2011 Schools Digital Challenge
Welcome to the BIMA Schools Digital Challenge. This document will give you further information on entering the competition and some background insight into previous winners and participants.
The challenge is for all young people in education aged between 11 and 18. We believe that the UK digital industry is one of the most vibrant and fast moving sectors. This competition aims to link younger people with this emerging sector.
The brief
'Use digital to benefit your community'
In setting the brief we purposefully left it very open. We recognise that different schools/groups will have different levels of resources, equipment, time and experience. However the key thing the judges are looking for is the idea, this is not a competition judged on technical ability alone.
Think about your community
The brief is about original ways that digital can help your community. Your community is unique to your area and so you must consider:
- The type of community you live/go to school in
- Their ability to access digital services
- The overall digital knowledge and awareness of the user group
- Any specific groups that might gain greater benefit.
Remember your community may be your school, the wider public or a local organisation or charity. The judges don’t mind, but we will be looking for choices that reflect your schools culture, orientation or themes. In other words ideas that are cohesive to your community are really good.
Case Study:
A school in Hackney had a very large Somali population. They based their project around an information website in Somali, specifically aimed at parents with English as a 2nd language.
What can 'digital' cover?
We recently read that digital is like electricity, it touches almost everything we do. Entries in the BIMA Schools Digital Challenge do not need to fit into any particular category. Consider how you might benefit your community through:
- Websites and mobile websites
- Mobile apps or even iPad apps (as long as your target audience have access to them!)
- eLearning
- Video or multimedia
- Broadcasts and webinars
- Social media
- Gaming
- iTV (Red Button etc)
- TV apps and web integration into TVs
Your entry can also consider a mixture of the above. Multi-channel output is increasingly popular.
Case study:
A Guernsey School interviewed and videoed older residents who were children during the Nazi occupation. They then created a website to host the footage for prosperity.
What do we need to do to enter the competition?
The prerequisite of the challenge is to provide evidence of the thinking and research of the project and a show-reel of the results. Some groups actually produce their idea which is great, but this is not always possible, so we don’t judge based on technical skills. Consider these factors:
- Who is your audience and how will they benefit
- How are you going to describe your idea to the judges
- Any background research (other similar examples or feedback from the focus groups)
- The team and roles you decide for each participant
- Visuals and/or prototypes of the idea that you can create (if not possible to build)
- Why is this benefiting your community, ideally with feedback from the end audience
Come entry time (May 2011) you will need to put together a PowerPoint and/or Video show-reel outlining the above and more that gives the judges a real sense of the idea and the beneficiaries.
Finally as this is a student-led initiative we will consider the age of the entrants in any assessment. It's an exciting competition and we rely on the teachers and leaders to motivate and inspire the young people but not undertake the work themselves.
Linking with industry
BIMA are keen to link schools with our members and other digital agencies in your location. This can be a rewarding exercise for both students and the digital professionals. Please indicate if you would like us to try and find a suitable partner.
Case study:
A Bournemouth School visited their local agency and were involved in a brainstorming and ideas generation workshop. The pupils had a great time and commented that they all wanted to work in the industry, as it seemed so much fun!
