ACS Awards Australian Innovation

ACS Eureka Prize for ICT Innovation Goes to Soundbyte.org

Wednesday 13 August 2003 - Innovation continues to thrive in Australia, according to ACS President, Richard Hogg, who last night presented the Australian Computer Society Eureka Prize for Innovation to the Powerhouse Museum's Soundbyte project.

One of 21awards made under the umbrella of the prestigious 2003 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes, the Australian Computer Society Eureka Prize for ICT Innovation recognises outstanding innovation in the research, design or implementation of projects relating to ICT.

Speaking to an audience of over 800 at the awards dinner in Sydney, Mr Hogg said the past year had severely tested those working in ICT, but it had also highlighted the importance of the sector to the rest of the economy.

He pointed to the Framework for the Future and Broadband Advisory Group reports as key outcomes with long-term importance to the overall economy.

"In both cases, the ball has been passed back to the sector for action. It remains to be seen whether we are able to meet the challenge and move forward. The next 12 months will tell the story," he said.

Mr Hogg commended the many organisations, teams and individuals who had competed for the ACS Eureka Prize, saying, "the Australia ICT sector needs organisations that are innovative and prepared to think outside the square in order to keep us ahead of the rest of the world."

This year's winner, www.soundbyte.org, is a comprehensive online portal that provides an array of music and multimedia resources for teachers and students to enhance their knowledge and technical skills through tutorials, online production facilities and more.

Since its launch in 2001, Soundbyte has already reached over 50,000 people including homeless and at-risk young people in Sydney as well as indigenous people in remote communities.

Soundbyte's Project Manager, Peter Mahoney, said the initiative grew out of the Powerhouse Museum's desire to make its SoundHouse™ experience available online.

"Recognising that learning is a continuous process, we identified electronic service delivery as a way of extending access to the resources we provide so that students who were inspired by their experience at SoundHouse could use Soundbyte to create and record music at home.

"Soundbyte offers a range of software and tools to enable users to turn their PC into a recording studio, as well as providing opportunities to share their ideas and creative works with other users on the site and even participate in online jam sessions. We've also extended the functionality to encompass new media like movie production in recognition of the natural synergy between sound and vision."

Mr Mahoney said the ACS Eureka Prize represented valuable recognition for the hard work and collaboration of the Powerhouse Museum team.

"This award gives greater legitimacy to our efforts to use technology to empower and unlock the creativity in young people, and means that more people will find out about Soundbyte and hopefully benefit from it.

"We're currently redeveloping the site to improve functionality and performance and plan to relaunch it with a new interface in October. We're also considering a range of ideas to take the site in new directions that will significantly extend its reach and potential to impact young people," he said.

This media release is available on the ACS Web site at http://www.acs.org.au/news/130803.htm

ENDS

About the Australian Computer Society: The ACS is the recognised association for information technology (IT) professionals, attracting a large and active membership from all levels of the IT industry and providing a wide range of services to its 16,000+ members. A member of the Australian Council of Professions, the ACS is the public voice of the IT profession and the guardian of professional ethics and standards in the IT industry, with a commitment to the wider community to ensure the beneficial use of IT. See the ACS Home Page for more information.

Media Enquiries:

Richard Hogg, ACS National President, Tel: (0408) 549 531, Email: richard_hogg@acslink.net.au

Caroline New, ACS PR Consultant, Tel: (02) 9555 1986 or (0411) 889 456, Email: cnew@acslink.net.au