Three U.S. Schools Advance to Finals in Worldwide DaimlerChrysler and UNESCO 'Mondialogo School Contest'

'Mondialogo School Contest' inspires 25,000 students from 126 countries for intercultural dialogue * 50 finalists from 36 nations meet in Barcelona, Spain for finals * Georgia, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania schools advance to the finals

BARCELONA, Spain, Sept. 17 -- DaimlerChrysler AG and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) will host the finals of the "Mondialogo School Contest" Sept. 17-20, in Barcelona to conclude the largest worldwide school competition. Three U.S. schools are among the 50 finalists competing in the educational program designed to promote cultural awareness globally.

The U.S. finalists include: Conserve School in Land O' Lakes, Wis., Atlanta International School in Ga. and Escape Artists School in Allison Park, Penn. Their partner schools are Rena Khurd (Okara, Pakistan), Indradevi (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) and Peace School Team (Ukraine) respectively.

The 50 finalists, from 36 different countries, will interact with their international partners for the first time in Barcelona. "Mondialogo School Contest" participants have been communicating via Internet, fax, telephone and mail over the six months. The winning teams will be selected by an international collaboration of judges to receive a special tribute and a total of $3,000 in cash prizes.

"In a global economy, projects like the 'Mondialogo School Contest' encourage cultural exchange and offer students the opportunity to share their experiences and views," said Frank Fountain, DaimlerChrysler Senior Vice President, DaimlerChrysler Corporate Fund. "By creating an intercultural dialogue, 'Mondialogo' helps promote global understanding among future generations while creating new international friendships."

During the final event, teams will experience four days of intense intercultural exchange through workshops on music, painting and literature. Students will learn more about the cultural backgrounds of their partners and other participants. An exhibition of the best works will be created into a documentary to help inspire cultural diversity.

A partnership between DaimlerChrysler and UNESCO, the "Mondialogo School Contest" challenges students from different continents to work on a joint project that will help foster cultural understanding. The program is the largest intercultural school contest ever held on a global scale.

Nearly 25,000 students in 1,466 teams from 126 countries took part in the "Mondialogo School Contest." The youth, ages 15 to 18, were asked to develop a creative project with the students from a randomly drawn partner school. The students were required to establish contact with their partner team on another continent and to exchange information on the special features of the different cultures. The main communication medium for the contest is provided by the Internet portal at http://www.mondialogo.org/ .

The international judging committee included: Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho, former President of Iceland Vigdis Finnbogadottir, Lebanese composer Marcel Khalife, Japanese painter Countess Setsuko Klossowska de Rola and Malian scientist Cheick Diarra.

The Mondialogo initiative also benefits from the support and advice of high-ranking international personalities such as Henning Mankell, Paulo Coelho and Chinese photographer Shen Che, who have voluntarily taken on the functions of Mondialogo Ambassadors.

Apart from the "Mondialogo School Contest," the Mondialogo initiative also includes an international prize for young engineers. In the "Mondialogo Engineering Award" students from industrialized and developing countries are invited to exchange their knowledge and work out common ideas for solving technical problems in developing countries.

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