In our new digital age, content is just as important as ever, but now we have the means to explore different ways of telling stories. And the Puffin Digital Prize has proved just how much talent is out there and the extent of the enthusiasm to embrace new technology.
We'd like to thank everyone who entered the competition and particularly to congratulate our winner and the shortlisted entrants.
And the prize goes to . . .
Winner of the inaugural Puffin Digital Prize 2011 – Shelley Revill
Shelley Revill – Monsterology
Shelley's story, Monsterology – an exciting guide for those brave enough to enter the world of Monsters – instantly caught the attention of the judges. With a strong story concept and playful sense of design, it was the digital interactions that made it really unique, demonstrating exactly how digital enhancements themselves create a story and propel it forward.
Highly Commended
Tom Bradley and Stuart Bradbury – All Ants Look the Same
The judges were hugely impressed by writing and illustrating team Tom and Stuart. Their submission All Ants Look the Same – 'a story about modern Britain, from the perspective of ants' – really invites a child to make the story their own in a comic tale of self-discovery.
Shortlisted entrants
- Lauren Beard and Daniel O'Connor – The Secret Life of How Things Work, According to Evie Sweet
- Rebecca Elliott and Shani Fabbro Blich – Ugu's Phrase Book for Children
- Sam Usher – Rootely Toot!
Take a look . . .
View a sample of our five fabulous shortlisted entries.
What the judges said . . .
Tom Hostler – Founder, Poke
'This is an amazing opportunity on so many levels, and I'm thrilled to be judging the inaugural Puffin Digital Prize.
'How often do you get the opportunity to see a personal story brought to life by one of the world's most cherished publishers, and, in doing so, work hand in hand on defining how the next chapter of publishing unfolds as the familiar creative processes of writing and illustration are mixed with the new concepts of interaction, location, contextualisation and network interplay. The very definition of the role a picture book plays in a child's life is up for grabs!
'The winning entry demonstrated a range of properties vital to success – engaging characters, a rich and fertile setting, as well as charming illustrations – but also fundamentally it put interaction at the heart of the storytelling. Readers HAD to engage with the story in order to hear / read / experience it.'
Anna Rafferty – Penguin Digital Director
'When we launched the Puffin Digital Prize back in November, we genuinely had no sense of how it was going to turn out – would people "get" it? Digital storytelling still felt like a huge experimental leap into the unknown. I'm delighted to confirm that yes, people definitely get it – not only did we get more entries than anticipated but the entries were everything we wanted them to be: creative, entertaining, eclectic and definitely digital stories.'
What next . . .
We are now thinking ahead to the Puffin Digital Prize 2012. We want more exciting stories, more outstanding illustration and even more imaginative, interactive digital ideas. The prize will launch in January – watch this space!
