The “Connected” Contest – The Search for the Most Creative Perspectives on being Connected in 2011

BLOG,Connected August 13, 2011 03:05

200 million Twitter users, 500 million on Facebook, Planes, Trains and Automobiles… Everyone keeps talking about how we’re more connected than ever. But what does being “connected” in 2011 even mean? Sure we’re more connected to our phones, but what about all the other stuff: being connected to each other emotionally, physically, culturally…

Michael Dorris said: “Human beings have the rare capacity to connect with each other, against all odds.” Are our tech gadgets really connecting us in meaningful ways? When we talk about being connected, are we really just talking about technology?

Calling writers, techies, socialites, bloggers, and individuals from all backgrounds: The European and PenTales are looking for creative works inspired by the word “CONNECTED”. We will be accepting text (maximum of 5000 characters in either English or German) until August 31, 2011.

Submissions should be sent to loewenstein@theeuropean.de. Please write “Connected Contest” in the title of your email. In the body of the email, please include your name, title of your submission and your location (city, country).

The 5 winning submissions will be given a short review by both Liesl Schillinger of The New York Times Book Review and blogging mogul Debbie Weil, named one of the Most Influential Women in Technology in 2010 by Fast Company. The winners will also be recognized on pentales.com and the European’s English and German sites: www.theeuropean.de and www.theeuropean-magazine.com.

Winners will be chosen in September 2011, and notified by email. Decisions of the judges are final and binding.

The European is an online magazine with a strong focus on opinion journalism. Founded in 2009 and based in Berlin, the magazine is a novelty in the German media landscape: Innovative, independent, and with a strong commitment to answering the challenges of digital journalism. Our authors – among them José Manuel Barroso, Martti Ahtisaari, Christian Wulff, Tim Jackson, Paul Romer, and Dan Ariely – comment on big questions and background issues in less than 3500 characters. We embrace a culture of analysis and controversy and value the interplay of debate and reflection.

PenTales is community of people who believe that storytelling (in all mediums) is a great way of bringing people together, no matter how different or far away they are from each other. Since 2009, we’ve been combining the age-old tradition of swapping stories face-to-face with a digital space where these stories can be enjoyed by a larger audience. PenTales.com serves as a meeting-point for all stories, a place where anyone can share their perspective, add their two cents and maybe learn a thing or two about a stranger.

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