Changing the world

In March 2013, the QEPrize was awarded to the creators of the Internet and the World Wide Web. The Judges of the QEPrize determined that both innovations had revolutionised the way we communicate. So... how has the World Wide Web changed the world?

"The prize recognises what has been a roller-coaster ride of wonderful international collaboration. I want the Web to inspire and empower new generations of engineers—boys and, especially, girls—who will build, in turn, their own platforms, to improve our global society." - Sir Tim Berners-Lee, QEPrize Winner and Inventor of the World Wide Web

"My dream scenario would be that every time someone logs onto the web, opens a web browser and does something which gives them a bit of info or even changes their life, I want them to associate that with engineers" - Professor Brian Cox, QEPrize Judge and Professor at Manchester University

"The World Wide Web has impacted every aspect of our lives – the way we communicate with each other, the way we work, the way we socialise, the way we shop, the way we find information – enabling us to do things that were impossible before the digital revolution" - Professor Dame Wendy Hall, Head of the School of Electronic and Computer Science at the University of Southampton

"The digital revolution has changed the world, transformed the world and underlying the digital revolution there’s two key technologies: the Internet and the World Wide Web." - Professor Choon Fong Shih, QEPrize Judge and University Professor at the National University of Singapore

"If you think about the growth of the web and how much information is available online… how we use the Internet to communicate round the world. They’ve changed everything and young people today couldn’t operate without World Wide Web and without the Internet." - Professor John Hennessy, QEPrize Judge and President of Stanford University

"Now, for the first time in human history, internet-connected citizens have at their fingertips the sum total of almost all available knowledge of the human experience. Moreover, information has empowered citizens across the globe to challenge and solve some of the world’s greatest issues." - Al Gore, 45^th Vice President of the United States and QEPrize referee