The Democracy Video Challenge, a global project to celebrate democracy through film, launched its second annual competition at the United Nations on Sept. 15, the International Day of Democracy. NDI is a partner of the Challenge, which invites citizens from around the world to create video shorts that complete the phrase: "Democracy is..." in an effort to enhance the global dialogue on democracy. Other partners include democracy and youth organizations, the film and entertainment industry, academia and the U.S. Department of State.

In its inaugural year, the Challenge attracted more than 900 videos from 95 countries. The six winners of the 2009 competition representing different regions of the world -- sub-Saharan Africa, east Asia and the Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and north Africa, south and central Asia, and the Western Hemisphere -- came to the United States in mid-September for visits to New York, Washington and Los Angeles. They participated in screenings of their videos and met with representatives of the film industry, democracy advocates, the media and U.S. government officials.

"NDI is pleased to be part of the Democracy Video Challenge, which encourages citizens around the world to use new media to share experiences and ideas," said Kenneth Wollack, NDI president. "In this growing interconnected world, initiatives such as this can help advance popular political participation. We believe it is important to support such innovative approaches to promoting and facilitating democratic dialogue across the globe."

NDI joined the Center for International Private Enterprise and the International Republican Institute in sponsoring a Sept. 17 Washington luncheon for the winners: Chansa Tembo of Zambia, Tsering Choden of Nepal, Aissa Penafiel of the Philippines, Rodin Hamidi of the United Arab Emirates, Lukasz Szozda of Poland and Anna Israel of Brazil. They spoke about their videos and the state of democracy in their countries. Watch the winning videos »

The United Nations event featured remarks from Judith McHale, undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, and Richard Engel, NBC Universal's chief foreign affairs correspondent, who served as master of ceremonies for the global launch of the second year of the competition.

"President Obama and Secretary Clinton have both underscored the importance of listening to what others think, and the Democracy Video Challenge provides us a platform to do just that," McHale said. "Using the Internet and new media technologies, we have an unprecedented opportunity to convene a global dialogue and the important issues that shape our world."

Watch the winners on Fox & Friends:

The winners also appeared on the Today Show:

Pictured above: The Democracy Video Challenge logo

Pictured below: Undersecretary Judith McHale

Published September 16, 2009