Game on!
One of the most popular game machines in the world is Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Gamers enjoy untold hours of entertainment exploring new worlds, fighting bad guys, and playing casual arcade games.

If you’ve ever dreamed about producing your own video game, you have a chance at fame and fortune by entering Microsoft’s Dream.Build.Play video game design contest.

According to Microsoft:

“To earn your spot in the Dream.Build.Play universe, bring your dream-world to life by creating an outstanding, playable game for Xbox 360 using XNA Game Studio 4.0…

“Whatever your style - whatever your dream - it’s time to unleash your creativity and show what you’ve got!”

Contest Parameters
Your game must be developed using Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio 4.0 software. Your game should be fun and exciting. Microsoft is especially looking for games in the action and adventure genres.

According to Microsoft game entries will be judged according to the following criteria:

* Fun factor (40%) - A key indicator will be the desire to keep playing
* Innovation (30%) - Based on how creative and technically unique your game is
* Production quality (30%) - Make your game world as polished as possible

Entries must be developed for English speaking individuals. Certain restrictions apply to whom or who may not enter this contest. You must register on the official contest site before you can enter this competition.

Please see complete guidelines and rules for more information.

Prizes

There are four cash awards:

* Grand prize: $40,000
* 1st prize: $20,000
* 2nd prize: $10,000
* 3rd prize: $5,000

Winners will also be given the chance to sign up for a publishing contract with Xbox LIVE. Winning games will also be featured on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Contest links and additional information
The deadline for registration is May 17, 2011. You cannot enter unless you are officially registered. The deadline for submitting your game candidate is June 11, 2011.

These links provide more contest information:

Official contest site
Full contest rules and guidelines
Registration form
Free download XNA Game Studio 4.0

Graphic Design school and video games
Video game graphics and artwork have never been more realistic and cutting-edge than today. 3D programs such as Maya and LightWave 3D allow artists and illustrators to bring their drawings to life in video games.

Attending graphic design school is one of the first steps you can take in order to learn about layout, computer assisted art programs, design theory and application, and many other related courses.

Speak with a graphic design college representative and find out how graphic design can help you in your career development.

If you have ever submitted any forms for scholarships, you realize how involved it can become. But the Frame My Future Scholarship Contest 2010 may be the exception to the rule.

The contest is offering $5,000 in total prize money to five lucky winners plus an additional $1,000 to the grand prize winner’s graphic design school, graphic design college or university.

How It Works
Entering this contest is simplicity itself. Submit a JPEG image that communicates the following theme of “This Is How I Frame My Future.” The idea is to demonstrate, through your design, what your plans and vision are upon graduating college.

Acceptable Original Creations
After you have decided how to express your idea of what you want to accomplish and achieve after your graduation, you may submit your work in various forms such as:

• Photography
• Painting
• Graphic Design
• Drawing
• Poem
• Collage
• A Combination of All of the Above

.
Who Is Eligible?
The scholarship contest is open to all full time students attending college for the 2010-2011 academic year. Entrants must show proof of legal US residency. For the official rules and guidelines, click here.

The Awards
Awards will be given to five “success driven” students in the form of $1000 scholarships. The grand prize winner will also receive a $1,000 donation to the school’s general scholarship endowment program.

The twenty-four finalists in this contest receive a commemorative “Frame My Future” frame displaying their submitted entry.

………..

Other Information
If you are enrolled for the 2010-2011 school year and are selected as a winner, your graphic design college can benefit as well. The deadline for entries is March 15, 2010. Winners are based upon the highest total amount of votes received during the website’s voting period at www.diplomaframe.com.

To submit your entry, click here. To view entries already submitted, click here.

Nature’s Best Photography Magazine is announcing an open call for all photographers to enter the 2009 NATURE’S BEST PHOTOGRAPHY WINDLAND SMITH RICE INTERNATIONAL AWARDS competition. A total of $15,000 is offered in cash and prizes.

The winners of the contest will have their photographs published in the Awards 2009 Collector’s Edition of Nature’s Best Photography. Winning entries may also be selected for the annual exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. The photos are also eligible for presentation in other photo gallery displays that are related to the contest.

The entries are judged by the magazine’s editorial staff and critiqued for technical quality, originality, and artistic merit.

Entry fee is $25. The deadline for this contest is May 4, 2009. Entries for this contest are submitted digitally to the website. The official contest entry form is located at the Nature’s Best Photography site. For full details of the contest and submission requirements, go to Naturesbestphotography.com.

Windland Smith Rice was a strong advocate for conservation and an accomplished photographer in her own right. She won a Nature’s Best Photography award in 1999 and began a close relationship with the contest by volunteering her time to the event. She is remembered by her strong love for nature and photography as well as her warm spirit and love of people.

A partial contest category list follows:

ART IN NATURE:
Naturally occurring artistic compositions (colors, forms, textures, etc.) in nature.

BIRDS:
Wild birds in native habitats displaying plumage, mating rituals, nesting, feeding, or other behaviors.

CREATIVE DIGITAL:
Any nature-related image or combination of images that is created and/or manipulated using digital/electronic technology (such as Adobe® Photoshop®). Let your imagination go wild!

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES:
Images that document current environmental issues, such as pollution, global warming, loss of habitat, etc.

OCEANS:
The fascinating world of the sea: tide pools, coral reefs, marine life, waves, etc. Photos taken above the ocean’s surface, related to ocean life, are also welcome.

SMALL WORLD SPECTACULARS:
Shots of plants, animals, and miniature landscapes taken with macro lenses.

WEATHER:
From dramatic storms to tranquil skies—weather in all its fury and forms. (Tornados, hurricanes, floods, rain, wind, cloud formations, etc.)

WILDLIFE:
Wild animals (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, etc.—birds are a separate category, see above) photographed in their natural habitat (no captive animals).

The Design Green Project is the first of its kind to honor and reward designers’ creativity from around the world for their excellence in designing ‘Green’ for a better planet – in the disciplines of art, branding, environments, fashion, packaging, photography, print, design green, and now interactive.

All designers who participate in this unique competition will be part of the solution to the Global Warming Crisis by replacing one of their old light bulbs with a compact fluorescent light bulb provided by The Design Green Project. Additionally, there will be a tree planted in their name and 50% of all proceeds will be donated to the StopGlobalWarming.org fund, just for entering.

This is an international competition with various caveats to entries, so be sure to visit the site to learn more about the guidelines and the creative categories. Deadline is 15 December 2008.

Got a project to show off to the world? Want your work recognized by a distinguished panel of architects? The Western Red Cedar Lumber Association and the Cedar Shale and Shingle Bureau invite entries in the Western Red Cedar Architectural Design Awards program honoring design excellence and architectural accomplishment using western red cedar.

Deadline is 31 October 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

Design For The Children is an open, international design competition asking architects and designers from around the world to develop a sustainable, culturally responsive, pediatric clinic model for East Africa. Fight for the Children staff will work with local residents at the proposed site in East Africa to build the clinic based on the winning design, using local materials and building techniques. Fight for the Children staff will train and work with local doctors and nurses, who will in turn train other area residents.

Registration deadline is 15 October 2008. 15 January is the submission deadline (only the registration date will be noted on the calendar). Visit the site to learn more.