphed in this hotly contested category. The A5-sized magazine, which is published six times a year, saw off competition from 12 other youth publications to win the prize. Exposure is packed with details about local activities for young people as well as real-life stories covering a broad range of subjects from teenage pregnancy to terrorism.

The young volunteers are supported by experienced journalists and work on every aspect of the magazine's production, from developing ideas to writing articles, designing pages and helping with the distribution.

About 4,500 copies of the magazine are sent to secondary schools, colleges, youth groups and Connexions offices in Haringey, north London. The magazine is also available online at www.exposure.org.uk.

What the judges said:

Mervin Martin: "The designs were good. There were a variety of ideas and the cover stories were well thought out."

BEST INTERACTIVE MEDIA PRODUCED BY YOUNG PEOPLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

WINNER: Youth Times

"Independent and in your face" is the strapline of Youth Times' InSITE web site and the judges certainly thought it lived up to that claim.

The site features a host of articles of interest to young people living in Herefordshire, including film and gig reviews, real-life stories, games and recipes. Highlights from last year included articles about the new youth council, how to volunteer locally and interviews with the drugs squad and drugs and safety partnership. All this is done in a visual way, using colourful graphics and photos.

The site is run by media education project The Rural Media Company and is produced by young people who attend its sessions. The young people learn interview techniques and research and write their own news stories, opinion pieces and feature articles. A correspondent scheme was also launched last October for young people who wanted to get more involved with the web site over a longer period of time.

What the judges said:

Rahul Verma: "The content was excellent and the design very slick. The site also offered the opportunity for young people to have discussions."

BEST BROADCAST PRODUCED BY YOUNG PEOPLE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

WINNER: Project:Consider, UK Youth Parliament

Many educational resources just tell young people not to do something, but this anti-gun and knife crime DVD asks young people to consider what might happen if they do carry a weapon.

It includes interviews with young people who have carried and used weapons, young victims and family members. It does not preach the anti-gun and knife message but simply informs.

Thirty members and deputy members of the UK Youth Parliament were trained in film and editing skills in order to produce the DVD, which began filming in April 2006.

They helped with every stage of the process to ensure the project was youth-led. A launch event was held in October last year and excerpts were shown on BBC News 24 in December.

A series of training events is planned for this year to encourage youth professionals in London to use the film in their work with young people.

What the judges said:

Becki Tomkins: "The DVD kept it real. This is an issue that needs publicising and the film does it by advising, not lecturing."

JUDGING PANEL

- Ravi Chandiramani, editor, Young People Now Chandiramani became editor of Young People Now in November 2006. He was previously the deputy editor and news editor of PR Week.

- Tom Wylie, chief executive, The National Youth Agency (NYA). Wylie has led The NYA for the past 11 years after joining from Ofsted, where he was assistant director of inspections. He is due to retire this summer.

- Tanya Coutts, 19, Zeal magazine. Tanya was part of the editorial team at Zeal, which won best youth magazine at last year's Positive Images Awards. She is currently studying a degree in journalism at City University in London.

- Rahul Verma, mentor at LIVE. Verma is a freelance journalist and mentor at LIVE magazine, a not-for-profit youth engagement scheme that helps young people in south London.

- Mervin Martin, 21, deputy editor at LIVE. Mervin joined LIVE magazine in 2007. He would like to become a sports broadcaster when he finishes the programme in 2008.

- Denise Conroy, online consultant, Connexions Cheshire and Warrington. Before Conroy worked for Connexions, she was the education maintenance allowance co-ordinator for Cheshire and Warrington based at the Learning and Skills Council.

- Becki Tomkins, 19, Connexions Cheshire and Warrington. Becki was a member of the Young Persons Reference Group, which won best publicity campaign by a youth group at last year's Positive Images Awards. She is currently studying to be a youth worker at North East Wales Institute of Higher Education.

- Susie Roberts, chief executive, Association of Principal Youth and Community Officers. Roberts has been leading the association for a year and before that was principal youth officer at Bracknell Forest.

- Reverend Nims, ambassador, Mediabox. Reverend Nims is the chief executive of The Peace Alliance, a charity commited to reducing crime and improving community cohesion. He is also an ambassador for Mediabox, the £6m fund that helps disadvantaged young people to get involved in media projects.

BEST PUBLICITY CAMPAIGN

WINNER: Southend Youth Council

Fed up with receiving invitations for meetings taking place during school hours and documents containing an alphabet spaghetti of abbreviations, Southend Youth Council decided to make a DVD explaining how to consult young people.

Youth council members drew up a list of their top 10 dislikes, wrote a script and filmed their humorous take on where most local committees go wrong. The five-minute DVD, How Not to Speak to Young People, gained the attention of The National Youth Agency, which subsequently produced 5,000 copies that were sent out with its newspaper The Edge. Since then, the youth council has taken the film to conferences to encourage local committees to think about young people's needs.

What the judges said:

Susie Roberts: "The film was humorously presented and gave a very useful set of criteria."

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Somerset County Youth Service

The judges were equally keen to praise Somerset County Youth Service and Teenage Pregnancy Partnership Board's Passionate and Proud posters, which challenged popular stereotypes of young men. One example pictured a young hoodie next to the strapline "Don't judge a boy by his cover". The posters were produced by young people and distributed in Somerset.

BEST RADIO COVERAGE OF YOUNG PEOPLE

WINNER: BBC Radio Kent

Teenagers' voices are conspicuous by their absence on the UK's airways. After recognising that young people were rarely heard on its station, BBC Radio Kent took decisive action last year.

The station handed over a week's worth of airtime to teenagers, giving them a chance to produce their own radio features and assist with the breakfast show and phone-in on 3 November.

Among the highlights of its coverage was a two-minute radio feature by Kim, a young person from Rainer Care in Canterbury who wanted to share what it is like to be labelled "in care", and sisters Adela and Hanardi, who expressed their frustrations at the closure of a local mosque.

What the judges said:

Becki Tomkins: "It was good to hear the voices of young people on a mainstream station and in a way that presented them in a positive rather than negative light."

BEST INVOLVEMENT BY A YOUNG PERSON IN PROMOTING A POSITIVE MEDIA PORTRAYAL

WINNER: Neil Tucker

"Neil works really, really hard and loves his baby, Spark Radio." These are the words of Augustine Burland-Beech, 17, a volunteer at the radio station in Wiltshire who has benefited from Neil Tucker's advice.

Eighteen-year-old Neil was one of the founding members of the internet radio station, which was set up in 2006 by Wiltshire County Council Youth Development Service to provide information and advice to young people living in the area.

Neil, or Tux as he likes to be known on air, presents his own show once a week as well as helping with the general running of the station and mentoring other young people who want to get involved.

Over the past year, he has given a presentation to the media and government officials about the work of Spark and helped to publicise the station to local council officials and young people. He was also featured on the cover of the county council's Wiltshire Magazine last summer.

Much of his free time is spent helping to make the station a success. "Neil continues to inspire other young people throughout Wiltshire," says Augustine.

What the judges said:

Tom Wylie: "Neil showed strong individual involvement, which had a good impact, especially locally."

BEST LOCAL PRESS COVERAGE OF YOUNG PEOPLE

HIGHLY COMMENDED: The Northern Scot

Finishing a very close second to The Southern Reporter - there was only one mark that separated them - was The Northern Scot. Last autumn, the Moray-based newspaper produced a series of articles tackling misconceptions about young people after some residents complained the younger age group was out of control. Journalists interviewed senior police officers and went out on the streets to speak to young people to establish the extent of their involvement in anti-social behaviour. The articles helped to debunk the myth that most of Moray's youth population was up to no good.

WINNER: YOB, The Southern Reporter

It was the rather inventively named YOB pages of The Southern Reporter that caught the judges' eyes this year. YOB, or Youth of the Borders, is a monthly section of the newspaper produced by young people to showcase the talents of local teenagers and give them the opportunity to express their opinions on issues of importance to them.

The page appears in the first Thursday issue of the month and is put together by a team of young people from across the Borders region. The young people devise ideas for stories, source background information, conduct interviews and write articles. Throughout the process, they receive training and assistance from the editor of The Southern Reporter and education initiative Dialogue Youth.

Articles that have appeared in the YOB pages include a young person's response to accusations of mob rule in a Borders town as well as pieces about online and homophobic bullying.

What the judges said:

Tanya Coutts: "I liked the fact that the page was put together by young people themselves. Like the name, the YOB page turns round a negative connotation."

BEST NATIONAL PRESS COVERAGE OF YOUNG PEOPLE

WINNER: Daily Mail

The most controversial winner of this year's awards was the Daily Mail. Despite the judges having serious misgivings about awarding a prize to a newspaper that has a long-held reputation for portraying young people in a negative light, the quality of the entry convinced them otherwise. The paper won for its Enterprising Young Brits coverage, which showcased the talents of some of the UK's most promising entrepreneurs aged 13 to 30.

The pages were written by journalist Justin Harper and showed how enterprising young people can thrive in the world of business despite their young years. Among the those featured was Calypso Rose, a 25-year-old handbag and accessories designer whose Clippykit products are stocked in exclusive fashion shops in the UK and US.

What the judges said:

Denise Conroy: "These articles are very strong and promote the enterprise opportunities out there for young people."