JAPAN PRIZE International Contest For Educational Media

JAPAN PRIZE 2006 : Program Details

Two teenagers, Christina and Araya, investigate the mystery of Stonehenge. It is said its stones were encircled 4000 years ago. Where did the stone come from? Who built it and why? The reporters scramble to unlock these secrets by communicating via mobile videophone.

Christina visits Druids, a Celtic religious group, and is told to visit Stonehenge before sunrise, and she learns the sun rises along a straight line that connects the center stone and a stone standing alone away from the main ring. Was Stonehenge used as a calendar? The program also shows how to make a calendar using stones and a rope. Flying over Stonehenge, Araya finds burial mounds nearby. Christina visits an archaeologist to investigate the bones of the Boscombe Bowmen, who were buried nearby with arrowheads, and learns they come from the same place in Wales as the stones. Araya checks rocks in Wales and hits them to find they are very hard. It is said many people used ropes to drag the rocks from Wales. Past researchers have conducted experiments to confirm this. They also look into several theories such as it was a concert hall, a temple, or a place to honor the dead, and the mystery deepens further.

The jury chose Mystery Hunters: Stonehenge as the winner in this category, because of its high educational value and its understanding of how to capture an audience of 8-12 year olds. The dynamic format took a complex scientific and historical question and presented it simply in the form of a mystery to be solved. This created a natural framework for the educational objectives to be executed in an entertaining and engaging way.

The two hosts were one of the show's greatest strengths, as they were active participants in the investigation and scientific discovery process, rather than simply presenters of information. They looked for evidence, tested theories, tried different approaches, even change their minds. They challenged the audience to think on many different levels. Overall, the jury felt that this was an extremely well produced show with a distinctive style that would inspire its audience to want to learn even more about the subject.

Jonathan Finkelstein
President & Executive Producer, Apartment 11 Productions

Being at the NHK Japan Prize to receive this great honor has given me tremendous inspiration.

It is a wonderful feeling to have our work recognized by a distinguished international panel of professionals. But it will also serve as inspiration to continue to produce, at a high level, educational programming as I look to my future in television.

My passion for educational television is nourished by the sense that I am making a positive impact on the lives of our audiences, and it was a lifting experience to spend time with producers and broadcasters who share the same ideals.

Thank you to the NHK and the other supporters of the Japan Prize. Long live this unique and important television screening festival and contest.