Wanted: A YOUTH Technology Summit. - deadline for international contest, Sept. 18

Okay, if we take the new Pittsburgh Convention Center and turn it into the casino, there are still many places were we can put the called for YOUTH TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT: Civic Arena, Hilton Hotel, PNC Park, South Vo Tech High School, Greenway Middle School, etc.

World Summit Youth Award (WSYA) program is an international Internet
competition. Organized in the framework of the United Nations' World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in partnership with the WSIS Youth Caucus, it is a program aimed at empowering youth by creating digital opportunity.

More info at: www.youthaward.org

WSYA Overview

Are you under 27 with a cool emerging project on the web? Are you a young designer, web developer, social entrepreneur, music producer or artist looking for international exposure? Are you passionate about using technology for social change? Enter now at www.youthaward.org and showcase your project to the world!

Sponsored by the Internet Society, the World Summit Youth Award (WSYA) is an international competition for youth-led projects that bridge the content gap in the emerging Information Society. It is the first global “youth for youth” initiative; promoting best practice in e-content and technological creativity and demonstrating young people’s potential to create digital opportunities. WSYA is not only a showcase to the world for young designers, technologists and e-content creators, it also contributes on a global scale to reducing poverty, protecting the environment, sharing knowledge and empowering marginalized young people. We invite all local and
national chapters of the Internet Society to promote WSYA and support this dynamic, youth-led initiative.

Online projects may be submitted by all applicants less than 27 years of age until September 18, 2005 (by midnight, GMT) in three e-Content categories:

*Development: Rewards the best online platform for youth centred around issues of poverty reduction, environmental sustainability, social justice, health or peace

*Creativity and Culture: Celebrates the most innovative online platform highlighting young people’s potential for producing creative content, promoting multilingualism, creating new contemporary forms of culture and preserving indigenous knowledge and/or traditional culture

*Community Engagement: Showcases the most engaging online platform facilitating young people’s participation in global, national or local decision-making processes and sharing news/ideas to empower youth and build community

World Summit Youth Award finalists and category winners will be selected by members of the WSYA Jury. Comprised of 8-12 global experts in youth engagement, new media and social entrepreneurship, their creative minds bring diversity of perspectives and know-how to the WSYA. Projects will be evaluated on the basis of five criteria

*Content: Quality, comprehensiveness and impact of content

*Design: Usability and aesthetic value of site and graphics

*Innovation & Creativity: Demonstration of significant originality and initiative.

*Interactivity: Level of engagement and action offered by to site users

*Sustainability: Level of project sustainability over time.

WSYA is organized within the framework of the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society in partnership with the WSIS Youth Caucus. WSYA is sponsored by the Internet Society, Siemens AG and Logitech and is operating under the patronage of Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for the Information Society and Media. The WSYA Coordination Team is headquartered at the International Center for New Media (ICNM), an independent non-profit organisation based in Salzburg, Austria.