Philadelphia Forward Wins National Award For Best Local Internet Campaign

Philadelphia Forward has been selected as the 2005 recipient of the Golden Dot Award as the nation's best local internet campaign by the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet. (Official Website)

According to the IPDI, "The Golden Dot Awards honor those who exhibited excellence in their use of the Internet as a political tool over the past year. Being an election year, 2004 was a landmark year for politics online, and this year's winners of the Golden Dots will truly represent the movers and shakers of cutting-edge campaigning." 

The Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet at the Graduate School of Political Management (formerly the Democracy Online Project) was chartered by The George Washington University to promote the development of online politics to increase citizen participation and uphold democratic values. The Institute is funded primarily by grants from The Pew Charitable Trusts. The Golden Dot Awards were presented at the annual Politics Online Conference, held this year at The George Washington University on March 10th/11th. This year's winners include:

In 2004, winners included the Dean For America National Internet Campaign and DC Vote, Online DC Budget Rider Campaign Local Internet Campaign.

It is truly humbling to have Philadelphia Forward's work recognized alongside efforts like moveOn and jibjab that have become household names.  I still do not know if Philadelphia's political establishment is ready for this kind of citizen participation and activism, but we will do our best to make sure that our collective voice is heard.  When you read the note I received from Walt in Mayfair, you can understand why it is so important:

I feel this electronic media gives the "little-people" a voice to be heard and reckoned with. I have lived in Philadelphia all my life, but I never felt I had the ability to make a difference, until now. Your organization has shown me that even the smallest candle can burn bright in the dark. Keep up the wonderful work and light the way, as we move Forward with Philadelphia and its future!:

The power of the individual is exponentially augmented through the use of Internet technology and Philadelphia Forward will continue to stand at the vanguard of the push for change.

 

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