Winners of Trend Micro's 2011 "What's Your Story?" Internet Safety Video Contest Challenge Youth to Make Positive Choices

CUPERTINO, Calif., April 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Trend Micro Inc. (TSE: 4704) today announced the winners of the company's second annual "What's Your Story?" international video contest that empowers youth to be leaders in educating others about being safe online.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/trendmicro/49807/

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110427/MM89918LOGO )

The $10,000 grand prize goes to a team of two young filmmakers from Westerville, OH whose video – "Where Are You?" – is austere in its production, yet delivers a compelling message to youth everywhere. Mark C. Eshleman and Tyler Joseph, both 22, eschewed special effects or music. Instead, they relied on a poem -- written by Joseph -- an empty room and some duct tape to create their winning entry. Viewers who commented on the contest site forum called it "video poetry" and "pure art."

"It was 3 a.m. when we first learned about the contest. An hour later, Tyler had the poem written and we discovered some visual meanings from the rhymes," said Eshleman. "Our inspiration was to create something that would have a positive influence on young people. Art impacts its viewers differently, which makes it even more meaningful."

A collective portrait of how young people view the Internet

This year's contest received entries from both individuals and schools across the U.S., U.K., and Canada for the 2011 categories of: Being a Good Online Citizen, Using a Mobile Phone Wisely, and Maintaining Your Online Privacy. Sponsored and supported by Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids & Families and a number of participating organizations, "What's Your Story?" was created to empower kids, parents, teachers and schools around the world to make the Internet a safe and secure place for today's youth. The contest's unique quality is that it requires young people to become educated about being safe online, then empowers them as educators to impart advice to their peers through their videos.  

To view the all winners of the 2011 "What's Your Story?" contest, visit: whatsyourstory.trendmicro.com.

Grand Prize:

• "Where Are You?" by Mark C. Eshleman, featuring Tyler Joseph for the category of Being a Good Online Citizen.

Individual winners:

• Being a Good Online Citizen: "On Lines in a Cave" by Julian Higgins and Aaron Moorhead.
• Using a Mobile Phone Wisely: "Message Sent" by Adam Brant, Torrey Halverson, and Caroline Stommes.
• Maintaining Online Privacy: "The Wrong Hands" by Emmett Fraser.

School winners:

• Being a Good Online Citizen: "Be Respectful...Keep Your Comments to Yourself" by Laura Brooks, Rosemarie Trippodo and Nancy DeSalvo & Nancy's 3rd Grade Class. School: Isaac Clason PS100, Bronx, NY.

• Using a Mobile Phone Wisely: "In the Spotlight" by Patty McNeilan and students Maggie Davis, Justin Meyer, Jimmy Setty, Jarrod Meyer & Heather Anderson. School: Ripley Union Lewis Huntington High School - Ripley, OH .

• Maintaining Online Privacy: "Information" by Chris Michael and the Film Production class. School: Union Academy – Monroe, NC.

"The judging panel was pleased by the high caliber of entries this year, making it very challenging to pick our winner," said Lynette Owens, director and founder of Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids & Families. "I especially want to thank all of the contestants who devoted their time and energy to create wonderful videos that sought to inspire and educate young people everywhere on the issues surrounding Internet safety. They should be proud of their work and the impact that each video will make to young people across the globe."

From classrooms to NYC Times Square

The “What’s Your Story?” videos have been shared by educators, school administrators and Internet safety activists all over the world to trigger conversations about online safety and digital citizenship. They have been used to incite young people to educate and influence one another on how to harness the power of the Internet in a safe and productive manner. Last year’s “Pull the Plug on Cyberbullying” video was selected to be a part of Web Wise Kids’ Public Service Announcement appearing on the CBS Superscreen in Times Square.

This year, Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids & Families teamed with some of the world's leading organizations that either provide access to kids online or advocate for their safety. All share Trend Micro's vision and commitment toward Internet safety. The judging panel for 2011 included representatives from:

• Childnet International
• Common Sense Media
• ConnectSafely
• Facebook
• The Jennifer Smart Foundation
• Identity Theft Resource Center
• myYearbook
• Net Family News
• Trend Micro
• Web Wise Kids

Finalists were selected based on a combination of views and ratings. One grand prize winner and three category runners-up were chosen based on creativity, appropriateness and effectiveness. The grand prize winner receives $10,000 and the runners-up receive $500 each.

For the 2011 contest, nearly 80 percent of videos registered were by individuals, and approximately 20 percent by schools. Over 63 percent of the individual entries were from those between the ages of 13-17. Contestants came from 27 U.S. states, 5 Canadian provinces, as well as a number of U.K. counties.

About Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids & Families:

Founded in 2008, the mission of Trend Micro's Internet Safety for Kids & Families is to enable and empower kids, parents, teachers, and schools around the world to make the Internet a safe and secure place for today's youth. ISKF does this through a worldwide employee volunteer program, grants and donations to eligible organizations, strategic partnerships with organizations working to protect youth, educational programs, and a robust series of online tips and solutions for parents, educators, and youth. For ISKF's free Internet safety tips, tools and advice, visit: www.trendmicro.com/internetsafety.

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro Incorporated (TSE: 4704), a global cloud security leader, creates a world safe for exchanging digital information with its Internet content security and threat management solutions for businesses and consumers.  A pioneer in server security with over 20 years' experience, we deliver top-ranked client, server and cloud-based security that fits our customers' and partners' needs, stops new threats faster, and protects data in physical, virtualized and cloud environments. Powered by the Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ cloud security infrastructure, our industry-leading cloud-computing security technology, products and services stop threats where they emerge, on the Internet, and are supported by 1,000+ threat intelligence experts around the globe. 

Additional information about Trend Micro Incorporated and the products and services are available at Trend Micro.com This Trend Micro news release and other announcements are available at http://trendmicro.mediaroom.com/  and as part of an RSS feed at www.trendmicro.com/rss   Or follow our news on Twitter at @TrendMicro.

SOURCE Trend Micro Incorporated