*EPF216 05/06/2003
Text: Two Teams of Students Win Top Award from U.S. State Dept.
(One team includes South Korean students) (540)

A team of four high school students from South Korea, Zimbabwe, and Uzbekistan attending the
Tashkent International School was one of the winners of this year's U.S. State Department's Doors to Diplomacy Award, the State Department announced May 5.

The award recognizes Web sites from around the world that teach the importance of international affairs and diplomacy, with the competition involving children ages 11-18.

A second team of high school students from Kendalville, Indiana, was the other winner of the award this year.

A total of 260 student teams from 52 countries participated. Each winning student team member will receive a $2,000 scholarship and a trip to Washington, D.C., where they will be guests at a private tour of the State Department facilities, meet with key officials, and participate in a special award presentation ceremony. In addition, the winning coaches and schools each receive a $500 cash award.

Following is the State Department press release:

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U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesman
May 5, 2003

Statement by Richard Boucher, Spokesman

DOORS TO DIPLOMACY AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED

The Department of State is pleased to announce the selection of two winning Web sites for its Doors to Diplomacy Award. The awards recognize the Web sites that best teach about the importance of international affairs and diplomacy. A total of 260 student teams from 52 countries, ranging in age from 11-18, participated in the contest, which was co-sponsored by the Department of State and Global SchoolNet. Because of the quality of so many sites, the Department of State decided to select two winners instead of one winner.

The winning teams are:

"The History of Foreign Relations, Past, Present, Future," created by a team of students from Kendalville, Indiana, USA, who worked together to develop an educational Web site that uses a fictional international situation to familiarize users with diplomatic tools and processes. The Web site is: http://www.elementblue.net/index2.php

"Uzbekistan: Opaque Reality," which investigates human rights in Uzbekistan. The site was built by a team of 4 students from South Korea, Zimbabwe, and Uzbekistan who attend the Tashkent International School. The Web site is: http://www.tashschool.org/peace/main.html

Each student team member of the winning Doors to Diplomacy Award team will receive a $2,000 scholarship, and a trip to Washington, DC this spring, where they will receive a private tour of the State Department facilities, meet with key officials, and participate in a special award presentation ceremony. In addition, the winning coaches and schools will each receive a $500 cash award.

Judging was performed by peers and educational professionals, with the final selection made by a State Department official in its Bureau of Public Affairs.

The winning site will be linked from the State Department's youth site later this month.

Global SchoolNet is a not-for-profit, Internet-based education program. The Doors to Diplomacy Award was specially created for Cyberfair, a contest that encourages students and educators to join together to build high-quality, educational Web sites on a variety of topics. These Web site entries will be available on the web as learning tools to millions of people around the globe.

For more information on the Doors to Diplomacy program please see
http://globalschoolhouse.org/doors/

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(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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