Oct 20, 2014

Blog Posts

Germany Wins Grand Prize for Panasonic Kid Witness News Global Contest 2014

New Jersey, U.S. - On October 15, 2014, Panasonic Corporation announced that Immanuel-Kant-School Bremerhaven of Germany won the Grand Prize for its video "Stumbling" in the Panasonic Kid Witness News (KWN) Global Contest 2014. Students from Immanuel-Kant-School Bremerhaven were honored at the award ceremony held at Panasonic Corporation of North America headquarters in Newark, New Jersey. Students from other finalist schools also attended the ceremony, where they were recognized with category awards, including "Best Concept."

  • Flash Report

The seven finalist videos focused on topics ranging from global environmental issues to strong friendships. The Grand Prize-winning video dealt with a serious theme: the fate of Holocaust victims during World War II. In the video, the students brilliantly expressed their feelings on this theme and delivered a message that we must all learn from the past.

KWN is a hands-on video education program that Panasonic operates as part of its efforts to support education. The company provides video cameras and other production equipment to elementary and middle schools participating in the program. Currently, some 10,000 children and teachers around the world are taking part in the program. Since the program began in the United States in 1989, more than 170,000 children have participated.

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    Panasonic Corporation of North America Chairman & CEO Joseph M. Taylor

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the KWN Program, the global awards ceremony was held in the U.S., where it originated. In his remarks opening the awards ceremony, Panasonic Corporation of North America Chairman & CEO Joseph M. Taylor pointed to the far-reaching impact of Kid Witness News. "When the program began 25 years ago, I don't think anyone could have imagined that it would grow to touch the lives of so many children in so many countries around the world," Mr. Taylor said. "I'm very proud to honor the students who created such outstanding video stories. I have no doubt that, with their creativity, positive attitude and communications skills, they will become the leaders of tomorrow."

The KWN program honors the video works created by children every year. To produce videos, students choose a theme on their own and then handle all aspects of video-making, from planning and scripting to filming and editing. This year's KWN Global Contest saw 548 schools from 23 countries and regions take part in the competition by submitting five-minute videos themed about either ecology or communication.

Summary of the Seven Award-winning Videos

Grand Prize & The Global Citizen Award
Germany - Immanuel-Kant-School Bremerhaven (Secondary School)

Best Cinematography Award
Thailand - Montfort College School (Secondary School)

Best Witness Award
Japan - Nakoso 1st Junior High School (Secondary School)

Best Storytelling Award
New Zealand - Mount Aspiring College (Secondary School)

Best Friendship Award
Czech Republic - Primary School of Josef Bublik, Banov (Primary School)

The K-Factor Award
Panama - Victoria D'Spinay Elementary School (Primary School)

Best Concept Award
U.S.A. - Lincoln Park Academy (Secondary School)

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    KWN Celebrates 25th Anniversary

About Panasonic Kid Witness News

KWN got its start in 1989 in the U.S. as a hands-on video education program supported by Panasonic North America, which supplied video cameras and editing equipment to public elementary and middle schools to make news programs from the perspective of children. The program was subsequently expanded on a global scale. At present, 548 schools from 23 countries and regions are participants in the program.

KWN is designed to foster creativity and presentation skills among young students. Supervising teachers cite further merits of the program such as a heightened awareness of the environment and the community as well as development of team skills among participants through the process of creating videos. The expanding network of KWN schools also provides a platform fo international exchange among KWN students.

23 countries and regions participating in KWN
North America: Canada, United States
Central and South America: Chile, Panama
Europe: Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine
Middle and Near East: Iraq, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates
Asia: China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
Oceania: New Zealand
(*Countries are listed alphabetically)

View and Download KWN Global Awards Ceremony 2014 Photos and Videos:

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