PhoneBrain top of the class at Hollis Sponsorship Awards

PhoneBrain – the programme set up by industry regulator PhonepayPlus to help teens recognise phone-paid services and understand the costs involved – has won a Hollis Sponsorship Award in the Education Sponsorship category.

The programme saw 650 secondary schools and over 50,000 pupils take part in 2008/9 via free-to-download ICT and Enterprise teaching resources.

The 2009/10 programme was launched last week with backing from the Department for Children, Schools and Families, and PhonepayPlus estimates that over 1,000 schools will get involved this time around. PhonepayPlus has also teamed up with Fugative, a 16-year-old independent music artist, producer and publisher, to help teens use the skills they learn in the classroom to develop an animated mobile ringtone, create their own phone-paid service business plan, or both!

Hollis is one of the PR world's biggest information providers, and the Hollis Sponsorship Awards reward and recognise the very best sponsorship campaigns in the UK and internationally – across all sectors and across all budget bands.

Commenting on the win, PhonepayPlus Chief Executive, Paul Whiteing, said:

“PhoneBrain is an example of a truly innovative consumer literacy initiative. We are providing teachers with free, curriculum-friendly lesson plans that fit in with the skills students are required to learn, but also help teens get to grips with the services they’re using on their mobiles. At the same time, PhoneBrain sees us teaming up with people like Fugative that excite teens and make them want to take part.

“We’d like to thank Hollis for this prestigious award, but more importantly thank everyone that has been involved with PhoneBrain. We will continue to talk to all kinds of UK consumers to develop their understanding about phone-paid services and make sure they can use them with trust and confidence.”

For more information, go to www.phonebrain.org.uk or call the PhonepayPlus Press Office on 020 7940 7440.