National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign Challenge

The National Cybersecurity Awareness Challenge, which Secretary Napolitano announced in March, received more than 80 proposals, from which seven were selected and recognized at the White House ceremony today. The winning proposals will help inform the National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign.

2010 Cyber Challenge Categories and Winners

Best Local/Community Plan – Securing Our eCity San Diego and MyMaine Privacy

For the Best Local/Community Plan, Securing Our eCity San Diego and MyMainePrivacy were both selected as winners. Both proposals offered innovative and efficient strategies for executing grassroots approaches in collaboration with state and local government, the public and private sector, and the academic community. This is an important component of the national campaign, and we will continue to explore and learn about these programs to help inform our grassroots efforts.

Best Creative Approach – Beekeeper Group and LegalNet Works “Trot Against Bots”

For Best Creative Approach, Beekeeper Group and LegalNet Works were selected as the winners for their “Trot Against Bots” submission. The idea puts a new twist on a traditional 5K race, and involves working with local officials to organize a 5K in the middle of downtown Washington, D.C., and intentionally causing traffic congestion. The metaphor: while a single problem may not shut down traffic, the culmination of many problems could create a large disruption (In this case, vehicle traffic represents Internet traffic). This unique demonstration could be replicated easily in cities and towns across the United States.

Best Individual Plan – Melissa Short “Cybersecurity Starts Here: Home, School and Main Street”

For the Best Individual Plan, Melissa Short, from Roanoke, Va., was selected for her “Cybersecurity Starts Here” campaign. Included in her proposal is the creation of a cybersecurity awareness portal and a Cybersecurity Ambassador Program, both of which will be integrated into the national Campaign.

Best Educational Plan – Pennsylvania State University “CyberLink Games”

Penn State’s proposal was selected as the Best Educational Plan, for their CyberLink Games. The two games—CyberLink Duo and CyberLink Solo—are aimed at improving Internet security. CyberLink Duo helps players understand how society views cybersecurity risk, and CyberLink Solo educates players on the latest information from experts on cybersecurity threats.

Best Publicity and Marketing – Cisco Systems, Inc. “Cybersecurity is Everyone’s Responsibility”

For Best Publicity and Marketing plan, Cisco Systems’ proposal was selected for their “Cybersecurity is Everyone’s Responsibility” campaign. An overarching theme of the National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign is creating a balance between Internet safety as a personal responsibility and a shared responsibility. The awareness campaign Cisco proposed addresses this goal by creating an educational cybersecurity portal and cybersecurity “IQ challenge,” and utilizing print, radio, TV and online advertisements to drive awareness of these programs.

Best Iconic and Overall Structure – Deloitte & Touche LLP “Think Before You Click”

The winning submission for Best Iconic and Overall Structure was Deloitte & Touche for their Cybersecurity call-to-action and “Think Before You Click” campaign. In addition to proposing creative messaging and tag lines, Deloitte proposed a logo to help drive awareness and recognition of the campaign.