SWsoft, maker of award-winning software that lets users run the Windows operating system on a Mac, is sponsoring a video contest that encourages amateur and professional film makers around the world to share an experience where they didn’t have to choose between two great options - just like not having to choose between buying a Mac or a PC when using Parallels Desktop for Mac software.

Entrants are encouraged to use any artistic medium — a short film, animation, song, narration, photography, etc — to create an original “Why choose?” video. Videos do not need to include Parallels Desktop for Mac or any kind of computer technology; any experience that involves taking advantage of two or more choices, rather than sacrificing one for the other, is valid for entry.

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Graphis offers a call for entries for their design annual, which will be published in 2008. Eligible work must have been produced between October 2006 and December 2007. Enter in one of over 25 categories. Non-English entries are welcome, but should include a translation of important copy.

Deadline is 7 January 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

I’ve been without cigarettes for five days now. That thought is just beginning to dawn on me. I’ve been so focused on NOT having a cigarette that I forgot to pat myself on the back for succeeding thus far. This task has been easier to accomplish since I’ve been working out and since I moved into a place where I established a “no smoking inside” rule.

Within three months I should be perfect.

When you all have a chance, head to print magazine to vote for one of three finalists for the 44th annual Student Cover Design Competition.

The image above was created by Pam Davol, and I’m quite taken with many of her images. If you visit her site you’ll need to be patient and scroll down to view the art, as the design is so broken that it’s pathetic (at least in Firefox). The site is begging for a trade-art-for-design opportunity.

At Right: Image from Think and Ask.

The call goes out internationally to both soldiers and civilians for video, audio, photography, drawing, painting, sculpture, installation and the written word. The show will be shown simultaneously in the Pawtucket Armory, Machines With Magnets and the Cable Car Cinema, in Pawtucket and Providence, Rhode Island, from 5-30 March 2008. These first venues are a 2000sq. ft. gallery and two screening rooms. The show may travel. The show may continue as a website, book and as a DVD.

Through the universal language of art, the exhibition seeks to give a human face to the complex conflict in Iraq and to engage those who have unconsciously cocooned themselves from the fearsome reality of the war. We ask the questions: What does it mean to experience this war firsthand, in combat, or as an Iraqi civilian? What does it mean to experience it from a distance, or on television? How can we in America reconnect to the reality of war? Are there shared visions of peace despite cultural and religious differences? The work will be selected on artistic merit and look to include as many perspectives as possible, beyond politics.

Entries are due by 12 January 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

Via: Make Art Like You Care

The Fort William Mountain Festival has announced their call for entries in film and photography.

After the success of the previous film competition the festival is creating another opportunity for film makers from across the globe. Their aim is to celebrate mountain life and culture, giving both amateur and professional filmmakers an opportunity to show their work and share their passion for mountain culture.

The mountain festival is pleased to announce that they will be running a photography competition over three categories of mountain themes. Open to both amateurs and professionals.

Deadline for both competitions is 31 December 2007. Visit the site to learn all the details.

The UK Sunday Express has teamed up with Old Pulteney Single Malt Scotch Whisky to launch the UK’s largest maritime photography competition, Wish You Were Here. Their aim is to revive the British tradition of the seaside postcard. They are looking for shots of life on the ocean wave: of a surfer catching the perfect wave, or fishermen coming into shore. They want creative images that have a story to tell.

As well as receiving a cash prize of £2,500 the winner will have their photograph published in the Sunday Express before it’s made into postcards which will be available up and down the UK coastline. They will also win a trip for two to the Pulteney Distillery in Wick. Last year the competition drew more than 1,300 entries but it was office manager John Short’s picture of Staithes in North Yorkshire which clinched the top prize (shown here).

The competition is supported by the Friends of the National Maritime Museum, Amateur Photographer Magazine, the RNLI and VisitBritain. Closing date is 16 December 2007. Visit the site to learn more.

The Sixth Annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) seeks narrative, documentary, music videos, experimental, children’s and animated films of any length and format.

The festival will run from 22-27 April 2008 at ArcLight Hollywood, a state-of-the-art facility located in the heart of Los Angeles. Jury and Audience Choice Prizes will be awarded for Best Feature, Documentary and Short film.

Due to the increasing number of submissions, IFFLA now offers reduced entry fees for films submitted before 12 November 2007. Final submission deadline is 7 January 2008.

For further information on how to submit your film, please visit the site.

SBIC (Sustainable Buildings Industry Council) is proud to announce the 2007 Beyond Greenâ„¢ High Performance Building Awards. This unique program recognizes the initiatives that shape, inform and catalyze the high-performance building market, as well as the real-world application of high performance design and construction practices. Award winners will be invited to present their projects at the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. The program will be held on 16 January 2008 in conjunction with a U.S. Department of Energy sponsored lecture series.

Deadline for entries: 8:00 PM, 30 November 2007. Visit the site to learn more.

Do you have a camera? Then you can enter this prestigious competition and make a donation to breast cancer at the same time. There are moments in life when we suddenly see the world from a fresh perspective, and appreciate the beauty of the people and places around. Renaissance invites you to enter photographs that you feel capture these special moments.

Have your work judged by expert photographers Eamonn McCabe and Mary McCartney, as well as internationally acclaimed singer KT Tunstall and magazine editor Sara Cremer. The winners will be included in a sale at a major London gallery, will participate in a public exhibition and will be published in a book of the competition.

Competition closes at 22:00 GMT on 10 December 2007. Visit the site for details.

The National Tribal Environmental Council (NTEC) and the New Mexico Tourism Department, will take the global stage, 8-10 April 2008 to launch its inaugural Global Green Indigenous Film Festival. The film festival will be held in conjunction with NTEC’s 15th Environmental Conference 15-18 April 2008.

The Global Green Indigenous Film Festival and the conference will be held at the El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “For nearly 20 years NTEC has been working with and assisting tribes throughout the country to protect, regulate and manage their environmental resources. An international film festival of this caliber adds a new dimension that will bring innovative ideas together as a means for protecting the environment that the global community can benefit from. We extend an invitation to people around the world to come see the powerful work being done by Indigenous communities to protect mother earth,” stated Jerry Pardilla, NTEC Executive Director.
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