European University Islands Community

From the VWBPE site:

The VWBPE Conference provides opportunities for virtual world communities to showcase projects, courses, events and research that lead to best practices in education. The end result of collaborating, sharing, and co-construction of knowledge during the conference is the creation of innovative and immersive environments in which virtual world residents can learn, work, and play.

Program Chairs: Marlene Brooks (RL) Zana Kohime (SL)

The conference will take place in Second Life from March 27-29. Be sure to visit the site to register!

Also, be sure to check out Pathfinder Linden’s interview with the conference organizers!

Happy New Year!  I hope that one of your New Year’s Resolutions was to finish and submit your Linden Prize applications, because time is running out to be one of the top ten finalists we’ll announce, able to show the world what hard work, inspiration and creativity can achieve in Second Life.  Finalists will see their projects appreciated and utilized by Residents, written about by bloggers and press, and be eligible for the Grand Prize of $10 thousand US dollars.

Yes, the deadline of January 15 is almost here, so whether you’ve been procrastinating, gathering your documentation, or finishing up those final touches, it is time to get cracking.  And if you think a friend with a wonderful project may not have applied, suggest they do so! All the application information is still here at the Linden Prize, and the forum is open here.

We’ve added two features for our Residents who are more comfortable in other languages than English.

• Need help translating your application into English? Right now you have help in German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, Polish, French and Italian. Thanks to your fellow Resident Translator volunteers and Lexie Linden, you can check the Linden Prize Translation Project to submit your application.

• We’ve translated the Linden Prize site into German, French and Japanese

Now, a personal message:  Some of you might be thinking, “Nah.  Linden Lab would never consider my little project.”   For example, I happened to talk the leader of an inspired project that supports servicemen and women in a way that’s uniquely Second Life.  But that leader hadn’t considered applying for the Linden Prize.

“Wow!’, I thought, ‘That’s exactly the kind of project that the world needs to hear about!”

So, if that scenario describes you—or your modest friends– take the next week to apply for the Linden Prize.  When you see your project announced with the rest of the Finalists, not only will you able to see the project you care about  receive well-earned recognition from a much larger audience, but you will be teaching us all about what hard work, inspiration and creativity can achieve in Second Life.

What a way to start 2009!

Applications due January 15th 2009
Applications must be complete and submitted no later than January 15, 2009.

Announcement Dates
The Winner and Finalists will be announced no later than April 30, 2009.

Linden Prize Criteria
We have several core principles that will influence the choice of the 10 finalists and the winner.

• Work in Second Life that also achieves tangible, compelling results outside of Second Life.

• Distinctive, original work using Second Life that clearly demonstrates high quality, execution, function, aesthetics and technical sophistication.

• Work that has the capacity for inspiring and influencing future development, knowledge, creativity, and collaboration both inside and outside of Second Life.

Links
The Linden Prize
Linden Prize FAQ
Linden Prize Application
Linden Prize Application Translation Project