Manga publisher Go! Comi in association with the New York Anime Festival and TheOtaku.com today announced the first contest devoted to manga fan-comics, known in Japan as “doujinshi.”

The contest is based on Go! Comi’s best-selling manga series “Black Sun, Silver Moon,” by Tomo Maeda. The series is the story of the complex relationship between the enigmatic zombie-hunting priest Shikimi and his apprentice Taki, who is destined to kill him.
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At Right: Solar Panel Jiutepec, Morelos, Mexico - Designed by BaSiC Initiative

The international Berkeley Prize for Undergraduate Design Excellence launches on 1 November 2008. Each year the Berkeley Prize, whose primary goal is to foster a larger awareness and understanding of the social art of architecture, sponsors an essay competition and a travel fellowship competition open to undergraduates studying architecture throughout the world.

A total of $7,500 in prize money is awarded to the essay competition winners. The Travel Fellow is given round-trip airfare and a stipend to attend a major international architectural event in the summer of 2008.
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Create a short animation that’s 8 seconds long and that visually expresses “happy birthday.” Then, compete weekly to win Shapeshifter t-shirts and for the grand prize of the Wacom Intuos3 A5 Tablet Pen and Mouse USB Mac/Win.

Free to enter, but get crackin’ - you need to get your entry in by 6 September at the latest to be eligible for a t-shirt or for the grand prize that will be awarded 12 September. Visit the site to learn more.

If you’re in Australia, and if you plan to attend the Woodford Folk Festival (Australia) between 27 December and 1 January, you might give this T-shirt contest a go to win season passes, camping, camping gear, a $200 voucher to spend in the festival shop along with global exposure on the web for your design and a whole lot of cool folk, wearing your art - how can you beat that?

The festival is looking for a T-shirt that will be featured as the official festival shirt for this year’s event. The designs will be judged in two rounds, and the top five entries that recieve the most votes will move on to the final round. Winner will be announced on 1 November via the site.

The top 5 entries online win a one-day pass to this year’s festival along with a copy of the Woodford DVD. Competition is open to all ages, and you can submit as many times as you like. The competition closes at 5:00pm on 12 October. Visit the site to learn more.

With the release of the eagerly anticipated Joomla! 1.5, the time has come to allow one of the skilled designers in our midst to become a part of the success that will be Joomla! 1.5. The Joomla! 1.5 Template Contest is open to anyone with a passion for design and a desire to have their design seen and used by millions of people globally as they download and install the stable release of Joomla! 1.5.

The five finalists will each receive a Joomla! prize package that includes a Joomla! laptop bag, Joomla! shirt, Joomla! hat, and a Joomla! 256MB USB memory stick. The grand prize winner will have his/her template added as the third template to the Joomla! 1.5 core distribution to be downloaded in every Joomla! 1.5 package. Contestants will have until the 22nd of September 2007 to submit their designs via a contest thread set up in the Joomla! forums. Visit the site to learn more.

At Right: 2006 Best of Macro by Brad Brown.

The Northern California Underwater Photographic Society (NCUPS.org) proudly presents the 43rd Annual SEA International Underwater Photographic Competition, and the Bob Commer Award of Excellence in Underwater Photography. The “mail-in” underwater digital still and print photography, and underwater videography competition is open to amateur photographers and videographers from around the world. Award sponsors of the SEA2007 competition, with prizes totaling in the tens of thousands of dollars, include scuba ecotourism resorts, travel agencies, and luxury live-aboards, as well as scuba and photography equipment manufacturers.

There are several new features this year with more chances to win prizes. Entries will be accepted through 12 October 2007. Winning entries will be announced on the site in November 2007. Download Rules, Regulations, and the Entry Form from the NCUPS website.

Via: Dive News

Invista Interiors is seeking entries for the 23rd annual Antron carpet fiber Design Award, including consideration for Product Innovation and Sustainable Flooring Performance honors.

“This is an excellent opportunity for firms, designers and architects to be recognized by industry peers for excellence in design and product development,” noted Bobby Berrier, an Invista vp. “Each year we are amazed by the innovative ways in which the rich colors and textures of Antron carpet fiber come to life in the hands of these talented designers. Work of this caliber helps shape the future of commercial design.”

Entries will be judged on creativity and originality, overall design, and how well the design met the client’s needs. Deadline for entries is 14 September. Winners will be announced January 2008. For more information, visit Antron.

Via: National Floor Trends

I read an interesting article re: the pros/cons about entering design contests (specifically architectural design). The article was well written (natch - it’s the New York Times), and the thoughts are relevant and pertain to anyone who carries strong (or even ambivelant) feelings about design competitions. The Times may ask you to register before you read (it’s free), or not.

Ok - here’s an invitation to get your derriere up off your design chair and walk for about 30-60 minutes per day. But, first you might want to visit Walk Score to determine whether your location is “walk friendly” or not. My location scored a 45, although I live next to a huge park. It seems the six-lane highway located near my home is a bit walker-unfriendly. Go figure.

Teeter isn’t walking anywhere. I just purchased a holy car, and he’s digging it (photo via Doggie News).

by Linnea Dayton & Cristen Gillespie, authors of the Photoshop CS/CS2 Wow! Book (Peachpit Press). This tutorial is supported by worldlabel.com.

The following tutorial shows how you can use Photoshop and labels (like those at Worldlabel.com) to design an easy packaging project like the one shown below:

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Wanderlust is delighted to join forces with the South Australian Tourism Commission in the UK’s longest-running amateur travel photography competition.

South Australia hosts a big chunk of what Oz does best – varied wildlife, mesmeric Outback landscapes, rugged coastline and beaches, renowned wineries, Aboriginal culture, a head-spinning array of activities and the wide open spaces which make a visit to Australia such a mouthwatering proposition.
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