(Picture from University of Wisconsin - Stout)

Here's something we've been following for a month or so now. I'd included HeathCliff Rothman, founder of Film Your Issue, in our social entrepreneur awards, so it's great to see how the project is taking off. Voting took place on MSNBC and about 90,000 people submitted their votes for five videos out of 35 total semifinalists. Here's a segment from Rothman's letter announcing the winners ...

There were so many favorites. And the taste of the judges and the public were vastly different, which complicated matters. There were so many elements to consider, from filmmaking skill to execution of an idea, to originality, to its power and passion and unmistakable heart beating within.

The five winners, then, are a distillation of all of the above - the public favorites and the judges favorites, the cinematic prowess and the authentic voice, the polished and the personal. And as we anoint these five, we want to acknowledge and celebrate all the films: the clever "Saturday Night Live" faux-commercial quality of "Democracy" and "Capital Punishment" .... the raw power of "Cry of Humanity," and the environmental message of "One Less Car, One More Bike" ... the poignancy of "The Holocaust: What If," which resonated strongly for many of the judges, as did "To Produce An Egg." We were excited by the superb filmmaking of "Unplug Your Paranoia," "Roe Vs. Wade" and "On the Street." "Hippocratic Oath" touched us deeply. And on and on.

These films, beyond the five winners, will have a life, as they circulate through the corridors of Hollywoodland and elsewhere, and reverberate with judges who commented on many of them.

Go here to view the five winners, as well as a number of semifinalists.

Other news for today ...

*Could unions help boost green performance? One thing I think they could offer is to hold companies responsible in the CSR realm, which is difficult to enforce.

*Namibia's deadly polio outbreak.

*YouthWorks other World Cup.

*Follow Robert Katz as he posts at NextBillion on the "Building Opportunity for the Majority" conference put on by the Inter-American Development Bank.

*At Social Edge, "How to raise funds from values-driven businesses" and navigating the triple bottom line.

*Pupils "aim2" help bus bosses deal with the rowdies.

*U.S. Government Sees 'Smooth Transition' to Cleaner Diesel.

*Britain needs a "social Silicon Valley" says Jeff Mulgan at the Guardian. And it looks like some are listening. A UK government-supported organisation is helping young entrepreneurs build confidence and share experiences, via the Independent. Also from the Guardian, a story of three people who launched social enterprises while holding down a day job.