1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites

Deutsche Welle: The Bobs kick off 10th edition

Martin Wigger/smsFebruary 5, 2014

Interconnected, interactive and participatory: the Deutsche Welle's 10 edition of The Bobs - the international award for the best in online activism - begins on February 5.

https://p.dw.com/p/1B2yE
The Bobs Award 2014

Deutsche Welle (DW) has recognized exceptional projects contributing to the spread of freedom of expression with its annual award The Bobs - Best of Online Activism since 2004. The award's 10th edition will also focus on online projects that put global interconnectedness in the spotlight, created transparency and contribute to promoting freedom of expression and digital rights in the digital world.

"Our international competition The Bobs honors the brave people who are promoting democratization via digital media," Deutsche Welle Director General Peter Limbourg said. "At a time when many countries struggle for democracy and the access to independent information, it is more important than ever."

Internet users from around the world can go to www.thebobs.com to take part in the contest and make submissions to The Bobs award in 14 languages: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Turkish and Ukrainian.

An international jury and online voting determine the winners of The Bobs. The 15 jury members represent all of the award's languages, name finalists and hand out the Jury Awards in The Bobs' six main, multilingual categories. Internet users will have until April 2 to cast their ballots for the People's Choice Awards.

Over 4,200 websites and online projects were submitted to The Bobs in 2013, and over 90,000 people let their voices be heard in online voting.

Past winners include the Chinese blogger and author Li Chengpeng, online activists Yoani Sánchez from Cuba and Lina Ben Mhenni from Tunisia, the Iranian blogger Arash Sigarchi, and the creators of the Egyptian Facebook page "We are all Khaled Said."

Award ceremony at the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum

Winners of The Bobs 2014 Jury Awards will receive their prizes on June 30, 2014, during the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum. The media conference, which runs from June 30 - July 2, 2014, has set its theme to be "From Information to Participation – Challenges for the Media." Digital interconnectedness presents many new ways to increase political participation but also raises many new questions. How will information and sources be protected? What role do whistleblowers play? Should limits be placed on freedom of expression and freedom of the press? These will be the questions some 2,000 participants address at the conference in Bonn, Germany.

The Bobs – Best of Online Activism 2014
Background information on DW's contest

Six multilingual main categories

  • Best Blog: a blog that takes an exemplary stance to promote and ensure human rights and stimulates discussion on issues of public importance.
  • Best Innovation: a software solution or Internet platform that contributes to democratic participation and societal change.
  • Best Social Activism: an initiative, social network or other form of digital communication that strengthens democracy, freedom and human rights.
  • Most Creative & Original: The focus here is on the innovative and surprising way socially relevant topics are handled and presented. Special attention will also be given to the visual and artistic presentation.
  • Reporters Without Borders Award: a blog that takes a strong stance for freedom of expression. This special award is offered in cooperation with Reporters Without Borders.
  • Global Media Forum Award: a website that addresses the focus of the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum: "From Information to Participation – Challenges for the Media."

People's Choice Awards

These categories are reserved for the best online projects in each of The Bobs' 14 languages. The initiatives analyze and comment on current events and contribute to public discussion. This category is open to blogs, websites, microblogs, videos and podcasts.

Gewinner des Bobs Awards
The winners of The Bobs 2013Image: DW/M. Magunia

Contest Timeline

  • The Bobs start on February 5 and accepts submissions from the public until March 5. Then the jury selects finalists in all the categories.
  • From April 2 - May 7 the race is underway to see who will win the People's Choice Awards, which will be determined by an online vote. The Bobs' jury members will independently choose the Jury Award winners during two days of meetings in May in Berlin.
  • All of the winners will be announced on May 7.
  • Winners of the Jury Awards in the six multilingual categories will receive their prizes on June 30 during the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum in Bonn, Germany.

The Jury

New jury members are: Erkan Saka from Turkey, Renata Avila (Spanish) from Guatemala, Alexandre Youssef (Portuguese) from Brazil, Florian Ngimbis (French) from Cameroon, Victoria Siumar from Ukraine, Alissa Wahid from Indonesia and Rohini Lakshané (Hindi) from India. Returning members of the jury are: Georgia Popplewell (English), Falk Steiner (German), Hu Yong (Chinese), Tarek Amr (Arabic), Arash Abadpour (Persian), Alyona Popova (Russian), Shahidul Alam (Bengali) and Christian Mihr of Reporters Without Borders.

Our Partners

Premium Partner: Reporters Without Borders. Media Partners: Global Voices Online, Somewhere in…, Bdnews.com, Gooya, Terra, ntvmsnbc, MYNET, MEDYATAVA, China Digital Times and webdunia.