A new Democracy Is… Contest for worldwide participation

Democracy Video Challenge 2010

The U.S. Department of State announces the launch of the global “Democracy is…” Twitter Contest. Tweet what you think democracy is using the hash symbol: #democracyis. The goal is to provide a worldwide platform in which people can discuss the meaning of democracy and exchange ideas from diverse perspectives.

The global “Democracy is…” Twitter Contest begins Friday, Jan. 8, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. EST and ends January 21, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST. To join the contest, become a Twitter follower of @demvidchallenge and tweet what you think democracy is in 140 characters or less.

The contestant whose tweet  gets the greatest number of unique re-tweets will receive a Flip Video HD Camcorder. The winner will be announced on the Democracy Video Challenge Facebook fan page on January 25, 2010. Only one re-tweet per user will count in the official tally. Additional contests will be announced throughout the year.

Rules for the  Twitter contest

Read more

Good luck!

 

Only 28 days until the Democracy Video Challenge Deadline!

Democracy Video Challenge 2010

2009 Zwycięzca Łukasz Szozda mówi o wstąpieniu do Democracy Video Challenge

Enter now at www.videochallenge.america.gov!

 

Co oznacza dla Ciebie demokracja? Ambasada USA w Warszawie ogłasza II edycję konkursu fotograficznego “Demokracja to…”

Pokaż nam co dla Ciebie znaczy hasło „Demokracja”!  Ambasada USA w Warszawie ogłasza drugą edycję konkursu fotograficznego „Demokracja to…”, organizowanego przez Ambasadę USA w Warszawie wspólnie z Centrum Edukacji Obywatelskiej.  Zapraszamy młodzież w wieku 15-17 lat do wyrażenia swojej wizji demokracji poprzez fotografię własnego autorstwa.  Konkurs jest częścią drugiej edycji globalnego konkursu Democracy Video Challenge.  Zwycięzca otrzyma nagrody od Centrum Edukacji Obywatelskiej i Ambasady USA, a wyróżnione fotografie będą pokazane na wystawie zorganizowanej przez Ambasadę.  Aby zapoznać się z regulaminem konkursu fotograficznego, kliknij tutaj.  UWAGA: termin nadsyłania zdjęć mija 28 lutego 2010.

W zeszłym roku, wystawę najlepszych prac nadesłanych przez uczniów szkół średnich na konkurs fotograficzny “Demokracja to…” można było oglądać podczas marcowego forum „New Media, New Democracy” w Fabryce Trzciny w Warszawie.  Zwycięzca konkursu, Szymon Stec, w nagrodę otrzymał aparat fotograficzny Canon Digital Rebel SLR.  Zdjęcie Szymona nosiło tytuł „Demokracja to dialog bez granic.”  Tutaj można obejrzeć 12 najlepszych zdjęć z 2009 roku.

 

Sprawdź jak dobrze znasz Amerykę! Ogólnopolski konkurs wiedzy o USA.

  

To już siódma edycja konkursu „Know America”!

Zapraszamy  młodzież licealną z całej Polski do sprawdzenia i pogłębienia swojej wiedzy na temat Stanów Zjednoczonych. Do wygrania trzydniowy program w Warszawie i wiele innych nagród.

Jeden ze zwycięzców weźmie udział w Benjamin Franklin Summer Institute, intensywym trzy-, czterotygodniowym programie edukacyjnym w Stanach Zjednoczonych.  W 2008 roku ponad 1000 uczniów szkół średnich wzięło udział w konkursie. Konkurs „Know America” sprawdza wiedzę uczestników z wielu dziedzin amerykańskiej kultury w tym: historii, geografii, sztuki i pop kultury, jak również problemów społecznych, etnicznych i religijnych. Konkurs „Know America” odbywa się w dwóch etapach: pierwszy to egzamin z 80 pytaniami wielokrotnego wyboru, etap drugi to esej.

UWAGA:  Zgłoszenia przyjmowane są tylko do 14 listopada!

 

Zapraszamy do uczestnictwa w konkursie „Amerykańskie Inspiracje”

Stowarzyszenie Alumni przy Ambasadzie USA w Warszawie zrzeszające polskich uczestników programów wymiany w USA organizuje konkurs na esej. W konkursie mogą wziąć udział osoby, które skończyły 18 lat i które choć raz były w Stanach Zjednoczonych. Konkurs nosi nazwę „Amerykańskie inspiracje.” W eseju konkursowym trzeba opisać swoje doświadczenia związane z pobytem za oceanem, a także ich wpływ na własne życie. Eseiści powinni też pokazać, jak widzą nową kulturę, ludzi i miejsca. Prace należy przesyłać na adres e-mailowy konkurs@alumni-usa.pl do 31 grudnia 2009 roku.

Wyniki konkursu poznamy do 31 marca 2010 roku. Laureaci swoje nagrody odbiorą w kwietniu przyszłego roku w Warszawie. Koniecznie przeczytaj Regulamin! Znajdziesz w nim ważne informacje dotyczące konkursu.

 

Democracy Video Challenge 2010!

Embassy Warsaw is announcing the Democracy Video Challenge 2010! Your mission is to create a short video (no longer than three minutes) that completes the phrase “Democracy is…”

The prize?  An all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., New York and Hollywood with gala screenings of the winning videos!  Exposure to filmmakers and the U.S. film and television industry.  Meetings with democracy advocates from government, media and civil society.

One of the grand prize winner’s last year came from Poland, Lukasz Szozda!  You can view his winning video here:  http://www.videochallenge.america.gov/video3.html

The deadline for video submissions is January 31st, 2010.  We are planning a number of exciting events to celebrate democracy and we will be posting as the details become available. 

Until then, here are a few rules to get you started:

You must be 18 or older to enter.  Videos can be any style: fiction or documentary, animated or live action.  Videos must be no longer than three minutes, and must be in English or have English subtitles.

Contestants may enter anonymously, but anonymous winners cannot collect the grandprize.  See the contest site for a complete list of rules at http://www.videochallenge.america.gov

 

“Democracy is…” grand prize winner Łukasz Szozda answers questions online

Last week, Łukasz Szozda, the young Polish filmmaker who won the grand prize among European entrants in this year’s international “Democracy is…” Video Challenge, participated in a web chat with young people across the globe. His creative film was played again – for those who didn’t get a chance to see it when it came out – and Łukasz answered questions. We are presenting some of the most interesting questions and answers below and invite everyone to read the full webchat transcript here. To view other films by Łukasz, please visit his homepage: www.lukfilms.pl

Q: How did you develop the concept for your film?
Luke: I just took the simplest ideas of democracy that came to my mind and tried to illustrate them in an entertaining and interesting way.

Q: How difficult was it to do an animation video?
Luke: For me… easier than to make a normal video. It depends on what you are good at. I am an animator, so I express my thoughts this way. Animation takes time but that’s the way I like to describe world.

Q: I have read that the people of Poland are somewhat disappointed with the way things have turned out in post-communist Poland. Do you think Poles are disappointed with democracy?
Luke: I think it depends on the people. There will always be some that are unhappy, whatever the system. I think it’s good we were able to win Democracy in Poland after all years of communism and even though it might not be perfect, it is still better than it was before.

Q: How long did it take you to make the movie?
Luke: It took a couple of days to figure out the concept, we were having a brainstorm with my fiancé which ideas of democracy would be best to outline, then how to illustrate them, then another couple of days to make the animation, and another to add the sound. I would say it took about three weeks.

 

Is Warsaw a “drab and ashen city” with the ugliest architecture in Europe?

36 Hours in Warsaw by Denny Lee appeared in the weekend edition of the New York Times and immediately sparked controversy. Some like it because the author describes more than the obvious “must see” tourist sites. Others criticize Lee’s portrayal of Warsaw as a city slowly emerging from the gray cloud of communism still hovering over it.  Magdalena Górnicka, the talented columnist and writer who won this year’s edition of the Wprost and U.S. Embassy essay contest, was clearly outraged. “According to Denny Lee, a weekend in Warsaw is a challenge for those brave men who are not afraid to venture out to this faraway city at the end of the world, where Coke billboads started to appear only after accession to the EU,” she writes.  In fact, the tone of Lee’s article can be disappointing to those who came to appreciate Warsaw for its cosmopolitan chic, rich cultural scene, excellent restaurants, and truly unique character. Contrary to what Lee writes, contemporary Warsaw doesn’t need to aspire to be like other European capitals, including Berlin. It is mesmerising in its own way, not a carbon copy of other cities Denny Lee deems great. “The next Berlin?” he asks and concludes (having visited just two galleries and one museum) that “reports of Warsaw’s up-and-coming art scene may be exaggerated.”

Warsaw is a unique, truly fascinating city but to discover this, one has to spend some time here, definitely more than 36 hours.  I don’t know this for sure, but I’m guessing the writer spent a very disappointing weekend in Warsaw. It was probably late fall, raining and cold, and Mr. Lee clearly missed the opportunity to enjoy some excellent traditional Polish cuisine.  In a paragraph titled “No Pirogies” he writes that “Poland isn’t known for its gastronomic delights” (excuse me?) and while he praises the famous U Kucharzy restaurant, he focuses on the “freshly slaughtered” dishes which include veal brain on toast, stuffed beef and baked perch.  Dinner anyone?

 

Join a Webchat with Democracy Video Challenge Winner Lukasz Szozda!

On Friday August 14, the European winner of the Democracy Video Challenge, Łukasz Szozda, will participate in a webchat—a great way to connect audiences across the globe. The U.S. Embassy in Warsaw encourages everyone to participate. For details on the webchat, please click here. Łukasz Szozda won the grand prize among European entrants in the YouTube/U.S. Department of State Democracy Video Challenge.   He will travel to New York, Washington DC, and Hollywood in October, where he and the five other grand prize winners from other regions around the world will meet with democracy activists and members of the film and television industry.  To see Lukasz Szozda’s winning entry, click here. For more information on other webchat series please follow this link. 

Mr. Szozda’s video is one of over 900 entries from 95 countries that competed for six grand prizes. The Democracy Video Challenge ran from October 2008 through January 2009, promoted in Poland by the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, the U.S. Consulate General in Krakow, MTV Poland, the Center for Citizenship Education, and POLIS – the association of young journalists.   Three Polish semi-finalists were selected by an open vote and were announced by legendary Polish film director Andrzej Wajda at the New Media/New Democracy Forum in March 2009 at Warsaw’s Fabryka Trzciny. A jury chaired by award-winning director Michael Apted and renowned economist Hernando de Soto selected three finalists from each region, with Mr. Szozda’s film competing for the grand prize from Europe. From May 15 to June 15, 2009, people from all over the world voted through YouTube for their favorite films.

 

Polish entry WINS global Democracy Video Challenge!

We are excited today to announce that Łukasz Szozda, one of the Polish entrants in the global YouTube/U.S. Department of State Democracy Video Challenge, has won the grand prize for Europe.  When he heard the news, Ambassador Victor Ashe responded:

 “We are very proud to see that one of the excellent contributions by Polish video artists went on to win the grand prize for Europe.  Congratulations to Łukasz from all of us in the U.S. Mission to Poland. Your uplifting and appealing video clearly struck the same chord with voters from around the world as it did with Polish voters and American diplomats in Poland.”

Mr. Szozda will travel to New York, Washington DC, and Hollywood in October 2009, where he and the five other grand prize winners from other regions around the world will meet with democracy activists and members of the film and television industry. The videos by Mr. Szozda and the other regional winners will be featured in a gala screening hosted by the Motion Picture Association of America.  To see Łukasz Szozda’s winning entry, click here.  

Mr. Szozda’s video is one of over 900 entries from 95 countries that competed for six grand prizes.  The Democracy Video Challenge ran from October 2008 through January 2009, promoted in Poland by the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, the U.S. Consulate General in Krakow, MTV Poland, the Center for Citizenship Education, and POLIS – the association of young journalists.  Three Polish semi-finalists were selected by an open vote and were announced by legendary Polish film director Andrzej Wajda at the New Media/New Democracy Forum in March 2009 at Warsaw’s Fabryka Trzciny.  A jury chaired by award-winning director Michael Apted and renowned economist Hernando de Soto selected three finalists from each region, with Mr. Szozda’s film competing for the grand prize from Europe.  From May 15 to June 15, 2009, people from all over the world voted through YouTube for their favorite films — and Mr. Szozda’s entry won!