The four recipients of the fifth annual Jim Henson Honors were announced today by Lisa Henson, CEO of The Jim Henson Company. Established in 2005, the awards program acknowledges organizations, individuals or products that reflect the core values and philosophy of the legendary Jim Henson and the company he founded. Criteria used in the evaluation process include: a commitment to creativity, innovative applications of art and technology, and inspiration of others.
The four Jim Henson Honorees are:
• The Jim Henson Celebration Honor – Steve Jobs, Apple CEO
• The Jim Henson Community Honor – 826 National, a tutoring, writing, and publishing organization
• The Jim Henson Creativity Honor – Neill Blomkamp, director
• The Jim Henson Technology Honor – YouTube Symphony Orchestra, the world’s first collaborative orchestra
“I am always excited and inspired by the selections made by our artists and staff,” said Lisa Henson, in the press release. “This year’s recipients all truly embrace creativity and imagination. Steve Jobs has been a leader in the ongoing efforts to develop technologies that allow users to effortlessly express themselves; the YouTube Symphony Orchestra brought together vastly diverse musicians from around the world to share their talents; Neill Blomkamp inspired us with his incredibly original storytelling on film; and 826 National is helping to educate and encourage the creative voices of tomorrow.”
About the Honors and Recipients
The Jim Henson Celebration Honor: Steve Jobs, Apple CEO
The highest Henson Honor goes to an individual, organization or product that makes the world a better place by inspiring people to celebrate life. A co-founder of Apple, Jobs has led the company and the creation of its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, iPod media player, iTunes media store and Mac computers. Said Henson, “Steve Jobs has continuously broken new ground with technologies that allow existing media in all forms to be easily enjoyed and also by providing fantastic tools for artists, photographers, musicians and filmmakers of all skill levels.”
The Jim Henson Community Honor: 826 National, a tutoring, writing and publishing organization
The Community Honor acknowledges an individual, organization or product who/which has increased goodwill or made a positive impact in a specific community or around the world.
826 National is a nonprofit tutoring, writing, and publishing organization with volunteers in locations across the country working with teachers and students to improve writing skills of kids ages 6 – 12. With project-based programs that include the creation of newspapers, books and films, 826 National encourages collaboration, creative decision making, and ownership in the learning process. Said Henson, “We were so excited to learn about the incredible work of 826 National and the thousands of volunteers who are dedicated to providing personalized instruction and inspiration to future authors, playwrights and screenwriters.”
The Jim Henson Creativity Honor: Neill Blomkamp, director
The creativity honor acknowledges a new creative voice or unique expression of an idea. Blomkamp’s debut feature film “District 9” seamlessly blends organic and artificial imagery and creates a science fiction story that is both original and compelling. Henson said, “Blomkamp’s ‘District 9’ connected with all of the science fiction and fantasy fans here at the Company, and there are many of us. We were inspired by his great storytelling and spectacular use of special effects.”
The Jim Henson Technology Honor: YouTube Symphony Orchestra, the world’s first collaborative orchestra
The Technology Honor acknowledges an individual, organization or product who/which demonstrates ground-breaking technology in a creative way. The YouTube Symphony Orchestra is an exciting project intended to create the world’s first collaborative orchestra by accepting entry videos from all over the world and then providing a venue for established musicians and emerging talent to celebrate their talents and classical music in a new way. Said Henson, “We are most enthusiastic when technology can be used as a tool for creative expression and can bring together a community regardless of location. The YouTube Symphony brings a classical music to millions of viewers in a unique and engaging way and creates an international community of musicians that can work together in a way never possible before.”
Source: The Jim Henson Company
Isn’t the Jim Henson Company owned by Disney, and Steve Jobs is the largest shareholder in Disney?
If you want to be really cynical and tin foil hattery, the headline could read: Steve Jobs awards self Jim Henson award.
@ Akido37
Re “Isn’t the Jim Henson Company owned by Disney,…?”
Answer: No
Disney bought the Muppets brand. Definately should do a Steve Jobs muppet for the boardroom
It isn’t easy being Steve.
@Akido..
If only there was a … place you could go to… verify that kind of thing… a network of… ah forget it, its crazy talk..
moremac, “Disney bought the Muppets brand. Definately should do a Steve Jobs muppet for the boardroom”
Yes, they definitely should.
well…
there is a Jobspuppet who occasionally appears with Walt Mosspuppet.
I think Jobspuppet should host the next keynote, like Noah Wylie did in the past.
From Wikipedia-
Nine months before Jim Henson’s death on May 16, 1990, he had started negotiating the sale of his company to The Walt Disney Company for a reported[citation needed] $150 million. However, the deal fell through after his passing and the company remained independent.
The purchase of The Jim Henson Company by the German media company EM.TV & Merchandising AG for $680 million was announced[citation needed] on February 21, 2000. Soon after, EM.TV’s stock began to plummet — it put the Henson Company up for sale a year later.
On May 7, 2003, the Henson family repurchased the Henson Company for $78 million. Nine months later they sold the rights to the classic Muppets and to Bear in the Big Blue House to The Walt Disney Company (15 years after the announcement of the first Disney-Muppet deal).
He doesn’t care. But this prize more valuable than the Nobel. At least Jobs did something
Job’s awards could fill a high school trophy case.
EM.TV crashed in the dotcom bubble in Germany.
But this prize more valuable than the Nobel.
@C – What’s the weather like on your planet?
Granted, the Nobel Committee screws up every now and then – I’m assuming you’re still sore about Obama.
And the fucked up big time, adding the prize for witch-doctory and pseudo-science (a.k.a. Economics). (Just remember that was not Alfred Nobel’s idea.)
In the <b>real</i> sciences, a Nobel is recognition for world-changing research results.
One could argue that Nobel’s idea was in fact to buy himself into heaven though one presumes that economists are more interested in what they can buy in the here and now.
Where’s Miss Piggy when you need her.
What about Bill Gates? He already sounds like Kermit.
When I saw the picture with the story, my first thought was that Steve Jobs got the award for looking the most like Jim Henson.