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DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, through its Internet Safety for Kids and Families (ISKF) program, today announced the winners of its Whats Your Story? 2020 video competition. This years challenge was to create an impactful video around the question, If the internet disappeared today, what would your life be like?

Contestants and schools across 22 states and 2 provinces submitted entries focused on a variety of topics ranging from the fears of economic impact to the relief of being freed from devices in order to do new things offline. Judges for this years competition included representatives from TikTok, Twitter, iCanHelp, MediaSmarts, the National Association for Media Literacy Education, the Cyberbullying Research Center, and ConnectSafely.

Every year we are utterly amazed at the creativity of our contestants. This year we received entries from familiar cities, provinces and schools and welcomed new ones stretching as far as Hawaii and Alaska, said Lynette Owens, global director of the Internet Safety for Kids and Families program for Trend Micro. However, what inspired us most by this years entries was how the youngest generation sees a world that has always had the internet. We did not just see negative reactions, but many that expressed relief, hope, curiosity and the determination to move forward in what would be a new world.

The grand prize in the individual category was awarded this year to Kunwoo Kim of Honolulu, HI for the entry The Perfect Plan. This entry gave judges a short glimpse into his perfect day and how reliant we are as individuals on the internet, and what changes would occur for him without it. Runner-ups included Anna Tai of Carmel, IN who submitted an inspirational animation The Aha Moment and Brad Kendrick of Logan, UT who poked fun at his own internet reliance through Chads No Internet Life.

For the school category, the grand prize was issued to teacher Zachary Mondres and the Rocky Run Film Club of Chantilly, VA. The entry A Dream Pursued focused on a young girl who realizes that without the weight of the internet pushing on her she could pursue her dream of playing basketball for her school team. Runners-up included student Coble Hartman of Alexander Early College of Taylorsville, NC for a dystopian view of an internet-free world in 2 Months After and student Isaiah Gonzalez and Long Branch High School, Long Branch, NJ who submitted A Day Without the Internet calling upon viewers to try 24 hours without internet access.

Whats Your Story? is an annual international competition that encourages students to explore multiple issues related to safe, responsible and successful technology use. Unlike most video contests, participants must both submit an entry and demonstrate that they can be an advocate for their own message. Contestants are asked to encourage their fans and communities to view and rate their entries as evidence of this advocacy. A complete list of the 2020 winners and finalists, past winners, and more about the contest can be found at whatsyourstory.trendmicro.com.

About Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids & Families

Founded in 2008, the mission of Trend Micro's Internet Safety for Kids & Families is to enable and empower kids, parents, teachers, and schools around the world to make the Internet a safe and secure place for today's youth. ISKF does this through a worldwide employee volunteer program, grants and donations to eligible organizations, strategic partnerships with organizations working to protect youth, educational programs, and a robust series of online tips and solutions for parents, educators, and youth. For ISKF's free Internet safety tips, tools and advice, visit: https://internetsafety.trendmicro.com/.

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in cybersecurity solutions, helps to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Our innovative solutions for consumers, businesses, and governments provide layered security for data centers, cloud environments, networks, and endpoints. All our products work together to seamlessly share threat intelligence and provide a connected threat defense with centralized visibility and control, enabling better, faster protection. With more than 6,000 employees in over 50 countries and the worlds most advanced global threat intelligence, Trend Micro secures your connected world. For more information, visit http://www.trendmicro.com.

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