an exhibition of video art from latin america and the caribbean, the first ever presented in washington, featured 53 videos, under five minutes each, selected by an international jury from among 235 from 21 countries. two award winners, four honorable mentions, and five people's choice awards went to artists from brazil, colombia, costa rica, mexico, panama, paraguay, peru, and venezuela. the objectives of the competition were to broaden the discussion of economic and social factors that affect latin america and the caribbean through the use of technology-based visual media. the competition and exhibit established a benchmark for the advancement of video art as a form of expression in the region. the contest and exhibition were organized by the idb cultural center with the collaboration of the information and communication technology for development division of the idb.