World Challenge 2006 returns with search for more enterprising and innovative global community projects

7th March 2006, Following the success of The World Challenge competition in 2005, BBC World, the BBC’s international news and information television channel, and Newsweek, the weekly global current affairs magazine, are joining with Shell to search for, highlight and reward individuals or groups that have used enterprise and innovation to the benefit of local communities.

In 2005, World Challenge received almost 500 nominations and more than 120,000 votes were cast from around the world. The winning project, Coconets from the Philippines, was presented with a US$20,000 grant from Shell, which has been invested in further developing their system to prevent landslides using waste coconut husks.

Companies, communities and enterprising individuals around the globe with noteworthy projects to talk about are now encouraged to enter World Challenge 2006.

A panel of expert judges will shortlist the 12 entries that show the best examples of community-based business, development or environmental projects.

BBC World will then produce six 30-minute programmes on each nominee, examining how the initiative began, its inspiration and why it is socially and environmentally successful. These six programmes, featuring two finalists per programme, will be broadcast to BBC World’s global audience in October and November 2006, and the channel’s viewers will be invited to vote online for the most commendable and inspirational project. Full details are available online at http://www.theworldchallenge.co.uk.

Newsweek will mirror the programmes’ content in a six-part series of advertorials on the 12 nominees, aimed at driving its readers to the online voting site. The campaign will reach 1.5 million weekly readers across Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Once voting has closed, the winner of World Challenge 2006 will be announced at an awards ceremony in The Hague in December 2006. The winner will again receive a US$20,000 grant from Shell to invest in their project, plus the two runners-up will each receive US$10,000.

Jonathan Howlett, director of airtime sales, BBC World, says: “We’re confident that BBC World’s enterprising and entrepreneurial viewers will again be interested in following the global developments of this highly successful competition. World Challenge 2006 offers another opportunity for us to promote outstanding global initiatives in the field of sustainable development.”

Gregory J Osberg, worldwide publisher of Newsweek, adds: “The World Challenge was an incredibly enlightening experience for all those involved last year, whether as nominees, voters or judges, and Newsweek is delighted to continue its association with the competition, Shell and BBC World in 2006.”

BBC World is the BBC’s commercially funded international news and information television channel, broadcasting in English 24 hours a day. It can be seen in 279 million homes in more than 200 countries and territories, and provides news, business and sport while explaining not only what is happening but why. Its hourly news programmes offer unmatched, impartial, in-depth analysis of breaking news and events of global importance. The channel also broadcasts the best of the BBC’s award-winning lifestyle and factual series.

Founded in 1933, Newsweek provides comprehensive coverage of global affairs, business, society, science and technology, and arts and entertainment. Headquartered in New York, Newsweek has 26 bureaus located in the US and around the globe, and the magazine appears in more than 190 countries. Newsweek publishes four English-language editions, and is the only news magazine with eight weekly local-language editions – Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Polish, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, and The Bulletin, which is published with Newsweek in Australia. Newsweek’s circulation is more than 4 million worldwide, with a total audience exceeding 24 million worldwide. Newsweek holds more National Magazine Awards, given by the American Society of Magazine Editors [ASME] than any other newsweekly. Newsweek is also online at www.Newsweek.com.

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Ken Weine

Newsweek

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