SAN JOSE, CA.- The Tech Museum of Innovation (The Tech), one of the nation's premier science and technology museums, recently announced the convergence of technology and art in the virtual world with the launch of The Tech in Second Life®. The Tech has built a replica of its San Jose , Calif. facility in Second Life, which has been left empty to provide space for the development of new, virtual exhibits and educational programming through an exhibit design competition hosted by The Tech Museum.

Today The Tech is announcing up to fourteen cash prizes for the best exhibit designs created through www.thetechvirtual.org, the online collaboration platform created by The Tech to facilitate the creation of exhibits for its Second Life museum. Award winning exhibits will be selected by The Tech and a jury of international curators, exhibit designers, scientists and experts.

will be for exhibits selected to be physically installed at The Tech Museum on time for the ZER01 Festival. Each winning exhibit will receive a $5,000 prize and up to ten exhibits may be selected, beginning in February 2008.

The second category, with additional prizes to be awarded by the judges, consists of special awards in the following categories: Most Innovative Virtual Project, Best Design Project in Second Life, Best Collaborative Teamwork, and Most Active Virtual Participation.

Winners will be invited to San Jose , California to attend the opening reception. All prizes will be awarded in conjunction with the ZER01 Festival, June 4-8, 2008.

To be eligible for prizes, exhibits must be appropriate for the current theme of Art, Film & Music. Staff of The Tech Museum of Innovation will not be eligible for cash awards.

The virtual Tech can be found by searching for “The Tech” island from within Second Life (http://secondlife.com). Exhibit contributors and designers also have the opportunity to team up with other experts who share similar interests and complementary skills via the online collaboration platform found at www.thetechvirtual.org. This platform enables participants to find and work with others, access tools, participate in forums and view guidelines and tutorials.