Questions and Answers

What is Kid Witness News? 

KWN is a global video education program, supported by Panasonic, which aims to boost creativity and communication skills while simultaneously fostering teamwork through video production. 2011 marks the eighth year that the program has run in Australia. It has received support from the Departments of Education across the country.

How does it work? 

What are the theme and entry categories? 

The  themes for the 2011 Regional and Global program are Environment or Communication.

The categories can include, but are not limited to:

Drama
Documentary
Health, Science & Technology
Animation
Comedy
News & Current Affairs
Public Service Announcements
Environmental
Artistic
Sporting

What are the award categories and prizes? 

There are four types of awards:

1. Technical Awards
There are five technical categories: sound, editing, videography, writing and concept
A national winner will be selected for each category

2. State Awards
Overall state winner - Primary School
Overall state winner - Secondary School

3. National Awards
Overall National winner - Primary School
Overall National winner - Secondary School

4. International Awards
One Award will be given to the video adjudged to be the best overall and which meets the international awards criteria of being within a theme of Environment or Communication.

The overall winning school's entry will be submitted to represent Australia at the Asia/Pacific Regional Awards which will be held in early December 2011. Panasonic will cover the cost of flying 1 teacher and 2 students to the awards ceremony. The host country will be announced in September 2011. Furthermore if the Australian winner is then shortlisted as one of the top 6 entries for the global award ceremony (scheduled for July 2012), Panasonic will cover the cost of flying 1 teacher and 2 students to the ceremony.
 

The city that will be hosting the 2012 KWN Global Contest is London

What are the entry and other guidelines?

Download the 2011 KWN Guidelines (50kb PDF) document for information on entry guidelines and requirements.

The Teacher's Handbook 2011 (8.1mb PDF) and Student Handbook 2011 (6.6mb PDF) provide detailed information about the KWN Program.

Where can I find the KWN logo to download for my entry?

The KWN logo is a fundamental and important trademark and shall be provided only for use by those schools participating in the Panasonic Australia KWN School Program. Any usage of the logo must be in consideration of the guideline found within the 2011 Teachers Handbook and any updated version therein.

When is the entry deadline?

Entries must be received by 5:00pm on 1st September, 2011.

Where do I send our entry/entries?

Please send your entry, clearly labelled with video title and school name to:
Panasonic KWN, C/- Shooting Picture Partners

PO Box 1143
Newport Beach,
NSW 2106

What are the other key timings?

The key timings are as follows:

Synopsis for submission due 29th July 2011 - Synopsis Form (28.6kb PDF)
Entry deadline: 5:00pm 1st September, 2011
Judging: 3rd September, 2011
National Awards Ceremony: Late October 2011 

Who do I contact for further information?

For any technical queries, please contact Shane McLachlan
Tel (02) 9999 6311
Email: shootingpicture@bigpond.com

For media queries, please contact Blackie McDonald
Tel: (02) 8907 4900
Email: kwn@bmcd.com.au

If you are using Pinnacle Software on your PC and are experiencing any problems with editing your footage, please contact Pinnacle's technical support office - Lako Pacific -
Tel: 1300 302 306

For all other queries, please email or call Sarah Garnett
Email: shootingpicture@bigpond.com
Tel: (02) 99996311
Good luck with the 2011 KWN program!