U.S. State Dept. Launches Global “Democracy Is” Twitter Contest

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
January 7, 2010
MEDIA NOTE

Tweet About Democracy
The U.S. Department of State announces the launch of the global “Democracy is…” Twitter Contest. Tweet what you think democracy is using the hash symbol: #democracyis. The goal is to provide a worldwide platform in which people can discuss the meaning of democracy and exchange ideas from diverse perspectives.
The global “Democracy is…” Twitter Contest begins today at 5:30 p.m. EST and ends January 21, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. EST. To join the contest, become a Twitter follower of @demvidchallenge and tweet what you think democracy is in 140 characters or less. The contestant whose tweet with the greatest number of unique re-tweets will receive a Flip Video HD Camcorder. The winner will be announced on the Democracy Video Challenge Facebook fan page [1] on January 25, 2010. Only one re-tweet per user will count in the official tally. Additional contests will be announced throughout the year.

Background
The global “Democracy is…” Twitter Contest expands the international conversation on democracy, initiated by the Democracy Video Challenge partnership. Both contests engage with and amplify the views of young people around the world by using new media to break down cultural and geographic borders and involve younger audiences in a transparent and candid discussion about an issue of global importance. To date, the Democracy Video Challenge maintains a vibrant online community of over 30,000 friends, fans [1] and followers [2].
The Democracy Video Challenge is made possible by a public-private partnership that includes: the Center for International Private Enterprise, the International Republican Institute, the International Youth Foundation, the Motion Picture Association of America, NBC Universal, the Recording Industry Association of America, the National Democratic Institute, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, USC’s Annenberg School of Communication & Journalism, TakingITGlobal, the U.S. Department of State, and YouTube.
For more information about the worldwide “Democracy Is…” Twitter contest or the Democracy Video Challenge, contact:

Laura Hesselton at 202-632-9933 or via email at hesseltonle@state.gov.
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[1] http://www.facebook.com/democracychallenge
[2] http://twitter.com/demvidchallenge