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Press Releases 2010

Democracy is...Partners Unveil 2010 Democracy Video Challenge Winners

June 21, 2010

Washington, D.C. – Today the Democracy is partners announce the results of the 2010 Democracy Video Challenge and unveil the six grand prize winners. With thousands of public views, comments and votes, each of the winning videos has captivated a global audience.

"The thought-provoking creativity and diverse messages of self-expression revealed in this years winning videos are unprecedented," said William Reese, President and CEO of the International Youth Foundation "Every day we work with youth around the world, helping them become catalysts for positive change in their communities, and these winning videos speak directly to that desire. We are thrilled to collaborate with these filmmakers and leverage their work to inspire young people around the world."

Hundreds of thousands of engaged citizens from all corners of the globe viewed the 18 finalist videos on YouTube www.youtube.com/democracychallenge during the online voting period May 15-June 15, 2010. Six winning videos garnered the most votes in each regional category and earned each filmmaker an all-expense-paid trip to Washington D.C., Hollywood and New York City in September.

The Democracy Video Challenge 2010 winners are:

The Democracy is global conversation, created by a unique public-private partnership, leverages social networks and various creative tools to engage people around the world to share, consider, debate, and learn from diverse perspectives on democracy. The Democracy Video Challenge initiated the global conversation and asks people around the world to complete the phrase "Democracy is" through short videos, submitted online. Since its launch two years ago, more than 1,600 people from over 110 countries have submitted entries and spurred the online engagement of over 2.5 million people. The conversation has expanded into offline activities including conferences, film festivals, and cultural and other events.

Democracy is will expand its online footprint with the launch of a Democracy Photo Challenge in July. The photo contest, like the video challenge, asks global citizens to complete the phrase "Democracy is" using creative digital products.

About Democracy Video Challenge:

The Democracy Video Challenge was launched online and at the United Nations on the International Day of Democracy, September 15, 2008. The challenge leverages social media to encourage the worlds citizens to start a global dialogue on democracy by submitting short videos that complete the phrase "Democracy is" It engages the most digitally connected generation in history and provides a technology-focused creative platform to share, consider, debate and learn from diverse global perspectives on democracy.

The Democracy Video Challenge partners and participating organizations include the Center for International Private Enterprise, the International Republican Institute, the International Youth Foundation, the Motion Picture Association of America, NBC-Universal, the National Democratic Institute, New York Universitys Tisch School of the Arts, the Recording Industry Association of America, TakingITGlobal, University of Southern Californias Annenberg School for Communication Journalism, the U.S. Department of State, WME and YouTube.