Reinventing Public Diplomacy Through Games Winners

PeaceMaker took First Place in the First Games and Public Diplomacy Contest! All four finalists demonstrated their games for the esteemed panelists and in house audience at the awards ceremony. The event was simulcast in Second Life, where the attendance on Annenberg Island exceeded that at USC's Davidson Center.

The Winners: The finalists ranged from virtual cultural exchange programs to strategy games about the Israel and Palestinian conflict or international water rights.

First Place - $5,000: Peacemaker -- A cross-cultural political video game simulation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which can be used to promote a peaceful resolution among Israelis, Palestinians and young adults worldwide. More information, click here.

Second Place - $2,500: Hydro Hijinks -- A class project designed to promote discussion about international water issues and to educate players from around the world about sources of international conflict over water rights. To watch the video tour of the game, click here.

Third Place - $1,000: Exchanging Cultures -- A diplomatic game built inside "Second Life," was created to facilitate the creating virtual communities and relationships based on the exchange of cultural items like: dances, art crafts, food receipts, architectural models, clothing, cultural routes and images of real original places for travelers and explorers. For more information, click here.

Honorary Mention - $500: Global Kids Island: Fostering Public Diplomacy Through Second Life -- Global Kids, Inc. envisioned a Public Diplomacy program within Second Life where the youth in the after-school program will spend the month learning about a global issue, experience an interactive and experiential workshop designed to educate about the issue. Their demonstration will be shown at the awards ceremony.

Press Coverage of the Event:
-- Future Tense, May 8, 2006: "Video games as cultural exchange"
-- New York Times, May 8, 2006: "Contest Held for Peaceful Video Games"
-- LA Voice, May 8, 2006: "Waging Peace: USC Game Contest Picks Winners"