Leaders of Slate, iStrategyLabs and Former Network Exec to Judge Energy Visions Prize

Sponsor Selects Judges with Emmy, Addy, Effie and Lions Accolades to Reward Creators

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Clean Skies Foundation (ACSF) today named a distinguished panel of judges for its $250,000 Energy Visions Prize contest, a new competition to reward software and video makers who advance clean energy solutions.

“I'm pleased to be a part of this new and exciting initiative.”

The contest judges are:

Andrew Heyward – Former president of CBS News and current principal of the digital strategy firm MarketspaceNext LLC.

Bill Smee – Executive producer of Slate V, whose original work earned the site one of the first custom channel commissions from YouTube in 2012. He joined Slate after running Emmy award winning productions in television and documentary news.

Peter Corbett – Founder of iStrategyLabs, as well as the DC Tech Meetup, Corbett has won six Addy’s for digital and experiential campaigns and two Living Labs Global Innovation awards.

Arlene Fairfield – Principal and founder of the Global Change Network, who at DDB Communications oversaw the national brand campaign for EnergyStar. At DDB, she also led teams that won Effies, Emmys and Cannes Lions awards.

John Buzzell – SVP of Digital at CSE, a leading integrated marketing agency in Atlanta. For more than 20 years, he has led design and development of mobile, websites, and games for clients like Southern Company, The Weather Channel, Coca-Cola, AT&T, the NBA, Discovery, and Time Warner.

"We are delighted to gather these talented professionals to help us choose the very best entries for our new prizes. Their experience in the software, news, advertising and online worlds will be invaluable in selecting apps and video works that can make a difference,” said Gregory C. Staple, CEO of ACSF, the Prize’s sponsor.

"Across all media, digital or otherwise, no issues affect us quite as deeply or as universally as energy and its effect on our environment,” said John Buzzell.

"The Energy Visions Prize will reward those who are helping to make clean energy innovations more mainstream, while bringing us closer to energy independence,” said Arlene Fairfield. “I'm pleased to be a part of this new and exciting initiative."

The judges’ panel will evaluate entries of film, video, and mobile or web-based apps that demonstrate how we can:

1. End America’s unsustainable dependence on oil from foreign sources;

2. Generate and distribute cleaner electricity; or

3. Bridge political and geographic divides on energy policy

The Energy Visions Prize will award $250,000 in prizes with first place winners eligible for $40,000 and runner up prizes of up to $20,000. Relevant content created between January 1, 2011 and October 15, 2012 is eligible, and unfinished work is also accepted as long as it meets other entry requirements. A gala awards dinner in Washington, DC is planned. People who wish to enter or be involved in the Energy Visions Prize may find out more at www.energyvisionsprize.org or log on to twitter.com/energy_visions.

About the American Clean Skies Foundation: Established in 2007, ACSF is a non-profit working to expand America’s clean energy options. Media and technology have always been central to ACSF’s mission. The foundation underwrote the weekly TV show energyNOW! from 2010-2011, which was distributed to more than 65 million cable homes by Bloomberg TV. This year, the foundation supported Energy at the Movies in conjunction with PBS’ Austin station and premiered Energy 101 animated videos; it has also co-sponsored the Intelligence Squared debates broadcast on NPR and various PBS affiliates.