DETROIT – The Michigan Council of Women in Technology Foundation’s website design competition drew 51 teams of high school students to vie for $2,775 in cash prizes.

For its sixth year running, women from metro Detroit high schools learned creative development and technology principles during the two-month-long program. It is one of the initiatives benefiting from the nonprofit?s Signature Gala fundraiser that raised $206,000 in net proceeds last month for programs aimed at encouraging, advancing and retaining women in Michigan?s IT community.

Students competed for the top award of $750 in the advanced track, clinched by Annie Fu and Rachel Xiang of Canton High School. The team of Jacqueline Buffa and Brooke Dombrow from Lake Shore High School in St. Clair Shores took the top prize of $400 in the beginners track. The finalists presented their sites on Dec. 3 ? the same day as the fundraising gala ? to a panel of seasoned IT professionals and area CIOs who evaluated them on communication, clarity, functionality, graphic appeal, user-friendly navigation and innovation.

?Our Foundation seeks to inspire more young women to consider technology fields, and fun, hands-on experiences like this have proven to be successful,? said Charlotte Decker, CIO of Auto Club Group and VP of Foundation programs for MCWT. ?Not only do participants learn about HTML coding and design, but they also have the opportunity to meet senior IT leaders during their presentations.?

MCWT awarded $2,775 total in prizes for first, second and third places, and honorable mentions, at both the advanced and beginners level. Winners and their websites are listed on MCWT?s website.

Tasha Candela, a Lake Shore High School teacher who also is a former MCWT Foundation scholarship recipient, encouraged her students to participate. Six of them won.

?I cannot begin to count how many students have said that this experience has changed their lives and helped them believe in their own abilities,? said Candela.

MCWT offered an optional free training session in October at Davenport University where participants learned about usability, design and creating a website using the freeware Kompozer.

?We cannot put on programs like this without the help of our corporate and community partners?many of whom attended our annual fundraising event,? said Donna Cheesebrough, process information officer for General Motors and MCWT president. ?Our supporters understand the need for a diverse workforce to strengthen Michigan?s technology industry, and the web design competition is one of our many initiatives that help us on our mission.?

The gala, co-hosted by Cheesebrough and Ford Motor Co. CIO Nick Smither, brought together more than 500 IT leaders from around the state. The evening?s CIO auction was a popular fundraiser; individuals bid on an opportunity to have lunch with CIOs from Ford, GM, Chrysler, Consumers Energy, Kellogg, Quicken Loans, Visteon, TD Auto Finance, and DTE.

Gala sponsors included Fujitsu, HP, Tata, Accenture, Compuware, IBM, Cisco, Acro, AT&T, GM, Comerica, Ernst & Young, HCL, Microsoft, STG, Oracle, PWC, Trizetto and T Systems. The partner page of the MCWT website lists all MCWT supporters whose contributions help fuel programs like the website design competition, mentoring, scholarships, summer IT camps and robotics grants throughout the year.

2011 Winners of WCWT Foundation Web Design Contest

Advanced Category

$750 1st place: Annie Fu & Rachel Xiang, Canton High School

$500 2nd place: Eva Smith, Lake Shore High School

$300 3rd place: Christina Denomme, Lake Shore High School

$75 Honorable Mention: Sophia Li, International Academy East, Lisa Nye, Lake Shore High School

Kandra Hutchison, Honorable Mention, Advanced category $75, New Boston Huron High School

Beginner’s Category

$400 1st place:

Jacqueline Buffa & Brooke Dombrow,

Lake Shore

$250 2nd place:

Mallory Burr,

Lake Shore

$200 3rd place:

Caitlin Duffy,

Utica Henry Ford II

$50 Honorable Mention:

Kailyn VanLandingham

New Boston Huron

$50 Honorable Mention:

Lauren Smith,

Utica Henry Ford II

$50 Honorable Mention:

Rachel Lazzara,

Utica Henry Ford II

a>>