MEDIA RELEASE - October 5, 2000
Cable & Wireless calls for Internet entries for Childnet Awards to encourage international communications
Childnet
International Awards Deadline is October 31
Cable & Wireless, the global telecommunications group, has announced a call for entries for the Childnet International 2001 Awards, with a deadline of October 31, 2000.
The Childnet Awards, www.childnet-int.org/awards, rewards children, and those working with them, who develop outstanding interactive Internet projects that benefit other children worldwide. The awards ceremony will be held in the U.S. (Washington, DC) for the first time in April 2001.
Now in its fourth year, Childnet International, a UK-based non-profit organization that works to make the Internet a great place for children, with primary sponsorship by Cable and Wireless plc, administers the Childnet Awards. "Last year the winner in the Individual Category was Joan Fleitas, an assistant professor of nursing from Fairfield, Connecticut, and both Cable & Wireless and Childnet want to develop a greater awareness in the U.S. for this prestigious awards program and its unique ability to use the Internet to link children around the world," said Alan Gibbs, president of Cable & Wireless North America.
Joan Fleitas, whose Bandaides and Blackboards website (Bandaides and Blackboards), provides a place for chronically sick children to tell their stories, said, "The Childnet Awards program introduced me to a group of amazing people from around the world. People who share my passion for making the Global Village created by the Internet a place that welcomes all children in its embrace."
Larry Magid, syndicated U.S. columnist and founder of Safekids.com, one of the Childnet judges said, "The Childnet Awards are unique in that special emphasis is placed on projects or ideas that are international in nature and where kids are using technology to connect with other children to develop projects which really benefit other children. I very much hope that projects from the United States will not only enter this awards program, but will link up and learn from some of the previous winning projects."
How to Enter the Childnet Awards
The Childnet International 2001 Awards offer four categories for entries: individuals, schools, non-profit organizations and government-funded strategic initiatives. Full details, including criteria, prizes and an online entry form can be found on the Childnet Awards' website, www.childnet-int.org/awards, which contains links to previous winning projects. The Childnet judges are interested in rewarding innovative initiatives, including those projects that have been developed with limited resources. Prizes for the Childnet International 2001 Awards include a trip to the awards ceremony in Washington DC in April, as well as up to US$4,000 for winning projects to extend their work. Last year, entries were received from 25 countries.
In the Cayman Islands, information leaflets on the Childnet Awards are being sent to all local schools to encourage local Internet based projects for children to enter the contest.
All applications must be submitted to Childnet using the e-mail form on the Awards website.
Projects or ideas entered must be:
- Innovative
- International
- Focused on children aged under 18
- Using communications technology.
Projects can be at an early stage of development, and the judges take into account available financial and technical resources.
For more information on the Childnet International 2001 Awards, check the Childnet website at www.childnet-int.org/awards or contact Andrea Fa'amoe at Cable Wireless on 914-0553 for further details.
For more information contact:
Andrea Fa'amoe
Public Relations Manager
Cable & Wireless, Cayman
Tel: 1 345 914 0553
Cell: 1 345 916 6033
E-mail: prm@candw.ky
Cable & Wireless is a major global telecommunications business with customers in 70 countries. Its businesses around the world offer a range of services spanning broadband data, Internet and voice services. Cable & Wireless' priority for expansion is the fast growing market of IP (Internet Protocol) and data services for business customers. It is making major investments in developing advanced networks and services in the US, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region to build the world's leading global IP infrastructure. With the capacity of this advanced infrastructure and its presence in key business markets, Cable & Wireless holds a unique position in terms of global coverage and services to business customers.