Please note that the competition featured in this article has now finished.
This is your opportunity to help HP understand how people would like technology to improve life over the coming decades. We are looking for people aged 16-70 years from all over the UK to take part and share their ideas.
Wherever you live and whatever your age, by entering our competition you'll have the chance to explore the future of technology alongside former Tomorrow's World TV presenter Philippa Forrester, leading HP researchers and people from other generations. You'll also get VIP treatment at one of this year's Generation Nation forums in London, Glasgow and Manchester, plus the chance to win a state-of-the-art HP digital camera and home printing kit.
Technology has already changed our lives. We want to know how it could help change your life in the future. To find out more about Generation Nation and how to enter, please read on.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Generation Nation is a series of nationwide, interactive public forums that will discuss how technology can, and should, be used to enhance quality of life in the UK.
Hosted by HP, the forums will take place in London, Manchester and Glasgow over the coming year. They will examine the impact of technology on our lives through the eyes of different generations, from teenagers through to grandparents. Thoughts will be gathered on a range of issues, from the impact of remote working on family life and the role of technology in education, through to the implications for freedom of speech and cultural diversity.
Generation Nation kicks off with a national competition. To enter, all you have to do is answer a simple question in just 250 words: how could technology improve my life? Authors of the most imaginative and inspiring answers will be invited to join one of the forums as an ambassador for their generation.
Each forum will be chaired by TV presenter Philippa Forrester, who will guide the discussion and bring her experience of the technology world to the table.
It's easy to forget how technology we take for granted today has changed society. Television, radio, mobile phones and computers have influenced everything from how we spend our leisure time and where we go on holiday, to global politics and business.
Everything we once knew as physical or analogue (e.g. radio and television) is fast becoming digital, mobile, virtual and personal.
We can already see how wireless technology enables us to communicate and work on the move or from home. Could this signal a change in work-life balance or perhaps more equal distribution of parental responsibility between mothers and fathers?
There are infinite possibilities, but at HP, we recognise it is society - not science - that has the last word on how technology is used.
Over the years, HP has pioneered and created new markets for its customers, based on what it sees on the horizon, anything from two to ten years away. Last year, we created, on average, 11 patents a day. We have always focused our effort where it will have the most impact and create real value for our customers. To find out more about some of the latest HP innovations
click here. Generation Nation builds on this ethos. It provides you with an opportunity to influence the thinking of HP and share our excitement about the future of technology.
You can enter the Generation Nation competition by completing the online entry form. You will need tell to us, in no more than 250 words, how technology could improve your life - the more imaginative and inspiring your answer the better!
Entrants need to be at least 16 years of age - and if you are younger than 18, you need to check with your parent or guardian before entering and let us have their contact details.
All of the entries to the Generation Nation competition from across the UK will be gathered together and HP's judging panel will select the most inspiring ideas. Two winners will be chosen from each generation to act as ambassadors. The generation groups will be:
16 - 19 years old
20 - 29 years old
30 - 39 years old
40 - 49 years old
50 - 59 years old
60+ years old
The ambassadors will be invited to attend one of the Generation Nation forums taking place over the coming months in London, Manchester and Glasgow. HP will pay for the winners, plus a guest, to travel to the forum and stay overnight in a hotel.
On the following day, the ambassadors will take part in an interactive discussion group chaired by Phillippa Forester. They will be asked to talk about their entry and the group will vote on the most imaginative and inspiring idea.
The ambassador who comes up with the winning idea will receive a state-of-the-art digital camera and printer. The other ambassadors attending the forum will receive runners-up prizes.
All of the discussions and ideas will be incorporated within the Generation Nation annual report that will be published by HP at the end of 2005.
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