HP & Cartoon Network Launch Toon Creator Awards in Asia

HONG KONG: HP and Cartoon Network have again teamed up for the Toon Creator Awards, which will invite kids from across the Asia Pacific to showcase their creativity through the use of cutting-edge technology.

The event kicks off on July 12. New features added the Toon Creator Awards this year include a character creator function, allowing players to build personalized avatars. Players will be able to journey online to various locations in Asia Pacific to participate in different tasks, unlocking assorted items to enhance their final animates. Kids can also design their own endings to cliff-hanger clips starring a variety of Cartoon Network characters. Once completed, animations can be posted on the Cartoon Network website.

The Toon Creator Awards are available in two categories: schools and individual entries. A number of prizes are offered and winners from each category will be determined by a combination of online votes and a professional judging panel from HP and Cartoon Network. The awards are open to kids 6 to 14 from Australia, India, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Pakistan.

Cartoon Network is also developing four exclusive apps for the HP TouchSmart series of PCs that will be available starting this month. The first is designed to support swipe, tap and multi-touch gestures, the second will be an RSS reader. Two further apps will be released later in the year.

“We are delighted to offer children in Asia a new and improved Toon Creator Awards for 2010 in collaboration with Cartoon Network,” said Dennis Mark, the VP and general manager for marketing at the personal systems group for HP Asia Pacific and Japan. “This competition is close to our hearts as it encourages and inspires creativity and innovation at a young age. We are looking forward to judging the entries and seeing children across the region reap the benefits.”

Benjamin Grubbs, the regional director of Turner Entertainment Interactive Media, said, “The response to our inaugural Toon Creator Awards in 2009 was phenomenal as nearly 178,000 kids across the region embraced the opportunity to step into the shoes of a Cartoon Network animator and submit over 365,000 animation entries—and with nearly 5 million animation views. This year we have worked closely with HP to develop a completely fresh and innovative Toon Creator experience, which is sure to spark even more creativity amongst kids.”