Panasonic Honors Children as Winners of 19th Annual 'Kid Witness News' Video Contest

Panasonic Honors Children as Winners of 19th Annual 'Kid Witness News' Video Contest

West Sylvan Middle School of Portland, Oregon Honored As Video of the Year; More Than 75 Public Schools Nationwide Participated In Video Education Program

SECAUCUS, N.J., May 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Panasonic Corporation of North America announced today the winners of their 19th annual Kid Witness News (KWN) New Vision Awards -- a year-long, in-school video education program. The winners, who represent nine schools from across the United States, were selected from more than 75 participating schools nationwide.

The winning teams (made up of school children) were selected by an independent panel of professional film makers for videos they created as part of Panasonic's Kid Witness News Video Education program. All nine schools were honored as winners in 13 different style and technical categories with West Sylvan Middle School of Portland, OR also selected as the overall "2009 Video of the Year."

Developed and funded by Panasonic, Kid Witness News is a unique, hands-on video education program created to encourage students to develop valuable cognitive, communication and organizational skills through the use of video. Panasonic provides each participating school with a complete Digital Video Studio and suggested guidelines to augment the schools curriculum to encourage the children to express their hopes and concerns about the world around them. Under teacher supervision, the students create, produce, direct and edit video shorts on a wide range of topics including current events and issues relevant to today's youth, for submission in the yearly competition. This year each school was provided with a professional broadcast-level HD video camera (Panasonic's AG-HMC70) so their work could be produced in High Definition quality.

The program began in 1989 with one school in New Jersey and has since grown to include participants from more than 75 schools throughout the United States and 625 schools worldwide. Thousands of students take part in this unique program annually, in 25 countries around the world. To date, more than 120,000 students worldwide have participated in the program.

Each winning school will receive a KWN New Vision Award trophy and a suite of Panasonic High Definition products, including a VIERA HDTV, Blu-ray Disc player, HD Camcorder and LUMIX digital camera. In addition, members of the "2009 U.S. Best Video of the Year" team will be rewarded with a trip to Disney World, courtesy of Panasonic.

West Sylvan Middle School of Portland, OR was awarded the 2009 U.S. Best Video of the Year for "12 Twelve," a fiction drama about a boy dealing with the separation of his parents and his fears about being stereotyped by society. The West Sylvan Middle School team scored four awards overall, including technical awards for Videography and Writing.

"You would think after 19 years of this incredible Kid Witness News program that we might be less surprised by the phenomenal quality and intelligence of the students' work. Yet every year, I remain inspired and amazed at the creativity and maturity seen in the work generated by the students in this program," said Joseph Taylor, Chief Operating Officer, Panasonic Corporation of North America. "KWN puts the power of technology in the hands of students so that they can broaden their educational horizons. By developing skills in research, writing, understanding issues and expressing their thoughts clearly and in unique ways, KWN students build self confidence and learn the value and power of teamwork. In return, these students teach each of us valuable lessons about the world as they see it."

Videos submitted for the New Vision Awards are reviewed by students from Columbia University's School of the Arts Film Division. The top three finalists in each category are submitted for a final round of judging by an independent panel of professionals comprised of educators, broadcasters, scientists, journalists, entertainers and industry leaders who volunteer their time and expertise.

For more information on the Panasonic Kid Witness News program, please visit http://www.panasonic.com/kwn.

Kid Witness News

Best Video of 2009

"12" Twelve
West Sylvan Middle School
Portland, OR

Spotlight and Technical Awards

Health, Science and Technology Local Hero and Sound
"Save Mother Earth" "Sisters in War"
Monroe Elementary School Vista Academy
Enid, OK Vista, CA

Documentary News
"Our Town" "KWN Magazine - Bridging the Gap"
Theodore Roosevelt School Gordon Parks Academy
Weehawken, NJ East Orange, NJ

PSA and Editing Fiction Drama and Writing
"Change" "12" Twelve
Jere Baxter Middle School West Sylvan Middle School
Nashville, TN Portland, OR

Fiction Comedy Production Design
"Fart" "Lose Yourself"
Gardiner Area High School Maui High School
Gardiner, ME Kahului Maui, HI

Special FX Videography
"Space Troopers of the 23rd "Emily's Plicate"
Century West Sylvan Middle School
Val Verde High School Portland, OR
Perris, CA

About Panasonic

Based in Secaucus, NJ, Panasonic Corporation of North America markets a broad line of digital and other electronics products for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation (NYSE:PC), and the hub of Panasonic's U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic is pledged to practice prudent, sustainable use of the earth's natural resources and protect our environment through the company's Eco Ideas programs. Information about Panasonic and its products is available at www.panasonic.com. Additional company information for journalists is available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom.

Source: Panasonic Corporation of North America

CONTACT: Blayne Murphy, Cohn & Wolfe, +1-212-798-9763,
blayne.murphy@cohnwolfe.com; or Chris De Maria, Panasonic, +1-201-348-7182,
demariac@us.panasonic.com

Web Site: http://www.panasonic.com/

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