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Sent to DoWire by Ingrid Fischer-Schreiber <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. This looks very interesting. Nothing like an award contest to bring out the best stories. I find that many of the best stories online remain untold and little known because those who are building them don't have a comparative sense about how innovative or successful they have become. - SLC Get the full details at: http://www.aec.at/en/prix/index.asp (English) http://www.aec.at/de/prix/index.asp (German) Specifically: http://www.aec.at/en/prix/communities/communities.asp The text about the Digital Communities Award sent to DoWire: Prix Ars Electronica 2004 Digital Communities To mark its twenty-fifth anniversary in 2004, Ars Electronica, in cooperation with SAP, has expanded its international competition for cyberarts to include a new category called "Digital Communities." To match the large number and broad spectrum of projects as well as the diversity of protagonists active in the field of "Digital Communities," two Golden Nicas will be bestowed in this new category focusing on worksof great sociopolitical relevance."Digital Communities" encompasses the wide- ranging social consequences of the Internet as well as the latest developments in the domain of mobile communications and wireless networks. "Digital Communities" will spotlight bold and inspired innovations impacting human coexistence, bridging the digital divide regarding gender as well as geography, or creating outstanding social software and enhancing accessibility of technological-social infrastructure. This new category will showcase the political potential of digital and networked systems and is thus designed as a forum for a broad spectrum of projects, programs, initiatives and phenomenain which social innovation is taking place, as itwere, in real time. Digital Communities-What are They? The "Digital Communities" category is distinct as it recognizes the contribution to improving lives of human beings all over the world using digital and networked technologies. Diminishing and ultimately overcoming the "digital divide," nurturing "emergent democracy" and enabling people to take full advantage of their rights and freedoms are among the aims we are striving to achieve. Digital Communities give rise to group action and interaction, engender constructive contexts and social capital, and promote social innovation. An essential precondition for this is making the respective relevant technologies and infrastructure more widely accessible or perhaps even developing them in the first place. Digital Communities take part in efforts to achieve comprehensive human development, a key aspect of which is reconfiguring the relationship of power between citizens and political leaders, the state and its administrative bureaucracy as well as financial and commercial interests in the sense of increasing participation, strengthening the role of the civil sector, and establishing a framework for democracy to flourish. Prizes Total: 40,000 Euro 2 Golden Nicas 10,000 Euro each 4 Awards of Distinction 5,000 Euro each Up to 14 Honorary Mentions. MEMBERS OF THE JURY Joichi Ito Joichi Ito is the founder and CEO of "Neoteny," venture capital firm focused on personal communications and enabling technologies. He has created numerous Internet companies including "PSINet Japan," "Digital Garage" and "Infoseek Japan." In 2001 the World Economic Forum chose him as one of the 100 "Global Leaders of Tomorrow" for 2002. He recently joined the board of "Creative Commons," a non-profit devoted to expanding the range of creative work available for others to build upon and share. Shanthi Kalathil Specialist in the political impact of information and communication technology (ICT). Worked in Hong Kong as a jounalist. Her research focuses on the impact of ICT in authoritarian regimes, the global digital divide, and security issues in the information age. Jane Metcalfe Co-founder of Wired magazine and its new "cyberstation" HotWired. In 1994 she was elected to the board of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. She is a partner in Força da Imaginaçao, an independent investment concern with interests in technology, media, and real estate. Dorothy Okello Dorothy Kabagaju Okello from Uganda holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at the McGill University - Montréal, Canada and her current research interest lies in broadband satellite networking. Since May 2000 she is the coordinator for the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET) and therefore responsible for strategic planning and development of WOUGNET programmes. Howard Rheingold One of the world's foremost authorities on the social implications of technology; one of the creators and former founding executive editor of "HotWired," served as editor of "The Whole Earth Review," editor- in-chief of "The Millenium Whole Earth Catalog," and online host for "The Well." Author of several books, including "The Virtual Community" (1993), "Virtual Reality," "Tools for Thought" and "Smart Mobs-The Next Social Revolution" (2003). Oliviero Toscani Photographer and art director; from 1982-2000 he transformed "Benetton" into one of the world's best known brands; co-founder and art director of "Colors," the first global magazine; founder of "Fabrica," international school for communication and arts; creative director of magazine "Talk." What can you submit? The "Digital Communities" category is open to political, social, and cultural projects, initiatives, groups, and scenes from all over the world utilizing digital technology to better society and assume social responsibility. It is meant to recognize the initiators and propagators of these communities as well as the developers of the relevant technologies, and to honor those whose work contributes to the establishment and proliferation of Digital Communities as well as provide understanding and research into them. Two Golden Nicas will be awarded in order to recognize the vast array of relevant projects between grassroots operations and professional solutions, the diversity of approaches and aspects from community innovation to social software excellence as well as the broad spectrum of submitters involved, ranging from private initiatives to public institutions. Particular emphasis will be placed on a project's "community innovation," its sustainability, and its appropriate use of technology optimized for the end user. This could be a novel method for connecting already existing technology or optimizing the use of an available infrastructure. Jury members will be looking to recognize technological-social solutions, "social software tools," and infrastructure with great promise, as well as the brilliant realization of such concepts. Their evaluations and decisions will honor visionary and forward-looking projects; those that display consummate social and technological innovativeness and have been implemented with tremendous success. In their selection, the jury will place particular emphasis on the reasonableness, appropriateness, and openness of the solutions. Digital Communities projects should enable human beings to enjoy the widest possible access to technology, networks, and the "Digital Commons." The winning projects should be able to serve as a model to be copied by others, and, in their orientation on the future, be a source of inspiration, encouragement, and enablement. Among the projects, phenomena and fields of activity subsumed under the heading Digital Communities are: o social software o eDemocracy, eGovernment, eGovernance o emergent democracy o collective weblogs, social networking systems o filtering and reputation systems o social self-support groups o learning and knowledge communities o computer supported collaborative processes o gaming communities o digital neighborhoods, community networks o free net initiatives, wireless LAN projects o digital cities, urban development projects o citizen involvement initiatives, citizen conferences o telecenters Who can submit an entry? Individuals, groups, associations, public institutions, and private enterprises are eligible to enter their projects. Such projects must, at the time of the judging, be active, extant communities, and must be verifiable through online representation or documentation. Community projects may be submitted only by an authorized representative. Journalistic, scholarly, scientific and artistic works may be submitted only by the author or copyright holder or his/her authorized representative. For software projects, the developer must make the submission and verify that the software is running and is being used. In addition, the developer must indicate the type of license granted to those using the software. All persons submitting a work must nominate a proxy in case the winner is unable to appear at the awards presentation. Purely commercially oriented projects are excluded from participation. Checklist Your entry must include: o project description o project basics o web address of the project o project details: object and cultural-geographic context, outline of the project's origin, development and history to-date, type and extent of the (groups of) individuals currently involved, technological basis, etc. o technical information: objective, statement of the problem being addressed, solution and features, fields of application, concrete areas of implementation, potential users and beneficiaries, licensing type, system environment, technological basis, etc. o statement of reasons why the submitted project deserves to win a prize in the "Digital Communities" category o resources: optional upload of supporting information and resources in digital form (in the case of texts, the complete, unabridged version of the text; scientific, scholarly or theoretical texts about the project; media coverage and published reactions; photographic and/or video material). If you think that illustrations, drawings, diagrams etc. are important for evaluating your project, please upload them in the following formats: tif, eps, jpg (jpg, eps only at maximum quality), 300 dpi (in sizes ranging up to 18x24 cm) o submitter: information about the person submitting the entry o biography o Please upload 1 portrait of the submitter in the following formats: tif, eps, jpg (jpg, eps only at maximum quality), 300 dpi (in sizes ranging up to 7x10 cm). You must submit your entry through online registration at prixars.aec.at starting January 12, 2004. There you can input all the information necessary to submit your project, as well upload any accompanying digital material. After completing the registration, please print out a hardcopy of the online form, sign the form, and submit it along with any additional (hardcopy) material needed to support your entry by mail (postmarked no later than March 12, 2004) to: AEC Ars Electronica Center Linz Hauptstraße 2 A - 4040 Linz, Austria Code: Prix or per fax to +43.732.7272-676 You will then receive a confirmation of your online submission and notification of the arrival by mail of your (hardcopy) documents. Only complete submissions that arrive on or before the deadline will be given consideration for a prize. Registration starts January 12, 2004 Deadline: March 12, 2004 (postmarked). ^ ^ ^ ^ Steven L. Clift - W: http://www.publicus.net Minneapolis - - - E: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Minnesota - - - - - T: +1.612.822.8667 USA - - - - - - M: +1.612.203.5181 Join my Democracies Online Newswire: http://e-democracy.org/do My blogging experiment: http://travelscoops.com *** Past Messages, Discussion http://e-democracy.org/do *** *** To subscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** *** Message body: SUB DO-WIRE *** *** To UNSUBSCRIBE instead, write: UNSUB DO-WIRE *** *** Please send submissions to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***
