EUROPRIX Multimedia Top Talent Award 2008 (9)

The EUROPRIX Multimedia Top Talent Award is selected from amidst the category winners. This year the category winners were:
- Broadband/Online: WorldABC (Austria)
- Mobile Contents: Where to climb (UK)
- Games: Hide n’Tag (Israel)
- Interactive Computer Graphics: Kayakpaddling.net (Finland)
- Interactive Installations & Interactive TV: Performative Ecologies (UK)
- Content Tools & Interface Design: Strip mine (Slovenia)
- Digital Video & Animations: Life-Line (Hungary)

The discussion about the over-all winner of the EUROPRIX Multimedia Top Talent Award 2008 in the jury was extensive. It is difficult to choose between an arty entry like Life-Line and innovative entry like Performative Ecologies. Eventually the majority of the jury went in favour of the entry Where to climb by Luke McSorley. Besides the technical and mobile aspects of the entry, the social networking aspect scored highly: climbers can provide information for other climbers and they can form special interest groups around particular mountains. Jury representative Silvia Adriana Ticau, a former Romanian stet secretary and presently member of the European Parliament, wrote the laudation:
Mobile phones are increasingly becoming tools for multiple purposes. In the very near future we will see them providing many useful services. Where to climb is a brilliant example of this. It is easy to use and has a very appealing interface. The content features are incredibly thorough and practical. It is possible to introduce new pictures, design paths to climb and add detailed information about each route. This service has an excellent potential to expand. Where to climb will naturally attract the climbing community as well as tourists to Britain.

Remarkable was the Special Jury Award for Social-Consciousness in Multimedia. The DVD The Big Brother State was a nominee in the category Digital Video & Animations. However the entry had more than just technical merits and a laudable format. Big Brother State was one of the first multimedia pamphlets with a political message. A quote from the jury report:
The Big Brother State sets a trend not primarily associated with multimedia - political opposition. It shows how new uses of technology and content can deliver a message in a new medium which is contemporary and attractive enough to appeal to an audience who just do not react to traditional mainstream political debate anymore. This digital animation proves that new media has the power to set ethical debate. The Big Brother State has a big social conscience. It brilliantly sets an agenda by combining stunning visuals with a clear political message. Its content and outstanding technical execution make it stand out from its peers.

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Tags: Multimedia competition