The World Summit Youth Awards mission is to empower youth by creating digital opportunity. In spite of their technological expertise, young people remain marginalized, unemployed and lacking voice in the decisions that affect them each day. We believe that if youth are given a space to showcase their skills, ideas and projects, they will be empowered as agents for social change and creativity. In addition, the networking and skill-sharing between award winners and WSIS delegates can open new doors to the information society.
The WSYA selects and promotes best practice in e-Content and technological creativity, demonstrates young people’s potential to create outstanding digital contents and serves as a platform for people from all UN member states to work together in the efforts to reduce poverty and hunger, and to tackle ill-health, gender inequality, lack of education, lack of access to clean water and environmental degradation.
WSYA is therefore both a showcase to the world for young e-content creators, journalists and writers, application designers, technologists and as well as a contribution on a global scale to adressing poverty, protecting the environment, sharing knowledge and empowering young people.
The WSYA is promoted in all UN member states through the networks of the World Summit Award (WSA) the UN Global Alliance for ICT, other participating UN Organisations and Agencies, governments and NGOs, youth organisations and all those committed to making a real difference in the achievement of the MDGs.
The WSYA will be organised in 2010 as a follow up activity of the World Summit on Information Society and its action plan towards the year 2015 and with a special focus on the MDG Review of the heads of state and government in September 2010.It will be conducted in five plus one categories. The finalists and category winners will be invited to the WSA Events in September 2010 in New York City and at the UN Headquarters.
CONTEXT – A young world with a challenging futureYouth under the age of 30 are a majority of the world’s population. If accessible and affordable, they use electronic technologies for communication and information as an integral part of their way of living. These technologies are interactive, multimedia-based, fast, instant and potentially global.
The problems addressed by the MDGs are those issues young people will have to address if the earth should become a better place and if human kind should have a chance to survive without major catastrophes and cataclysms.
Youth are often portrayed in mass media as apathetic, distrustful or angry. The WSYA addresses another world of youth – one with technological expertise, dynamic energy, journalistic zest and innovation in applications. Whether it is young leadership in new development projects, students eager to study, teens at the cutting edge of social change, teenagers building their relationships by instant messaging, or youth running telecentres or media blogs to bridge the rural digital divide – young people have made ICT their own.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the WSYA,
- the project must be initiated and executed by youth under the age of 30
- The product should be fully functional and operational at the time of submission; projects which do not function will not be juried
- It must be accessible over the Internet (whether it is designed for fixed line, broadband or mobile use)
Submissions must be
- made under one of the six categories: Fight Poverty, Hunger and Disease; Education for all; Power 2 Women; Create your Culture, Go Green and Pursue Truth
- free of offensive or plagiarized content which violate dignity or human rights will not be evaluated
- made by an authorized person
Click here for online application
Contact:
Ms. Maria Eschlboeck
Project Coordination eschlboeck@icnm.net
WSA / WSYA Office
ICNM - International Centre for New Media
Moosstrasse 43a, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
Tel: +43 662 630 408 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +43 662 630 408 end_of_the_skype_highlighting wsya@icnm.net
Moreinfo: www.youthaward.org