In conjunction with the launch of the UM Series in Digital Humanities, the University of Michigan and the Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory (HASTAC) announce the UM Press/HASTAC Digital Humanities Publication Prize. The prize will be awarded for an innovative and important project that displays a critical and rigorous engagement in the field of Digital Humanities.

The third-annual Digital Media and Learning Competition will award $2 million in support of participatory learning experiences that incorporate STEM principles. The competition launches Dec. 14 and winners will be announced in spring 2010. For more information about the competition, visit dmlcompetition.net.

The third annual HASTAC conference will be held April 19-21, 2009, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign under the theme "Traversing Digital Boundaries." As the theme suggests, the gathering will focus on the exploration of new territory and in work that crosses, manipulates, or simply ignores traditional boundaries.

Building on its substantial work in this arena already the MacArthur Foundation has just announced a five-year program to fund "research and innovative projects focused on understanding the impact of the widespread use of digital media on our youth and how they learn.” Although geared toward the 8-18-year-old population, the project could have implications for college media education.

A white paper by MIT's Henry Jenkins is also released today to mark this announcement.