MUMBAI: Cartoon Network has joined hands with HP for the Toon Creator Awards, which will promote self-expression and inspire creativity amongst young children.
An online animation contest – the Toon Creator Awards – provides a regional platform for young talent in India to showcase their creativity. Budding animators aged 6 -14 years of age are encouraged to direct their own short animated clips, featuring characters from series like Ben 10: Alien Force and Chowder.
Between 13 July and 30 September, children and their families can visit the www.ToonCreatorAwards.com and create their own 25-second ending after viewing a five-second mini-cliffhanger using either Ben 10: Alien Force and Chowder characters.
"The power of a creative idea is undoubtedly demonstrated in the greatest innovations of our times. HP recognises the need to nurture this culture of creativity and innovation at a very young age. Toon Creator Awards and our collaboration with Cartoon Network is a small step in this direction. This platform promotes self-expression, evokes imagination of children and equips them with important computer skills at an early age. It engages both children and their families in a fun and exciting way," said HP India country manager – consumer desktop PCs Ketan Patel.
Turner Entertainment Interactive Media regional director Benjamin Grubbs added, "Cartoon Network and HP both share a deep commitment to innovation and the Toon Creator Awards enables kids to think out of the box and become animators. Using HP’s technology and Cartoon Network’s online platform, we hope to ignite the interest of Asia’s budding young creators and generate an interactive showcase to put their work in front of millions of our users in a fun and engaging manner."
Cartoon Network and HP will show children how easy it is to create animated movies using HP technology and Cartoon Network’s animation software. Booths equipped with HP TouchSmart PCs and desktops will also be set up across 130 schools in Mumbai and Bangalore as part of the first phase to allow students to use the software with mentors on hand to guide them through the process. As part of the program, students can also buy an HP Pavilion desktop and get a HP DeskJet Printer free on presenting their school IDs at select HP stores in Bangalore and Mumbai. The ultimate regional Toon Creator Awards winner will see their winning project broadcast on Cartoon Network in November 2009. The competition is open to applications for individuals and schools in India and internationally in Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand.
