Digital Media Awards,

This award is open to all third level and higher education students and is free to enter.

View the 2008 award-winning entry and runners-up

In keeping with the mission statement of Connect-World, entries should tell “a story of global development.”

The purpose of this award is to encourage those studying multi-media to understand how their chosen medium can be used creatively to tell a compelling story of other peoples’ lives.

Global development is not just about disasters and hard luck stories. The goals of development include the material well-being of people, but also to enhance their dignity and ability to control their life and make choices.

A story of global development should be about the diverse people of the world, their right to life, prosperity and social justice.

There are a considerable number of different ways in which those stories could be told. As an example, the project could explain the lives of people who live in other countries, through their history, food, music, sport or family relations. Or it could tell the story of the impact of internationals policies on trade, migration, aid or climate change. It could tell of how poverty impacts on the lives of women, or how education can change lives.

Entries will be judged on content as well as use of the medium and can be in any of a number of acceptable formats. The piece should be no longer than 10 minutes.

The winner of the 2008 award was announced at the Digital Media Awards ceremony on February 7th 2008 in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Northwood. The Guest of Honour for the night was Eamon Ryan, Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. This was be the 6th year of the Digital Media Awards which were set up in 2003 to raise awareness of the emerging digital media sector in Ireland and more importantly to act as a showcase for the many pieces of dynamic work being created by companies and third level institutions across a broad spectrum of categories.

Judging

Marks will be awarded for:

• Content - value of the story
• Creativity of use of media
• Originality

The winner will be published on the Connect-World website, as well as all those short-listed.

Resources

There is a great deal of information on this site on the way in which global development works, with many graphs and tables. This is intended as background to the work that is being done on global development.

There are lots of other resources which can be used. Students might look at www.irishaid.gov.ie or contact any of the ngos which work in the area of global development (see www.dochas.ie for a list)

Codes of conduct have been developed to guide media producers in covering development issues in an ethical way. These are: the NUJ Code of Conduct, the Dóchas Code of Conduct on Images & Messages (a code for NGOs), and 'Reporting on Refugees: Guidance by and for Journalists'. Entrants are encouraged to become familiar with them when making their submissions.

All of Connect-World’s sponsors have photographs, films etc. available in their own archives. Access to this material can be obtained by contacting the Press Offices of the different organisations, and specifying exactly what is required. The Press Officers are aware of this award and will be ready to help - within reason.

For a list of the 2007 winner and runners-up, click here.