see details on the competition website http://www.globalmillenniumprize.org/

General contacts:
Mexico: Concepción Olavarrieta olav@prodigy.net.mx Tel:+55 (55) 5540-2746
General background: Jerome C. Glenn, jglenn@igc.org, Tel: 202-686-5179

Winners of the Global Millennium Prize

Press release
WE CHOOSE OUR FUTURE

“We choose our future” was the theme of the Global Millennium Prize 2008-2009. The contest’s website www.globalmillenniumprize.org received more than 4 million visits from 110 countries. The Website is available in English, French, Spanish, and with links to Russian and Azeri.

This year’s winners are from 8 countries: Azerbaijan (1), Dominican Republic (1), France (1), India (2), Mexico (9), Russia (1), Singapore (1), and Slovenia (1).

The Global Millennium Prize was created to stimulate futures thinking and awareness among youth around the world to imagine new alternatives for addressing the Millennium Project 15 Global Challenges and help achieve the 8 UN Millennium Development Goals; to form future-oriented leaders for positive change –for today and for the longer-term future; and to encourage creativity, responsibility, and solidarity among the youth of the world.

The Award Ceremony took place on February 20th at the National Anthropology Museum. The 116 international and Mexican winners and finalists of the Global Millennium Prize and the Millennium Award presented their future visions, proposals and actions for addressing the 15 Global Challenges as opportunities.

Global Ethics revealed to be of great concern to the winners. Some of their most relevant suggestions include:

1. “We want to be taught how to open to the world, with no classroom limits and no space limits. Educating us by example and teaching us the strength to have the courage of taking decisions, unify our efforts, raise our awareness about the costs of inaction, and recognize the richness of what we are and how we can continuously improve.”
2. “all countries be open to the creation of a World Organization of Public Policies, based on respect, tolerance, comprehension, and admiration, so that all nations and people could contribute their future visions and possibilities, and articulate them globally within an endless chain of values that will never break.”

“You have created the Global Millennium Prize Futures Room”, “You are helping to build a better future world”, “You are developing the global citizenship,” and “ You are becoming UN new Ambassadors”, were the main messages mentioned by the President of the Nodo Mexicano, El Proyecto del Milenio,Concepción Olavarrieta; The Millennium Project Director, Jerome Glenn; the President of the World Federation of United Nations Associations, Hans Blix; and the UN DPI/NGO Head and President of the 62nd Annual Conference, Maria-Luisa Chávez & Charles Hitchcok, respectively.

Images from the Award Ceremony

Winners of the 2008 Global Millennium Prize

Category 1: Secondary students

Category 2: University students

See more details on the participation and results the competition website http://www.globalmillenniumprize.org/

The Global Millennium Prize sponsored by the Mexican Node of the Millennium Project of the World Federation of UN Associations is the first ever worldwide competition for highschool and university students to address the future.

The competition invites students to write an essay on one of the Millennium Project’s 15 Global Challenges which cover sustainable development, water, democratization, information technology, population and resources, the status of women, energy, transnational crime, health, the rich-poor gap, decision making, science and technology, peace and conflict, long-term policy making, and global ethics.

There is one international award for each of the 15 Global Challenges, for the essay that received the highest score and minimum of 75%. First place winners for each of the 15 challenges receive an International Certificate of Recognition, a trophy, and a laptop computer. The Award Ceremony will take place in Mexico City on February 20, 2009.

The main organizer of the Global Millennium Prize and the Awards Ceremony is Conception Olavarietta, Chair of the Millennium Project Mexican Node.

Previouos GMP competitions:
-- Global Millennium Prize 2006 -- First Ever World Competition for Highschool Students Addressing the Global Future
-- Global Millennium Prize 2007 -- The winners and the award ceremony http://www.globalmillenniumprize.org/historico/es.html

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