To a customs worker, Pangea - the hypothetical unified landmass that existed 200-300 million years ago, when all the continents were connected - is a logistical nightmare; to Nokia, it’s an opportunity to plug their Ovi media sharing community.  Pangea Day is the brainchild of Jehane Noujaim, who won the 2006 TED Prize, where we’re encouraged to consider life from someone else’s perspective.  What Nokia are offering is the chance to do that consideration in the form of a two-minute video, upload it to their Ovi Pangea Day section, and have it judged through online voting for the grand prize of a “mobile filmmaking trip of a lifetime” together with the budget to produce a film of that journey.

“This competition is a great way for anyone in the world to get involved in the global Pangea Day event and increases awareness for how converged mobile devices and services are helping to connect people of diverse backgrounds.  With the growing interest in sharing images and videos through mobile devices and services like Share on Ovi, we hope to encourage more consumers to get creative” Tero Ojanperä, Executive Vice President & Head of Entertainment and Communities business, Nokia 

The video must be on one of the following four topics:

• An act of kindness
• Someone inspiring
• The best part of the day
• Something that makes you smile

Now of course, this is primarily an opportunity for Nokia to publicise their media sharing system, in the hope that they’ll build some brand recognition a la YouTube.  But Pangea Day looks like good fun all the same, and it’s not just big companies using it to flaunt their wares: May 10th will see lots of projects encouraging diversity and consideration, which can only be a good thing.  After all, the Windows/Apple rivalry will never go away; we just need to live with our differences…

Read more about Nokia’s 2008 Mobile Filmmaking Awards here