Looking to inspire creativity through technology, Cartoon Network (Asia Pacific) and Hewlett-Packard have teamed for the inaugural Toon Creator Awards online animation contest for kids.

Beginning this month, kids between the ages of six to 14 in Australia, India, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore are invited to think outside the box and create their own 25-second ending for cliffhanger eps of Ben 10: Alien Force (available from July 13) or Chowder (available from mid-August).

Both schools and individual applicants are invited to participate and both CN and HP will be on hand at participating schools to give a live demo on how to use CN’s animation software. HP computer booths will also be set up in some schools in participating countries where students can use the software, with mentors on hand to guide them through the process.

Based on online votes and a judging panel, the regional Toon Creator Award winner will have their project broadcast on the kidcaster this November, while the school with the most registered entries will snap up three HP Touchsmart PCs for their computer lab. Individual winners from each country will each receive a HP Touchsmart PC and automatically qualify for the regional competition to win a HP Connected home grand prize.

For more information and complete contest details, log on to www.ToonCreatorAwards.com.