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19 April 2002
CHILDNET INTERNET AWARD WINNERS
ANNOUNCED IN WASHINGTON, D.C.
Awards Ceremony Focuses on the "Dot Hope" Effect
of the Net
WASHINGTON, DC - April 19, 2001 - United States-based
project myhero.com was among the Childnet International
award winners, announced tonight as children from around
the world were honored at the National Geographic auditorium
in Washington, D.C. This annual children's Internet Awards
program, sponsored by Cable & Wireless (NYSE:CWP),
rewards children and those working with them who are developing
outstanding Internet projects which benefit other children
worldwide.
This year's program attracted more than 200 entries from
47 countries, and the 10 finalists came to Washington,
D.C. from Australia, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, The Netherlands,
Finland, the United Kingdom and from across the U.S. The
Childnet judges were not just looking for technical expertise
or sophisticated web design work, but rather for how children
are using the Internet to connect and engage with others
and break down barriers.
Trey Smith, chief technology officer, Cable & Wireless
Global and president, Cable & Wireless Global, North
America, said, "We at Cable & Wireless are proud
to host the Childnet Awards in the U.S. for the first time,
and to be involved in the highly successful Childnet International
program which inspires children around the world to experience
today's new communications technology. These Childnet winners
are the technology leaders of the future."
In the Individual Category, Oli Watts, a 15-year-old from
the United Kingdom, won first place for his website,
www.pupiline.net, which he produced after being bullied
at school. In just nine months, he recruited a team of
young people to write, design and publish a young person's
webzine, which tells his story and addresses some of
the key issues facing young people today.
The winner in the Non-Profit Category, US based www.myhero.com,
produced an interactive educational website that allows
children of all ages the chance to share their heroes.
Through a simple web page builder kit, students can share
their stories while at the same time learn from the insights
and concerns of students from around the world.
The Schools Category was won by Athens District High School
in Canada, where students worked with schools in the US
and Japan to develop Netvision, an online interactive TV
network, and developed a website for the Canadian Aid for
Chernobyl organization. Cooperation across borders was
a theme in the schools category. 2nd prize winner in the
category, Animal Diaries was created by children at schools
in the US and the Netherlands working together. Their website
now connects animal lovers from 49 schools in eight countries.
Graham Wallace, chief executive of Cable & Wireless
plc, was in Washington, D.C. to present the top Childnet
Award in the Schools Category and said:
"Cable & Wireless has sponsored the Childnet
Awards for four years. It is an immensely successful program,
and Childnet has established a worldwide reputation for
encouraging children to use the Internet both creatively
and safely. As the digital divide debate continues, these
awards demonstrate how children from different backgrounds
around the world can really benefit from the Internet." "To support the digital divide effort further, I am
pleased to announce today that Cable & Wireless will
be sponsoring a new award category, 'New to the Net.' 'New
to the Net'
will give recognition to innovative ideas and projects
that don't yet have a website and enable them to develop
and achieve a real impact on children around the world," said
Wallace The winner in the Government Category, sponsored by Alcatel,
was Cambridgeshire County Council. Their project, Superhighway
Alert provides pupils with a real-time role play experience
involving the emergency services.
One of this year's Childnet Award judges, Trond Waage,
the Norwegian Ombudsman for Children, says, "At a
time when there is less 'public space' in which children
can express their feelings about their lives, we are seeing
in the Childnet Awards how children are using the Net to
share their lives, create and inspire others, and form
a new online 'community' which is not restricted to national
boundaries."
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