Voices of Africa honoured by Webby Awards

 The mobile project Voices of Africa is recognized as an Official Honoree by the Webby Awards 2008, the leading international honor for the Web. Voices of Africa gives African reporters the opportunity to report with mobile phones about events in their country.

The mobile phone is used to create video and to upload to the website www.voices-of-africa.com and Africanews.com. This is unique in Africa. Voices of Africa is a initiative of the Africa Interactive Media Foundation, based in Haarlem, The Netherlands.

Pim de Wit, chairman of the Africa Interactive Media Foudation: ‘We are very happy with this recognition. In the past nine months, hundreds of mobile videos have been published on africanews.com and Voices-of-Africa.com. We were able to support more young reporters from Kenya, Ghana, South Africa and Cameroon. We believe by doing so we have contributed to a more balanced image of these countries. In the same time, we have given our reporters a podium to the word and helped the improve their skills.’

Hailed as the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet. "The Webby Awards honors the outstanding work that is setting the standards for the Internet," said David-Michel Davies, executive director of The Webby Awards. "Voices of Africa Official Honoree selection is a testament to the skill, ingenuity, and vision of its creators."

The 12th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from over 60 countries and all 50 states. Out more than 10,000 entries submitted, fewer than 15% received this honor and were deemed Official Honorees.

Mobile videos of the Voices of Africa project are published on Africanews.com . Africanews.com is the most compelling interactive Africa community, sharing news, photos, weblogs, videos, mobile reports and the untold stories by African people. Africanews.com is an initiative of Africa Interactive and has a network of 225 reporters in 32 countries in Africa.

Other honorees include:
ABC News Mobile, CBS Mobile News mobile site,FOX Business,MTV WAP site,South China Morning Post, Time.com,VH1 WAP site.

About Voices of Africa

Voices of Africa is a project of the Africa Interactive Media Foudation. The foundation’s mission is to strengthen media in Africa. By making new communication technology (internet, wireless, mobile) available to individual African Media talent. The Foudation offers media talent (African film-, radio- and television makers, developers and distributors of websites, photographers and journalists) the opportunity to gain experience and to build up a career.

About The Webby Awards

Hailed as the "Oscars of the Internet" by the New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including Websites, Interactive Advertising, Online Film & Video, and Mobile Websites.

Established in 1996, the 12th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from all 50 states and over 60 countries worldwide. The Webby Awards is presented by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Sponsors and Partners of The Webby Awards include: Adobe; The Creative Group; Verizon; AOL Video; dotMobi; Level3; Adweek; Fortune; Reuters; Variety; Wired; IDG: Brightcove; PricewaterhouseCoopers; 2advanced.Net; KobeMail and Museum of the Moving Image.