Call for Nominations "Breaking Borders Award" On November 3rd 2009, Google and Reporters without Borders will hold an event entitled "Breaking Borders" to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. We'd like to take this opportunity to highlight the importance of free expression around the world and send a clear message to repressive regimes that censor content both online and offline by honoring outstanding individuals or groups, who have shown courage, energy and resourcefulness in using the internet to promote freedom of expression, ensure that diverse political viewpoints are heard and stand up to those who censor information. Therefore Google and Reporters without Borders invite you to nominate candidates for the Breaking Borders Award. We encourage you to share this Call for Nominations with others who might wish to submit a nomination. Nomination & Selection Procedure Please send your nominations until the 20th of October to breakingborders@google.com. As part of your nomination please send us the name (contact if possible), references (URLs or attachments), as well as at least one other person who can assess the nominee's work. Nominations will be forwarded to the designated Award Committee consisting of selected experts from Reporters without Borders and Google. Background Information Breaking Borders Event Twenty years ago, the fall of the Berlin Wall became a striking symbol for freedom and self-determination far beyond the borders of Germany. But in many places around the world today, people are still struggling take hold of the right to express their thoughts and beliefs freely and openly. Dissidents and journalists remain under severe pressure, and their voices are all too often silenced by force. Google and Reporters without Borders have partnered to celebrate and advocate for the importance of freedom of expression and the role the internet plays in allowing each and everyone to freely participate in our global discourse. Today, the Internet continues to be an increasingly populous and powerful medium for spreading opinions across the spectrum throughout the globe. The estimated number of blogs has grown to 110 million last year from fewer than two million in 2004. Expression through online video has become so popular that 20 hours of videos are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and hundreds of millions of videos are watched on the site everyday. Even in countries where governments engage in heavy censorship, the Internet has nevertheless proven to be an effective tool for sharing information and promoting political change. --------------------------------------- Dr. Max Senges Multistakeholder Cooperations Unter den Linden 21 10117 Berlin mobile: +49 1622122755 office: + 49 30303986362 www.maxsenges.com (google internal http://go/maxsenges) AG Hamburg, HRB 86891 Sitz der Gesellschaft: Hamburg Geschäftsführer: Nikesh Arora, John Herlihy, Graham Law, Lloyd Martin, Kent Walker