AN OLD CONTEST WITH A NEW TWIST!

Washington, DC - What do a budding rock star, a penguin-lobbyist and a hungry couch-potato have in common? They are all among the myriad creative characters who competed in the first ever Global Solutions Flash Movie Contest.

In the past, Citizens for Global Solutions had held essay competitions to challenge students to think and write about pertinent international issues. This year, however, we added a revitalizing, modernizing twist. Instead of putting ideas to words, entrants were asked to use Flash – a popular website movie-maker – to produce clips that dealt with global problems and solutions.

The movies produced expressed the entrant’s opinions and passions and were all reflective of their boundless creativity. None more so than the clip of this year’s contest winner, John Cooney, who told the story of a penguin whose iceberg home is melted by global warming and who successfully lobbies the President to support the Kyoto Protocols.

Cooney’s entry was emblematic of the contest in general. Young people from around the country showed unique insight in tackling a wide range of international issues, from global aids, deforestation and genocide, to child labor, poverty and world hunger. The top ten entries were viewed and judged by Citizens for Global Solution’s on-line community, with viewers able to log-on, watch and cast votes for their three favorite clips.

Engaging students on important global issues was only one or the goals of the Global Solutions Flash Movie Contest. Building a greater activist community was another. Since the launch of the contest in October over 3,000 people under the age of 30 have become a part of Citizens for Global Solution’s on-line activist community. That’s 3,000 young people that have shown a marked interest in the world around them and are looking for ways to make a difference.

Students that submitted entries said they learned a lot though the contest about some of the toughest issues facing the global community. They also described the Global Solutions competition as a rare but important forum for students, like themselves, to formulate and express opinions. “The contest was a great experience for me, not just as an artist, but as a voice for myself,” remarked first-place winner Cooney. “It gave me the opportunity to speak out and reach many more people, through a medium that is cross-cultural and understood by all languages. Animation has always been fun and entertaining for me to produce. But when it can be put towards a good cause, it is much more rewarding. If there is a contest next year, expect me to enter, because this contest has been wonderful.”

Valerie Schrock, Citizens for Global Solutions E-Advocacy Program Manager and contest organizer, agreed with Cooney’s assessment that this fall’s experiment is well worth repeating. “The organization is always looking for ways to encourage and activate younger audiences to get involved. This latest approach hit on something big. Young people are not asleep and they’re not apathetic. The trick is finding creative and interesting ways for them to relate to global issues. We nailed it when we simply gave them a chance to express themselves in a way that they are used to communicating. We issued the challenge and put up the dough. They did all the work. This contest won’t be the last of its kind.”

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First prize winner John Cooney's movie has a penguin lobby the U.S. on climate change.
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Second prize winner Ana Torres created a moving piece about genocide.
Flash_Contest/Ana_Torres.html">+ See Flash

Joint 3rd prize winners:
Roman Sandoval - what it means to be a global citizen
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Daniel Meiling - A darkly Humorous piece about deforestation
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