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The First Digital Nation
Agency The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song / Sydney + Collider / Sydney + Thrive PR + Communications / Sydney + MassiveMusic / Sydney
Category
Current Event Response
Annual ID
OS23_PR026B
About the Work
Tuvalu, a low-lying Pacific nation, is facing an impossible challenge. At the current rate of global sea level rise, the entire country will be submerged in decades. As the ocean closes in, Tuvalu is forced to ask: What happens to a country without land?
At COP27, the UN Climate Change Conference, Tuvaluan Minister Simon Kofe was scheduled to speak. Though it was expected to be a typical diplomatic address to the assembled delegates and reporters, Minister Kofe used the moment to unveil a radical plan for survival: Tuvalu will become the world’s first digital nation.
Responding to the conversations at COP27, and leveraging the height of metaverse trend, Minister Kofe’s message was delivered at the perfect time, to the perfect audience.
Tuvalu plans to preserve its culture, history, and government services in the metaverse, long after its land disappears. But the digital nation is more than just an archive. International law dictates that a country needs a “defined physical territory” to exist, so Tuvalu risks becoming the first country to lose its sovereignty due to climate change. The digital nation is at the centre of the fight for a new definition of statehood under international law – a way to protect Tuvalu’s sovereignty and place on the world stage.
With a $0 media budget, the project’s launch reached 2.1 billion people and 173 major global publications, pressuring leaders into action. Reach turned to action when, days after the announcement, a historic loss and damage fund for nations like Tuvalu was established at COP27. And already, nine different nations have agreed to legally recognise Tuvalu’s digital statehood – making the project not just a tragic climate adaptation strategy, but a powerful provocation for global action.
Tuvalu will become the world’s first digital nation – but without meaningful climate action, it won’t be the last.
2023 Awards
Total Points: 9
Bronze Pencil
Credits
Agency
The Monkeys, part of Accenture Song / Sydney
PR / Marketing Agency
Thrive PR + Communications / Sydney
Production Company
Collider / Sydney
Music / Sound Production Company
MassiveMusic / Sydney
Chief Creative Officer
Tara Ford
Composer
Haydn Walker
Creative Director
Cameron Bell
Sam Dickson
Director
Glenn Stewart
Executive Creative Director
Barbara Humphries
Executive Producer
Katrina Aquilia
Sound Designer
Simon Kane
Senior Account Director
Nathan Mcgregor
Senior Art Director
Alex Polglase
Senior Copywriter
Jake Ausburn
3D Animation
Glenn Stewart
Account Coordinator
Sarah Nguyen
Sophie Thomason
Additional Vfx
Joseph Harper
CEO
Leliani Abels
Colourist
Matt Fezz
Digital Design Lead
Eva Godeny
Digital Producer
Tamera Wohl
EP/Producer
Karen Bryson
General Manager
Kezia Quinn
Group CEO & Co-Founder
Mark Green
Group Chief Creative Officer & Co-Founder
Scott Nowell
GTM & Strategy Director, Sustainability Studio
Lucy Sundberg
Head of Innovation
Beth O'Brien
Head of Planning
Hugh Munro
Head Of Production
Penny Brown
Managing director
Rachael Ford-Davies
React Developer
Jasmine The
Steve Deng
Senior Account Executive
Maddy Beck
Senior Account Manager
Anna Laskaris
Tess Mcdonald
Sound House Creative Director
Ryan Dickinson
Tech Lead
Surya Winata
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