TOTO Challenge #2 – The Winner!

TOTO Challenge#2 required the shortlist to create 60-second video blogs on how technology could be used to fight poverty.

This was arguably a much more difficult challenge for the shortlist than the previous blog challenge, for a number of reasons.

Firstly, it took many out of their comfort zones. Although some of our finalists had experience with video-blogging, it was new to several members of the shortlist.

Another factor that made this challenge difficult was the restriction of 60-seconds to answer a fairly big question. Although we set the 60-second limit originally to try and make the challenge easier for nominees (that is, less demanding on their time), in retrospect a longer time limit would probably have made it easier for many.

Despite these constraints, the shortlist did well to deliver creative, well-research video-blogs – most of which received well over 100 views each by time of judging.

>>Check out the responses to TOTO Challenge#2

And the winner is…

For the judges there was one clear winner for this challenge – Joel Katz.

His video was well shot, beautifully edited and was set to great emotive music (played by Joel himself). This was, by far, the most engaging video, with a clear, positive and inspirational message.

The only hesitation for the judges was the message itself. In short, Joel’s message is that with just a simple digital camera and an internet connection, anyone in the world can tell their story and start a global conversation.

But does this really address the brief on how technology can be used to fight poverty?

The judges concluded that it did. After all, that is what Project TOTO is all about: allowing people in developing countries to tell their stories to the world and to start a truly global conversation on the fight to end poverty.

Good work Joel. Well done and well deserved.

>>Check out Joel’s winning video

What about the others…

Although Joel was the clear winner, the judges had praise for all the videos submitted. Here’s what the judges had to say about the efforts of the remaining nominees (in no particular order):

Emily French

The judges felt Emily provided the most powerful and interesting examples of how technology can been used to fight poverty. The presentation was simple, yet effective, with excellent choice of music.

Laurel Papworth

Laurel explained three great examples of how mobile phones are changing technology use in developing countries. Although Laurel did well to fit so much quality content into 60-seconds (and received the highest number of video views) the format was not as engaging as some of the other submissions.

Father Dave

Father Dave’s interview with pastor Ray Minniecon was a great way of exploring the issue of technology and poverty in an Australian context. Although he used an engaging format, the 60-second time constraint didn’t allow much time for an in-depth exploration of the issue so it felt a bit rushed.

Renee Barnes

Renee did a great job of explaining why mobile phones are so important in developing countries. Although the judges felt the pace of the video was a bit slow, Renee managed to tell a coherent and relevant story through a simple mix of photos, text and background music.

Sharna Bremner

By far the most entertaining music track! Hands down. Also, an interesting angle on the “technology” question. Unfortunately, Sharna tried to pack too much information into the 60-second timeslot making it almost impossible to read all the text, which reduced the impact of the message. Now if only we could get that damn song out of our heads…

David Rooney

David’s use of text-to-movie technology was highly original and entertaining – and proved the old adage “the medium is the message”. The judges liked the “on the internet nobody knows you’re a Kenyan” message, but felt the link between using technology such as this and fighting poverty was not very strong.

>>Check out all the responses to Challenge#2

>>Check out the original brief for Challenge#2