Future of cybersecurity lies safely with the Next Generation
● ESET collaborated with The Big Smoke Media Group - Next Generation, The CyberPass, Cyber Safety Project and Internet Safe Education.
● The competition aimed to bring awareness to children’s online safety through a writing competition for school aged kids for Cyber Security Awareness Month in October.
ESET, a global leader in digital security joined forces with The Big Smoke Media Group to run a children’s writing competition inline with Cyber Security Awareness Month to raise awareness for online safety and cyber education, and the results are in.
The competition invited budding creative minds across Australia to help Australia become the safest cyberspace in the world! The submissions were judged by a panel of Australia’s top business leaders across the cyber and education sectors, as well as esteemed journalists.
ESET President – Asia Pacific and Japan, Parvinder Walia said he was overwhelmed by the number of applications received and was thrilled to have been part of such a great cause.
“As a parent, I’m passionate about providing families with the tools and knowledge they need to ensure a safe online environment for children. Reading through the submissions made me feel proud, knowing that we have some incredible minds joining the cyber safety conversation.”
“Congratulations to all the deserving winners, who will no doubt lead the way for Australia to become the safest cyberspace in the world,” Mr Walia said.
Alexandra Senter - Founder and CEO at The Big Smoke said that she was moved by the tenacity of all the submissions and impressed by the next generation’s understanding of cyber safety and the implications on their lives.
“When The Big Smoke was founded in 2013, our mission was to create a community of critical thinkers across Australia. Running this competition and reading the wonderful submissions, showed me that the next generation are an integral part of that. I’m honoured to help shine a spotlight on these determined young writers.”
“Congratulations, you should all be very proud,” Ms Senter said.
The winners of the 2023 Cyber Security Awareness writing competition are:
● Category: 10 - 12 years of age
How to make Australia the Safest Cyber Secure Country in the World by Ashton Phillips
● Category: 13-15 years of age
Becoming a Human Firewall by Rebecca Li
● Category: 16-18 years of age
Making Australia the Safest Cyber Secure Country by Yiyang Yu
A sense of pride resonated throughout the judging panel, esteemed journalist Trisha DeBorchgrave said the students’ awareness and efforts to grapple with the complexities of the changing world was very impressive.
“The entries reflect what we know to be true - that only when you embed our professional sectors with the diversity of thoughtful contributions and sense of collective responsibility that these students have shown, can we feel a degree of optimism for the future,” Ms DeBorchgrave said.
ESET extends its gratitude to the judging panel members, whose expertise and commitment were instrumental in the competition's success. The panel included Craig Dow Sainter, Founder of the CyberPass; Trent Ray, Founder of Cyber Safety Project; Brett Lee, Founder of Internet Safe Education; Alexandra Senter, Founder and CEO at The Big Smoke; and Trisha DeBorchgrave, esteemed journalist.
ESET and Big Smoke Media Group were proud to contribute to the development of a cyber-safe future with
the help of Australia’s promising youth. For more information about ESET, visit www.eset.com/au