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20 March 2001, Vienna
CHILDNET INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES INTERNET FINALISTS FOR
2001 CHILDNET AWARDS IN WASHINGTON D.C.
Short list selected from record number of entries and
47 countries
Vienna, VA - March 20, 2001 - Recognizing outstanding
Internet projects that give children the opportunity to
create, connect and discover, Childnet International today
announced ten finalists for the 2001 Childnet Awards to
be held in Washington, D.C., at the National Geographic
theater,
April 19. This year, finalists from around the globe won
a week's stay in Washington, where they will learn which
global teams take top honors. This marks the first year
that the Childnet Awards will be held in the United States.
The Childnet Awards, sponsored by Cable & Wireless,
are an international effort to promote creative and beneficial
ways children can use the World Wide Web. Many of the projects
challenge children and adults about their attitude regarding
important social issues, while others encourage children
to interact with each other and share ideas and feelings.
Ten finalists were selected for four award categories:
individual, non-profit, school, and government.
"While many adults use the Internet just to make
purchases, be entertained and communicate, this year's
Childnet Award winners are being much more innovative and
discovering the true worth of the Net to change our world
for the better," said Childnet Director Nigel Williams
For 2001, the Awards attracted a record number of entries
- more than 200 from 47 countries. The finalist projects
came from Australia, Canada, Finland, Germany, The Netherlands,
the United Kingdom and the United States. Children, adults,
schools, non-profits and governments alike participated
in developing the winning sites.
"At a time when there is less 'public space' that
children can use to express their feelings, we are seeing
in the Childnet Awards how children are using the Internet
to share their lives, and inspire others," said Childnet
Award judge Trond Waage, the Norwegian Ombudsman for Children. "Children
are forming a new online community which is not restricted
to national boundaries."
Some examples of finalist sites include:
www.myhero.com: an interactive educational website from
California that allows children from around the world the
opportunity to build a webpage about their real life hero.
As well as including positive role models such as Rosa
Parks, Mark Twain and Martin Luther King, the expanding
database includes moving tributes of unsung heroes and
encourages children to appreciate that each individual
can make a difference.
www.tesan.vuurwerk.nl/diaries:
produced by the students in the Cannelton Elementary school
from Indiana
working with children from the DeWadden school in The Netherlands,
the site includes children's animal stories, poems, and
drawings as well as chat sessions with children's authors.
flatstanley.enoreo.on.ca/index.htm, from Canada.
Flat Stanley enables children to donate books and food
to children in Brazil with leprosy. The site encourages
children at various schools in more than 15 countries to
exchange experiences, including photographs of a paper
character called Stanley who comes alive through the Internet.
The Awards have been sponsored by Cable and Wireless plc
since 1997. Stephen Pettit, Executive Director of Corporate
Development and one of the Awards judges says, "Cable & Wireless
is delighted to be involved with Childnet, which is working
so hard to improve the lives and promote the interests
of children around the world. As one of the Awards judges
I never fail to be surprised at both the variety and quality
of the entries which are a tribute to the young people
involved."
Further sponsorship for the 2001 Awards comes from Alcatel,
which sponsored the Government category award.
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