Winners of the 2013 Japan Prize, an international contest for educational media, were announced on 24 October. EBU Member RAI's cross-media (radio, web, TV and mobile) format Cultural Shock, secured the top prize for its innovative digital storytelling and fresh angles on issues of world citizenship and cultural diversity.

The awards ceremony was held in Tokyo at the Broadcasting Center of the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), and EBU Associate Member. Cultural Shock (Zenit Arti Audiovisive, RAI Educational, 2+1, developed with the support of the EU MEDIA Program) won both the Grand Prix Japan Prize and Best Work in the Continuing Education Category. It was one of many programs pitched at the Eurovision Science & Knowledge Experts meeting in 2010.

Ms Chiharu Takenaka, who lead the judging of the Continuing Education Category, said that the Italian format "truly opens viewers` eyes to possibilities of the audiovisual multicultural world. It transcends barriers of nationality, ethnicity, religion, language, gender, history and education."

One episode follows a pair of young travelers - Rasid, who is Roma, and Agnese, who is Italian - to Serbia, Bosnia and Croatia. Along the journey They decide to live according to five basic rules: no CO2, no hotels, no taxis, no souvenirs and no fast-food. They visit cities and villages that represent the roots of Rasid`s Roma family and get to know people living there, through talking, dining and dancing together.

Agnese, an Italian girl, learns tolerance and understanding, as does Rasid, by the end of the film. Strangers to each other at the beginning of their trip, they learn to appreciate each other`s differences.

Ms Takenaka added that "the film is ground-breaking in a number of ways, in its message and its format. Employing low-cost production tools and techniques, the film invites others to take production and story-telling risks as they address issues of a global civil society and cultural diversity."

Other winners included Challenges: Hair Story, produced by the Israel Broadcasting Authority with the support of Eurovision's Children & Youth Group. The IBA format won Best Work in the Primary Category and is available to EBU Members through Eurovision's Youth Documentary Exchange.

EBU Member ZDF’s Siebenstein: Nearest and Dearest won the award for Best Work in the Pre-school Category.

A complete list of the 2013 Japan Prize winners can be found at www.nhk.or.jp.

Winners of the 2013 Japan Prize (NHK)