Digital+Daze+Awards+Night+2013

==== On Thursday the 17th October excited children and parents filled the Hawkes Bay Opera House for the Digital Daze Digi Awards. The first year for the awards was 2012. As part of a Ministry of Education ICT Cluster contract seven schools decided to hold the event to celebrate the work their students were achieving in ICT and as a focus for using technology to support the curriculum in creative ways. ====

==== Once again in 2013 seven schools in the Taradale and Tamatea area took part in this activity. They were Arthur Miller, Bledisloe, Greenmeadows, Porritt, Puketapu, Reignier and Taradale Intermediate schools. ====

==== The teachers and students worked over the course of two terms to produce work in four categories which would be judged by experts and shared with the wider community. The categories were Photography, Graphic Design, Animation and Short Movie. The students had to work within certain criteria and were judged on this. Students from ages five to thirteen were involved in the work. ====

==== There were 230 finalists at the Opera House along with their parents and whanau. This event was sponsored by Konica Minolta and New Era IT as major sponsors along with ASB who sponsored the supreme award and the following companies who sponsored category awards: ASB, WestPac, Eclypse, UNISON, GEMCO, NZCU Baywide, The Kitchen Table Café and Community Art Space, Judd Dougan Architects, Gary Pidd Achitect Ltd, NOW, Network Technologies and EIT and LaserForce. The event was compered very ably by Martin Good from Classic Hits Radio Napier. Each student’s work was displayed on a huge digital screen as they crossed the stage to receive their award. ====

As an added bonus Shayne Jeffares offered to exhibit the photography category in The Kitchen Table Café and Community Art Space.
==== Creative Communities has sponsored the printing and presenting of the photography and the schools are very grateful for this opportunity to share with the community exciting work created by young people. ====



**Digi Awards Winners:** Karla Wolmarans was the supreme Winner and was delighted with receiving a tablet for her work sponsored by ASB.