Ben wins top journalism prize

Freelance journalist Ben Willis has won the professional category of the Guardian International Development Journalism competition with his report on Plan's work in the Philippines.

Ben's story highlighting Plan's work in the Philippines to combat the threat of climate change and natural disasters was singled out as "outstanding" by a panel of judges.

The 31-year-old from Croydon said he was delighted to scoop the prestigious prize: "Just to make it to the final 16 was incredible, but then to win the overall competition was amazing."

Each of the 16 finalists was assigned to a different partner NGO and then presented with an assignment. Ben's was to investigate the effect of climate change and natural disasters on children in the Philippines.

He said: "As soon as I got that assignment I knew I would be able to get a decent story out of it. I'm very interested in environmental issues and the subject of climate change.

"The work that Plan does out there is really inspiring. It's incredible what a difference can be made in communities by giving the children a voice, they really can create positive change.

"A highlight for me was hearing how a group of school children got together to petition to have their school building moved from an area that was at risk of mudslides.

"This was just a few miles away from a neighbouring village where more than 1,100 people were killed by a mud slide two years ago."

Plan's head of communications Sharon Goulds said she was very impressed by Ben's winning article.

"Ben's piece captured both the environment and the spirit of the young people in a way that is inspirational to all of us. He was a real pleasure to work with and I look forward to reading more of his work in the future."

Read Ben's article on the Guardian website