E-safety charity, Childnet, announce winners of the Childnet Film Competition 2015 in association with PhonepayPlus - Winning films to be used as Internet safety resources for schools
UK children’s charity, Childnet International, announced the winners of their sixth annual film competition at a private screening held at the BFI Southbank earlier this week.
Judged by a panel of experts from the BBFC, BFI, PhonepayPlus and beauty vlogger, Lily Pebbles, the three winning schools and the six other finalists will now see their films used as Internet safety resources to educate other young people about how to use the Internet safely.
Children and Families Minister, Edward Timpson, said:
"The Internet is a tremendously powerful tool that is changing the way our children learn and stay in touch but we cannot afford to be complacent about the risks - the dangers of the virtual world are no less pressing than those in the real world.”
“And it’s through initiatives like the Childnet Film Competition that we can make sure children really harness all the opportunities that the Internet provides while at the same time giving them the information and tools they need to protect themselves online. Well done to all of those who have taken part.”
As Childnet Education Projects Officer, Becky Nancarrow, said:
“This year’s film competition has been truly inspiring! Today we were able to celebrate the achievements of the 9 finalists who have met the challenge set by the competition amazingly well, addressing many of the key issues young people face online in a fun, creative and positive way. But it doesn’t end there! Now the young people’s films will have an even wider impact, as the films become resources for schools and youth groups to use to educate young people about staying safe online”.
Founded in 2010 as a way of asking young people to focus on positive use of the Internet, the Childnet Film Competition invites schools and youth organisations from across the UK to capture their Internet safety messages in a short film. For 2015, secondary schools were given the opportunity to illustrate another part of their digital lives, as UK regulator PhonepayPlus teamed up with Childnet to introduce the PhoneBrain category.
With over 130 entries across the three categories, primary, secondary and PhoneBrain, 8 schools and 1 youth group attended the shortlisted event where there films were shown on the big screen.
Taking home the top prize of film equipment for their school was Ludworth Primary School winning the primary school entry with ‘Chips and Bangs’. Weavers Academy took home the top prize for their entry ‘We have a choice to make a better Internet’ in the secondary category and the PhoneBrain Category was won by Willow Bank School for their film ‘Mummy I wuv you’.
Martin Stamper from Ludworth Primary School said:
“As a school we loved the opportunity to give our children an outlet for their creativity which could possibly be seen on a nationwide level. We had no idea it would lead to the day we have just had. Thanks!”
Creator of the secondary school winning film from Weavers Academy, Keith, said:
“When I heard about the film competition, I saw it as an opportunity to do what I love. It was special to me because as someone who isn’t really keen on sports and a lot of after/outside of school activities it felt really good to be part of something big! Also, the fact that I’ve actually won 1st place makes every second I put into the making of the animation worth it.”
Steve Pepper from Willow Bank School said:
“The film competition was a great opportunity to get across an important message! Nobody realises how much more is being taken from the young and vulnerable – it’s great to get the word out.”
The winning films from the Childnet Film Competition can be viewed here
