DALLAS & MENLO PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704) today announced winners of the 2016 ‘What's Your Story?’ video contest. The international contest that aims to engage and empower youth through video and promote positive social media use asked participants in the US and Canada to submit videos that answer the question, “What Does the Internet Mean to You?” The winners – one individual and one school – will each be awarded a grand prize of $10,000. Runner-up winners – two individuals and two schools – will take home a $1,000 prize each.

Stephen Ko of East Hanover, NJ won the individual category for his video “Who Will You Be?” and Kiski Area Intermediate School of Vandergrift, PA took top honors with their video, “A Meaningful Journey.” By being candid and adding a humorous touch to his entry, Ko was hoping to have a leg up on the competition. “I have no idea what I would do without the internet,” Ko said. “Since we make the internet what it is, who we are on the internet is important in making the internet a better place. Behind every status update, FB post or online video is a person, and all it takes is a single comment to ruin someone’s day. Instead of discouraging others, I try to entertain and inspire everyone through my videos! To me the internet means freedom!”

Third time was a charm for Kiski Area Intermediate School this year, who entered in both 2012 and 2013. Of the video production, student Chandler McGuire said, “We wanted to show the positive influence that technology has on us. The news only shows negative impacts of technology, but there are so many more positive aspects, especially for us as students. We use the internet to express ourselves, to gain confidence, to enrich our education. It really helps us learn!”

Following the inaugural 2010 contest, teens, adults and schools around the world have participated in ‘What's Your Story?’ This year, a new standard was set pulling in the most videos to date from the widest range of regions. “The number of quality videos received this year was outstanding,” said Lynette Owens, director and founder of Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids & Families program. “Our call to action was far bolder than ever before. We really wanted to know what the internet means to people and how it impacts their life. We were impressed with their answers and learned that people, especially teens, believe the internet can be both positive and negative, have discovered ways to manage this, and cannot imagine life without it.”

Grand Prize winners in the individual and school categories:

• “Who Will You Be?” Stephen Ko of East Hanover, NJ
• “A Meaningful Journey” by Kiski Area Intermediate School yearbook staff in Vandergrift, PA

Individual Winners – each will receive $1,000

• “The Internet | Olivia’s Take” by Olivia C. of Sag Harbor, NY
• “Internet Introspect” by Moises L. of Winnipeg, Manitoba

School Winners– each will receive $1,000

• “The Internet To Me” by Tony M. of Grossmont High School in La Mesa, CA
• “What the Internet Means to Me” by Tiegan H. of St. Charles East High School in St. Charles, IL

Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids & Families joined a few of the world's leading organizations to judge all 2016 submissions. Finalists were selected based on a combination of views and ratings; the judging panel included representatives from: The National Association of Media Literacy Education, Twitter, Facebook, MediaSmarts, The iCanHelpLine, Connectsafely, and Trend Micro.

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: http://internetsafety.trendmicro.com/.

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in security software, strives to make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Built on 26 years of experience, our solutions for consumers, businesses and governments provide layered data security to protect information on mobile devices, endpoints, gateways, servers and the cloud. Trend Micro enables the smart protection of information, with innovative security technology that is simple to deploy and manage, and fits an evolving ecosystem. All of our solutions are powered by cloud-based global threat intelligence, the Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ infrastructure, and are supported by more than 1,200 threat experts around the globe. For more information, visit TrendMicro.com.

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