You can help to design San Diego’s Fashion Week’s even t-shirt and win $500 cash. Fashion Week San Diego is the world’s only bi-national fashion week. slated for fall 2008, the event will highlight the fashion industry that thrives in Southern California, presenting designers from both the U.S. and Mexico.

Enter as many designs as you like from now through 11 July 2008. Go to the site to download the template and to learn more about this contest’s guidelines.

At last, a class created for Mac-based designers ready to learn Adobe Illustrator. We’ll plunge you into Adobe Illustrator’s features and capabilities and get you up and running quickly.

In this class, you will learn how to:

• Draw images using the pen tool
• Use color creation, using swatches and gradients
• Use special effects and filters
• Make masks and compound paths
• Properly use the type tool

The class will be held in Midtown West, New York on 28-29 June from 10am - 4pm. Visit the site to learn more.

West Coast Green 2008, the nation’s largest conference and expo on innovation, green building, business and design will take place this September in San Jose, California. This year’s event will host 200 visionary speakers, 380 exhibits, advanced interactive educational tracks, dynamic networking opportunities, and a complete green show house made of shipping containers that will be placed right on the show house floor.

Whether you’re a homeowner, facility manager, developer, realtor, or design/build professional, West Coast Green is an unprecedented opportunity for you to advance your personal and professional goals while having the time of your life. Think Woodstock without the music, inside, and with a lot more business cards. So mark your calendars for 25-27 September, visit the site and read the blog for more information.

Enter the $13,000 Speak New Words music video contest, and you can win one of six cash prizes, including a Grand Prize of $5,000! Enter the Speak New Words Contest and get a piece of the $13K. Before you run to grab your camcorder, you need to know that the videos entered in this contest must specifically include 13 character traits that you believe bring about true change in our country. And by the way, all videos in the Speak New Words contest must not contain any of those controversial words we’ve all been hearing about in the media or any violent words and images (Yeah, you know the ones).

Entry Deadline: 7 September 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

In this live Webcast, world-renowned photographer Rick Sammon will share his top digital photography tips, including his “10 Key Ingredients for Cookin’ Digital Photographs.” He’ll also discuss his favorite photo philosophies, including: “The Camera Looks Both Ways; In Picturing the Subject We Are Also Picturing a Part of Ourselves.” You’ll get to see Rick’s favorite people, landscape and wildlife images from around the world. Some Photoshop talk, too…

Attendance for the Webcase is limited, so register now. They’ll send you a reminder before the Webcast, which is scheduled for Thursday, 26 June at 1:00 PDT (17:00 GMT). Cost is free, and the duration will be 45 minutes.

Spark is the exciting new competition created to promote great design and designers. They invite everyone to participate - designers, art directors, architects, design firms, manufacturers, institutions, ad agencies, students and novices may enter and enjoy the Spark Design Awards.

Graphics, product, transportation and architecture are just a few of the many design categories accepted. If you or your company create great designs, don’t miss the opportunity to compete in this important event.

To accommodate the greatest possible range of designs and designers, and to lower the initial cost of entry, the SparkAwards are now configured as a “two-phase” competition, just like a sports playoff series. In Phase I, the entrant will upload an image of their work and short description to the Spark website. The Phase I fee is US$125.

The first phase (virtual jury) final deadline is August 1. An international jury will carefully review the entries in early August. Phase I entrants chosen by the Jury will then have the option to participate in Phase II, as a Spark “Challenger “candidate, with payment of a second fee of $250. Phase II deadline is September 1, 2008. Jurists will judge the actual, physical works of design, so you’ll need to ship your design to the Jury site by September 5. Visit the site to learn more.

VSA arts is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where all people with disabilities learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts. VSA arts showcases the accomplishments of artists with disabilities and promotes increased access to the arts for people with disabilities. Each year millions of people participate in VSA arts programs through a nationwide network of affiliates and in more than 60 countries around the world. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

This call for entries is open to young artists ages 16-25 living in the United States who have a physical, cognitive, or mental disability. They are interested in both representational and abstract work, based upon the theme, “Green Light.”

There is no entry fee and prizes are substantial. Art work must be original and created within the past three years. VSA arts and Volkswagen of America, Inc. (co-sponsor) reserve the right to purchase the artwork of the fifteen selected finalists at the artist’s specified price. Deadline is Friday, 11 July 2008, midnight (MST). Visit the site to learn more.

Boosted today announced an exclusive content deal with Los Angeles-based artist Amanda Visell offering its youth wireless customers an opportunity to own and experience a piece of artwork from the renowned artist on their Boost Mobile phone, for a fraction of the high gallery fees.

“We are very excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with talented artists such as Amanda Visell, and are leading in our efforts to differentiate this high quality content,” said Jeff Park, director of business development for Boost Mobile. “We are developing an intensive experience on the web that is consistent with the quality of the artist’s work and enables Boost customers to experience such art in a meaningful way.”

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At right: Lifecycle Building Challenge winner: South Lake Union Discovery Center. David Miller, The Miller|Hull Partnership.

Enter the second year of the Lifecycle Building Challenge competition to shape the future of green building and facilitate local building materials reuse. Submit your innovative project, design, or idea for reducing to conserve construction and demolition materials and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by designing buildings for adaptability and disassembly.

Lifecycle building is designing buildings to facilitate disassembly and material reuse to minimize waste, energy consumption, and associated greenhouse gas emissions. Also known as design for disassembly and design for deconstruction, lifecycle building describes the idea of creating buildings that are stocks of resources for future buildings.

Only residents of the United States and its territories are eligible. Registration closes 31 July 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

New HD Animation Technology Provides Highest Quality Experience For Animators And Fans Around the World On MyToons.com. Global animation community MyToons.com becomes the first animation website to showcase member’s animations in high definition online.

MyToons.com, the world’s premier online animation community, today announced the launch of HD Animation; a first for any online animation site. Animators and animation fans around the world can now experience both independent and studio animations in glorious high definition color and clarity – precisely as the creators intended them to be viewed – at MyToons.com

“MyToons has reached a significant technological and artistic milestone, making us the first animation community to showcase high definition animations,” explained Paul Ford, co-founder and president of MyToons.com. “Animators everywhere are really excited about this opportunity to upload and share their HD creations with MyToons’ global fan base.”

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