DaimlerChrysler's Mondialogo School Contest Attracts 24,000 Students From Around the World

* 1,466 school teams in 125 countries make Mondialogo the largest international school contest * 46 U.S. teams will participate in the intercultural educational program

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Feb. 17 -- DaimlerChrysler today announced that students representing 125 countries from throughout the world will compete in Mondialogo, an educational program designed to promote cultural awareness globally.

A partnership between DaimlerChrysler and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Mondialogo challenges students from different continents to work on a joint project that will help foster cultural understanding. The program is considered to be one of the largest intercultural school contests ever held on a global scale.

"In a global economy, projects like Mondialogo, offer the opportunity for students to share their experiences and exchange their views; and as an added bonus, establish a new network of friends," said Frank Fountain, Chrysler Group Senior Vice President and President of the DaimlerChrysler Corporation Fund. "Additionally, this also is an avenue to promote dialogue between students, countries, cultures and communities."

Students ages 15 to 18 are eligible to participate in the Mondialogo School Contest. Each school team will develop a project requiring in-depth dialogue between them. There are no limits to the students' creativity, and the end result can include all forms of expression and media. Teams may develop a game, compose a piece of music, paint pictures, record a video film, compile a photographic documentary, print a newspaper, write a story, play or poem, design an article of clothing or jewelry or create an Internet page.

The Internet portal at www.mondialogo.org serves as the central communication medium for participants and other interested parties. Through this portal they can exchange their experiences, engage in on-line forums, discuss up-to-date issues relating to cultural diversity and forge friendships.

The U.S. teams, which include schools from Michigan, Florida, Texas, and Indiana, will develop projects with schools in Palestine, Kazakhstan, Bangkok, and Vietnam.

Overall, the students reside in countries around the globe, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe. The majority of project teams are from Europe (544), followed by Africa (423), Asia/Pacific (189), Latin America/Caribbean (160), the Arab states (100,) and North America (46).

In June 2004, an international jury will judge the entries and nominate the 25 most innovative and effective partner teams. Delegates from the nominated teams will then meet for the International Mondialogo Symposium in Barcelona, Spain, in September 2004. The three best teams will receive cash awards to benefit their schools.

Mondialogo Engineering Award

Mondialogo also is developing a contest for college engineering students. The Mondialogo Engineering project will pair international teams and challenge students to share knowledge, ideas and approaches to solve technical problems and promote sustainable development in developing countries. The 20 best project proposals will be chosen as recipients of the "Mondialogo Engineering Award," which is designed to encourage continuation and implementation of the successful projects. The deadline for "Mondialogo Engineering Award" applications is Friday, February 27. Applications can be obtained at www.mondialogo.org .

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