HOW do you fancy starting the New Year with a new career?

The Evening Press is offering a budding reporter the chance to step into the exciting world of journalism.

One lucky winner of our Write Stuff competition will win a job at the Evening Press along with a nationally-recognised training package.

Liz Page, editor of the Evening Press, said: "We are looking for someone confident, curious, literate and with good local knowledge.

"You don't need a degree to be a good reporter, although we will be pleased to consider graduates as well."

Last year's winner, trainee reporter Alex Lloyd, is coming to the end of her initial full-time journalism course at Darlington College, and will be returning to work at the Evening Press in February.

Entrants for this year's competition should have five GCSE passes at grades A-C. They should also have two A- level passes, or expect to get them in the summer, and should live in the Evening Press circulation area.

They should send us a genuine, unpublished local news story of fewer than 400 words, written in a newspaper style.

If you think you might be the right person for the job, send for an application form, giving your name, address and daytime telephone number to the PA to the editor, Sky Ferrey, at the Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN, or by e-mail to sky.ferrey@ycp.co.uk

The closing date for entries will be May 31, 2003.

Normal York & County Press competition rules apply.

The winner will be expected to attend Darlington College's 20-week pre-entry course, starting in September 2003.

Updated: 10:40 Wednesday, January 08, 2003