The Johnstown (PA) Film & Wine Festival announces a call for entries for its fourth annual event, which is set for 8-11 July 2009. The Johnstown Film & Wine Festival is a project of the Greater Johnstown Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class of 2006, in cooperation with the Johnstown Area Heritage Association.

Original short films of 30 minutes or less are eligible for the competition, and the entry deadline is 1 March 2009. Any original short film of 30 minutes or less is eligible for the competition, which includes cash awards. In 2009, there will be a $10 entry fee per film. Films of all genres will be accepted. All entries must be submitted on VHS or DVD, and will not be returned unless a self-addressed, stamped envelope is included with the submission. For complete rules and technical requirements, visit www.johnstownfilmfest.org.

The Center for Fine Art Photography is now accepting entries for the second issue of Artists’ ShowCase Portfolio, juried by Rixon Reed of Photo-Eye. This portfolio call for entries is open until December 3rd, 2008.

Twelve-image portfolios by 15 photographers will be chosen to display their work in The Center for Fine Art Photography’s second online and print portfolio show.

Their work will be included in the Center’s second book publication of Artists’ ShowCase Portfolio. Additionally, their portfolios will be featured on the Center’s web site (www.c4fap.org) from February 1 – February 28, 2009 and will remain online for the next two years.

The Center is pleased to provide artists with an economical method to have their work reviewed by an international juror, published and exhibited without printing, framing or shipping costs.

Theme: Open - There is no theme for this exhibition. Each photographer’s group of images will be evaluated as a cohesive body of work, rather than individual images. Visit the site to learn more.

The Center for Fine Art Photography is excited to announce the release of its first issue of Artists’ ShowCase Portfolio.

The 132-page, perfect-bound, first edition consists of portfolios by fifteen artists from the U.S., New Zealand and Germany. Derek Henderson was selected by juror Darius Himes for the cover and the first portfolio within the book. Each artist will receive a copy, as well as have their portfolio presented on the Center’s website for the next two years. Congratulations to all that were selected.

You can acquire your copy of the limited inaugural edition by contacting the Center at 970-224-1010.

The cost per book is $34.00 USD. If you’d like a chance to be in next year’s edition, see the Center for Fine Art Photography’s new contest.

Participate in Optimalprint’s first annual print design contest for professional graphic artists and amateur designers. Enter the contest for a chance to showcase your winning print designs. This design competition is divided into separate divisions for professionals and amateurs. There will be 1 grand prize winner and up to 100 honourable mentions chosen from each division.

Contest categories include:

• Business card
• Invitation card
• Christmas card

Judges for this event include:

• Professor Dan Fern, Head of the School of Communications, Royal College of Art
• Susan Pandit, Dean of the School of Printing and Publishing, London College of Communication, University of the Arts London
• Henrik Müller-Hansen, Chief Executive Officer of Optimalprint.co.uk

Deadline is 14 November 2008 at noon. Visit the site to learn more.

More color! New Art Perspectives is calling for entries for their “Colors of Life” contest. They want you to explore the dimensions and perspectives of “The Colors of Life” in a variety of mediums - photography, digital art, painting, drawing, sculpture, craft, jewelery, metal art, wood art, multi-media, or any other creative means.

This contest is open to all artists of all forms, both professional and amateur anywhere in the world. Although the prizes aren’t huge, this contest can provide you with an online presence for $20 USD for three works ($12 for one). Deadline is 5 December 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

If you haven’t seen this Multicolr Search Lab tool yet, go there now. Like right now. A friend passed this tool on to the masses today re: Twitter, and I’ve spent at least an hour playing with the colors and images.

This is how it works - pull up the page via the link and click on a color in the palette to the right. The gray blocks on the left will fill with images from flickr that hold that color (monochromatic). Then, add up to nine more colors to find an image that will fit your color scheme. The colors are extracted from 10 million of the most “interesting” Creative Commons images on flickr, so that means that you actually can use the images that are revealed from you color choices.

Have fun!

This competition, now in its 16th year, celebrates exceptional examples of contemporary American design featuring fabulous Italian ceramic tiles. In order to select from a large pool of outstanding installations, an international jury looks at the overall design of the space as well as how the tiles meet their functional and technical requirements.

As you scroll through this new website dedicated to the competition, you’ll find detailed competition rules; a downloadable submission form; answers to frequently asked questions and a historical look at the award-winning projects from the past 15 years. Hopefully, the new site will inspire you to submit project(s)! The North American architects and designers that have won in the past have ranged from star architects like Bernard Tschumi, Stanley Tigerman and Laurinda Spears to young up-and-comers.

Deadline is 6 February 2009. Visit the new site to learn more.

Introducing the newest design showcase from HOW magazine: the HOW Poster Design Awards! There are no categories, and it doesn’t matter if your poster was created for yourself, for work or just for fun…we want to see what you can do! So take this wide-open media and run with it—then make sure you submit your work to us by December 1!

10 winners will be featured on the HOW website, get $150 worth of HOW books and receive a 1 year subscription to HOW magazine. You will also receive a graphic to post on your website announcing your winning status. Work must have been created between July 1, 2007 and Dec.1, 2008. Each entry is $25. All entries must be submitted online no later than December 1, 2008. Entries submitted after Dec. 1 require a late fee of $10 per entry. Entries will not be accepted after December 15, 2008.

Visit the site to learn more.

The Going with the Grain Challenge is to design an original and compelling object that can be made from a single sheet of FSC-certified plywood measuring 4-feet x 8-feet x 1-inch. Entries should be functional designs that reveal the beauty of the wood.

Eligible entries are limited to one sheet of plywood. All are welcome to enter, including furniture designers and manufacturers, architects and industrial designers. But, you must be a member of Design 21: Social Design Network to enter this contest. This Challenge is co-hosted by The Nature Conservancy and FSC-US who are working together to increase consumer awareness of and demand for FSC products.

Application for this competition closes 26 January 2009. Learn more about free membership at Design 21 and other guidelines at Design Green Now.

The Earth Awards is a global search for future-crucial design solutions that will improve our collective social, cultural, economic and ecological quality of life. Submissions will be accepted in multiple categories; product design, architecture, fashion, food, alternative energy, and more.

Submissions must be achievable, scalable, practical, collaborative, inclusive, original and energy-reducing. All finalists will be flown to New York City for an Awards Ceremony Gala on December 8, 2008, where the first prize winner will be announced. The winner will receive a monetary prize, and all finalists will receive the opportunity to pitch their ideas to industry leaders including venture capitalists, industrialists, and Fortune 500 business leaders.

Deadline is 14 November 2008. Visit the site to learn more.