Those who are aficionados of music know the importance of a good set of earphones.

Sennheiser, a company that has been long recognized as one of the leaders in audio technology products, is announcing an open call for entries in its Sennheiser Headphone Graphic Design Contest.

Contestants 18 years or older, professional designers, amateur designers, and students attending graphic design colleges or graphic design schools are encouraged to enter.

Sennheiser is unveiling its new HD 418 headphones and needs ideas for exterior skin graphics to adorn the product. The HD 418 is a closed-back around-ear stereo headphone with an on-board dynamic bass feature.

Sennheiser states:

“Headphones are a means to listen to music… but it could be so much more! Here is your chance to customize your very own Sennheiser headphone to not only become an extension of who you are but allow you to enjoy the music inextricably intertwined into your life and share your passion with others!”

The target audience for the graphic designs is towards music lovers between the ages of 22-28 years old.

There will be 45 winners selected. Each winner will receive one limited edition of the HD 418 with their winning design featured on the headphone.

Entries are to be submitted in color and in high resolution .tif mode. Winners must turn in their original working files in .AI format. Additional information can be obtained by clicking here.

For a complete listing of guidelines and rules for this contest in .pdf format, click here.

The deadline for entries is August 28, 2009.

Discipline: This is one of the most important qualities for online education. There is ample help from counselors, your Internet student friends, and administration support, but it all boils down to keeping up with your studies, and assignments. If you lack enough self-motivation, you may find yourself at a disadvantage.

Dedication: In the case of dedication, an individual needs to consciously make online education a priority. This is more on the level of an emotional commitment to the task rather than a mental commitment. People who successfully earn their online degrees have done so under varying time frames according to their personal scheduling needs. Online education allows you to finish your degree at your own pace.

Desire: There are various reasons why people want to earn their degrees. Some want to extend their education in order to advance their careers. Some have not been able to finish their degrees due to personal circumstances. Others do it for personal achievement, and satisfaction. But regardless of what reason you have for obtaining your degree, the main element of having a desire to learn is important for keeping up your interest in your  education.

Taking the First Steps
Graphic design schools and graphic design colleges are more than happy to send you information and materials about curriculum, staff, financial aid, and answer any questions you have about degree programs.

Some online centers of learning offer trial classes, at no charge to you, in order to familiarize yourself with how online education sessions work.

So whether you decide to receive your degree through a brick and mortar college or online graphics design school, you’ll find a wealth of information to get you started.

Winners will receive the following cash awards:

Grand Prize: 2,000,000 yen ($20,922)

Two Runner-Up Prizes: 500,000 yen for each category ($5,231)

Special Judges Awards: 100,000 yen each ($1,046)

Honorable Mention: Several awards to be announced

For full details about this contest and submission guidelines, send your requests to the Fujitsu Mobile Phone Design Award Secretariat here. For those who can read Japanese, the official website states this information here.

The contest deadline for submissions is July 31, 2009.

Photography/Video: In some cases, professional photographers/videographers are booked solid and wedding parties need to find alternative solutions. Placing an ad in the newspaper offering your services at a reasonable price may offer you some excellent weekend work. Be prepared to show a portfolio of your wedding photography. You may need to volunteer your wedding photography services to friends and acquaintances in order to build up your wedding samples.

Graphic Design: Wedding invitations are elegant and beautiful to look at. However, the need to put a personal touch to weddings is something that is very attractive to some brides. You can use your graphic design skills to make original and personalized wedding invitations that stand out among commercially printed ones. Contact wedding planners, church administrators, or friends and family for leads to upcoming weddings. If your designs are unique and have personality, you may be able to book several weddings during the year.

Illustration: While photography is the mainstay of documenting a wedding ceremony, you may be able to open opportunities to do a formal portrait of the bride and groom in paint or watercolor. The finished image may be unveiled at the wedding reception or used as a keepsake/heirloom for the bride and groom or their parents. You can get leads from professional wedding photographers and offer a “finder’s fee” for each job.

Fashion Design: The centerpiece for a bride is her wedding dress. Custom creations can cost literally tens of thousands of dollars. But if a custom designed dress could be made at a fraction of the cost, it would certainly be a valuable find for brides. Here is a chance for you to use your fashion design talents. Since all that is needed is a sketch pad, some imagination, a sewing machine and wedding dress materials, you may be able to offer an extremely valuable service, while also fulfilling the dreams for an original wedding dress for a happy bride.

How To Get Leads
Aside from friends and family, there are wedding caterers, florists, DJs, photographers, videographers, and wedding planners that may offer good leads to upcoming weddings.

The wedding service community is a fairly close one and breaking into this circle can help you on your way to finding wedding related jobs. Local ads in newspapers, college bulletin boards, or word of mouth is also effective in advertising for potential clients.

Whichever way you decide to go, your talents may provide a needed service to those who are looking for something unique and special for their wedding. The resulting work that you may pick up during your studies at your graphic design college or graphic design school can not only help you receive extra career training, but also earn you a little extra income as well.

The winning design will be featured and printed on at least 1 million shopping bags in SPAR hypermarket stores in Austria and EUROSPAR supermarkets.

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Cash awards for winning entries are as follows:

First prize: € 2,000 ( $2;787 )
Second prize: € 1,000 ( $1,393 )
Third prize: € 500 ( $670 )

Dr. Gerhard Drexel, CEO of SPAR said:

“With this contest we want to offer creative spirits the unique chance to spread their ideas across all of Austria, and more exactly to spread them a million times! Participate in the contest and show us your version of the fascinating world of SPAR!”

Winners in the main contest are selected by a jury of experts in design and retail. The jury uses the following guidelines in determining the winners:

“…the design should fit with SPAR and deliver an imaginative interpretation of the contest topic. In addition, the design should be easily feasible and attention-catching when presented at the point of sale. We are looking for creative, zeitgeisty (trendy) designs that can also appeal to an international audience.”

The top three entries that obtain the highest votes from the SPAR website community will be selected as the winners for the community category.

The deadline for this competition is July 27, 2009. For complete contest guidelines and rules, click here.

While postcards serve as a pleasant form of greeting and communication, some also see postcards as an art form.

The Postcard Art Competition and Exhibition (PACE) is now open for submissions. The event, sponsored by the Curt Teich Postcard Achieves and the Lake Country Discovery Museum, is accepting entries from artists 18 years or older.

The work submitted must be original. Photographs must be also original and not merely photographs of the original. Digital art is acceptable.

Entries are judged upon technical excellence, creativity, and content. A final set of twelve winning postcards will be made and the ease of reproduction of the submitted artwork is also a factor that will be considered in determining finalists.

Artists may submit as many entries as they wish. The entry fee is $20 per set of three works. An additional $5 for each entry past the original set of three must be enclosed.

Artwork must be 4″ x 6″. Each entry needs to be matted in a 4″ x 6″ window cut in an 8″ x 10″ mat board. Designs may be vertical or horizontal. Do not frame entries.

Twelve winners will be selected. Each winner will receive $150 and 200 postcards printed with their design. Winning entries will be eligible for Awards of Excellence in the amounts of $300, $200, and $100 for first, second, and third place, respectively. Winning designs will be displayed at the Lake County Discovery Museum and other galleries.

Twenty-four merit award winners will also be selected. Their designs will be offered for auction to the general public at a price not to exceed $150 per postcard.

A 30% commission is charged by the Lake County Discovery Museum on all works sold.

The deadline for entries is July 13, 2009. For a complete set of guidelines, contest rules, and the official entry form, click here.