element14 awarded 2010 World Maker Faire “Editor’s Choice”

Honor recognizes element14’s support of “Maker Movement” with DIY modding activities led by online TV host Ben Heck

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--element14, a collaborative social community and electronics store for design engineers and electronics enthusiasts, today announced it has been honored as a 2010 World Maker Faire® “Editor’s Choice” winner, given to only few select exhibitors during the New York event which attracted more than 25,000 attendees. The element14 booth was recognized for its activities and its engaging host, reigning mod authority and Internet TV celebrity Ben Heck. Visitors to the booth were introduced to the world of Open Source Hardware through the element14 Drawdio kit giveaway and a raffle for Arduino compatible development boards for rapid prototyping.

“Our goal was to fulfill the DIY spirit inherent in Maker Faire, creating a fun and engaging environment for modders and electronics hobbyists of all ages. It was a pleasure watching Ben interact with fans of ‘The Ben Heck Show’ and offer his expertise on modding projects.”

Maker Faire events bring together science, art, craft, and engineering in a fun, energizing and exciting public forum with the aim to inspire people of all ages to roll up their sleeves and become makers. The staff of MAKE magazine, CRAFT magazine, and Maker Faire New York distributed the awards during the faire to participants who embraced the DIY spirit and who actively participated in the “Maker Movement.”

“We are honored to be recognized with the Maker Faire ‘Editor’s Choice’ award,” said Alisha Mowbray, senior vice president, Marketing, element14. “Our goal was to fulfill the DIY spirit inherent in Maker Faire, creating a fun and engaging environment for modders and electronics hobbyists of all ages. It was a pleasure watching Ben interact with fans of ‘The Ben Heck Show’ and offer his expertise on modding projects.”

“The Ben Heck Show,” an informative and entertaining online television series dedicated to the science, art and mindset of system and hardware modders, is sponsored exclusively by element14 and produced by Internet TV network Revision3. Each 15-minute episode educates viewers on the underlying technology powering Ben’s featured projects, offering his unique insight regarding hardware modification techniques, tools and design tips. The bi-weekly show airs Mondays, and viewers are invited to join “The Ben Heck Show” community on www.element14.com/TBHS to participate in ongoing mod discussions, post videos of their own mods, and register to win Ben’s signature Microsoft® Xbox 360 laptop.

About element14

element14 is the first collaborative community, research portal and store for design engineers and enthusiasts. The website provides product data, design tools, technology information and top brand components to seamlessly facilitate the design process; users can consult industry experts and collaborate with peers around the globe. element14 is sponsored by Premier Farnell plc (LSE: pfl), a leader in multi-channel distribution and specialty services for electronic design engineers, trading throughout the Americas (Newark), Europe/India/Australia/New Zealand (Farnell) and China and Hong Kong (Premier Electronics). The company has group sales of £795.3m and over 4,100 employees globally.