The United States State Department, YouTube and a host of non-profits, educational institutions and media companies are collaborating on an interesting civic engagement project entitled "Democracy: Your Voice. Your Video." The project challenges amateur videographers from around the world to submit three-minute videos answering the question "Democracy is…"
Lots of interesting aspects to this project. The seven winners will be drawn from all corners of the world – one each from the Western Hemisphere, Europe, Middle
East/North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South & Central Asia, East
Asia/Pacific and one anonymous winner. Presumably that is to award a videographer submitting from a country where they might face reprisals if their name were revealled.
The winners get an all-expense paid trip to DC, New York and Hollywood
to meet with media industry reps, NGOs, government officials and the
media.
I’d love to see people in the machinima community enter their own submissions on the theme. Imagine the machinima that might be created on the theme of democracy in Second Life, Halo, There.com or Warcraft?
Head to the official website for more info. Submission deadline is January 31, 2009.