At the 2013 World Media Festival in Hamburg, DW programming won three gold awards in competition with over 600 entries coming from 36 countries. The festival, hosted by intermedia, is an international competition that celebrates modern media. The DW documentary Schumann at Pier 2, an all access musical journey featuring special performances of Schumann’s four symphonies, won first prize in the category Documentaries – Arts. DW’s weekly magazine covering all things online, Shift – Living in the digital age, won gold in the category Documentaries- Magazine Formats. Namati’s World – The dreams and fears of a young coral in the South Pacific is a web documentary that tells the story of a 114-year-old brain coral with captivating underwater footage taken off the coast of the Pacific archipelago nation of Vanuatu. The multimedia production won the gold in Education and E-Learning. DW programming also received five silver awards in a wide range of categories.

Promoting democracy has always been important to DW and now you can participate as well! DW’s new multimedia special Power to the People showcases activists who are using modern media and technology to speak out for positive change in their countries. We give you an inside look at who is fighting to make a difference and the real problems they face every day. We also want your opinion! Users can get involved on DW’s social media channels and discuss questions raised by the thought provoking essays and inspiring stories featured every week. Political cartoons cast a light-hearted glow on serious issues and state-of-the-art graphics clarify the data. What do different protest movements have in common? What role does the west really play in promoting democracy and what is in store for the future of developing societies? The questions are endless. If you’re not already curious just visit the site.

In honor of Richard Wagner’s 200th birthday, DW is producing a documentary titled, The Colón Ring – Wagner in Buenos Aires. The program follows the legendary opera house Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires as its members stage a never before seen 7-hour  condensed version of Wagner’s powerful musical drama, “The Ring of the Nibelung”. The film premiered to an audience of 600 at the Delphi Filmpalast in Berlin on April 14 and drew warm applause and much praise. Global audiences can look forward to the television debut on DW scheduled for May 11 and 18, just before Wagner’s birthday on May 22. The two-part documentary will be broadcast in German, English, Spanish and Arabic. The DVD and Blu-ray box set, which include the performance itself, are also scheduled for release in May. Wagner fans wanting more can go online at www.dw.de and check out Wagner 200, a multimedia special devoted to celebrating the composer and his life’s work.

 

DW wants to give you the opportunity to see where and how we work, which is why we have created 360. It’s a unique site that will take you behind the scenes at DW and let you see how people and technology come together at a first class news desk. We also offer interesting stories from journalists and staff that work in Bonn, Berlin and abroad. So go ahead and check it out at www.dw.de/360 !

Africa and the Middle East
In what areas is Egypt boldly advancing? Who is going to shape the future of this country? Young Egyptian journalists answered these and other interesting questions a journalism contest organized by DW in cooperation with their premium partners ONTV, Masrawy.com and the Media and Communication department at the University of Cairo. Numerous articles and video entries were judged by the jury and a selection of the best work was put up for voting on Facebook. A community of voters decided on the first prize winner and in addition chose three other pieces for honorable mention.

TV 10 – the first, and up to now, only private TV station in Rwanda – has started broadcasting individual DW programs, including Journal, In Good Shape, World Stories, Global 3000, Drive it and Tomorrow Today. Viewers in Rwanda can tune in by using a digital receiver or a decoder from the TV 10.

Asia
DW is now available on Vieltel, the largest telecommunications provider in Vietnam. Starting immediately, the broadcaster will feature DW’s full selection of English programming on its nationwide cable network as well as via IPTV.