Only nine days left to enter

Singer-songwriter Labrinth has thrown his support behind Column Idol 2012. The initiative run jointly by the Media Trust and The Sun aims to find raw undiscovered writing talent and get the voices of young people heard.

The competition, now in its third year, offers six 18-25 year olds the chance to be mentored by top journalists on the paper – with one lucky winner getting the chance to have their column printed in The Sun.

Labrinth, famous for smash hit Earthquake, said: “There's a lot of untapped writing talent out there and It’s vital to give the younger generation a voice — and that is what Column Idol is doing. I didn’t go to university. When I started, all I had was my passion and conviction so I know how hard it can be to stand up and express yourself. I got a tough time at school in Hackney when I began writing music and spending time in the studio. If you’re doing something different then you’re not seen as cool. Expressing yourself is finding your own version of cool.”

To enter, young people must submit a short description about themselves, what they’d like to write about and why they deserve to be crowned Column Idol 2012.   The entry form can be found at www.mediatrust.org/columnidol

The judges are looking for raw, undiscovered talent from young people who have an opinion to share – and with only nine days left until the competition closes, there’s never been a better time to enter.

Labrinth added: “The power of the written word is a wonderful thing. You have the ability to change people’s perceptions with it. My advice would be to write about what you care about. You’ve got to believe what you’re writing is worth people sitting down to read.”

Six writers will be shortlisted and mentored by top journalists from The Sun who will help them polish their ideas and support them as they write their columns.

Those shortlisted will present their columns to a high-profile judging panel including The Sun’s Editor Dominic Mohan and Lorraine Kelly.  The final winner will receive the prize of having their column printed in the newspaper in September 2012.

The Sun columnist Katie Price also backs the competition and advised entrants:  “don’t let anything hold you back.”

The closing date for entries is Friday, 15 June 2012 at midday. To enter and for terms and conditions please go to www.mediatrust.org/columnidol