Doors to Diplomacy: At a Glance

Doors to Diplomacy Overview

The U. S. Department of State sponsors the "Doors to Diplomacy" educational challenge - to encourage middle school and high school students around the world  to produce web projects that teach others about the importance of international affairs and diplomacy. There are four components to the Doors to Diplomacy challenge.

Collaborative Web Project: Doors to Diplomacy is a collaborative project, where small teams are formed consisting of two to four student members and up to two adult "coaches." Research can be conducted both online and offline, and then the findings are assembled to produce an educational web project. Students are also encouraged to become spokespersons for their projects. Learn More

Project Narrative: Each Doors to Diplomacy project also includes a Project Narrative that explains how the project has been organized, what challenges had to be overcome, and how the project supported local content standards.  Many wonderful community building success stories often emerge from these "behind the scenes" narratives. Learn more

Peer Review Process: As part of the competition, teams must also participate in a Peer Review activity, in which they evaluate at least four other projects, using a web-based evaluation rubric.  Learn More

Awards:  Each student team member of the winning “Doors to Diplomacy” Award team receives a $2,000 scholarship, and the winning coaches’ schools each receive a $500 cash award.

Each team who submits a completed project receives a special Doors to Diplomacy certificate. Winners are announced in May.  Learn More

Competition Organizers

Now in its 9th year, the Doors to Diplomacy Award is funded by the United States Department of State. The educational portion of the competition is managed by Global SchoolNet Foundation (GSN).

Global SchoolNet Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization, which has been linking classrooms around the world since 1984. GSN creates educational programs that engage students in meaningful content and personal exchanges with people around the world -- in order to develop literacy and communication skills, create multi-cultural understanding, and prepare youth for full participation as productive and effective citizens in an increasing global economy.

Differences Between Doors to Diplomacy and CyberFair

The Doors to Diplomacy Award competition is a variation of Global SchoolNet's internationally recognized CyberFair program -- in which students produce web projects to showcase their local communities. Learn more about the Differences

How to Get Started

It is very important when doing a collaborative project to involve all of the key players, make sure that everyone agrees on the individual tasks, and establish a realistic timeline. Over the past two decades of facilitating online collaborative learning projects, Global SchoolNet has identified some very effective collaborative learning and collaborative working strategies.
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How to Register

Teams should register as soon possible, in order to access their customized Checklist. Once you have registered, you will be sent periodic Doors to Diplomacy news updates.
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How to Get Local Media Coverage

Stories about students engaged in exciting learning projects are always newsworthy. Don't miss this opportunity to seek favorable publicity for your school or organization in your local community. To help you get started, we have provided you with some strategies and templates that you can customize for your own location. Learn More

Global Learning Resources

The Doors to Diplomacy program encourages students to improve their academic skills and broaden their global knowledge. There are numerous International resources to help convert currency, time and measurement, as well as tools to assist in translating languages from around the world. In addition, there are map resources to help you and your students locate and learn about cities around the world.  Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most commonly asked questions about the Doors to Diplomacy award program? Who is eligible to participate? Where can you publish your web project? What should you do if you run out of time and can't complete? FAQs and the answers will be made available as they are identified. Learn More
 

Important Announcements

Join the "Diplomacy" mailing list to receive up-to-date reports. Please read these important announcements. New announcements are sent out to registered participants every few weeks and contain important information, timeline reminders and helpful project management suggestions.  

Participant Banner

IMPORTANT: Download the official Doors to Diplomacy Participant Banner. Place this banner on the front page of your web project and include this banner on any printed materials that you create about your project. Learn More