MTV and HP are teaming up for a new series called Engine Room to air on MTV worldwide. This brand new show will pit creative minds from around the planet against each other in a battle of digital art skills that will include graphic design, animation, mixing sounds, filmmaking and more. The winning team will take home $400,000 USD in cash and HP products.

Ready to prove you’ve got what it takes? Start putting together samples of your work now. They want to see your graphics, short films, web pages, songs, mixes or anything else cool you have created. Entries will be accepted until June 30, 2008. You must be available from July 18, 2008 through August 16, 2008 to be flown to New York City to compete.

Applicants can upload their work to MTVEngineroom.com. You must apply as an individual.

The purpose of the Portfolio Prize (sponsored by Canon) is to identify trends in contemporary photography and specific artists whom we can help by bringing their work to a wider audience. In choosing the first-prize winner and runners-up, the Aperture Foundation is looking for work that is fresh and that hasn’t been widely seen in major publications or exhibition venues.

First prize is $2,500. The first-prize winner and runners-up are featured on Aperture’s website for approximately one year. Winners are also announced in the foundation’s e-newsletter, which reaches thousands of subscribers in the photography community. The entry period for the 2008 Aperture Portfolio Prize ends Friday, 11 July 2008. For specifics on how to enter, visit the site.

The Architecture Firm Award is the highest honor that The American Institute of Architects can bestow on an architecture firm for consistently producing distinguished architecture. It is conferred by the Board of Directors. Any firm or successor firms, whether an individual or an organization of architects, in which the continuing collaboration among individuals of the firm has been the principal force in consistently producing distinguished architecture for a period of at least 10 years, is eligible for the Architecture Firm Award. While serving on the Board of Directors, Board members and their firms are ineligible to be nominated for this award. No more than one such award shall be made in any year.

Nomination binders must be received no later than July 11, 2008. This date is firm and no exceptions will be made. Visit the site to learn more.

ROYGBIV Lab, a leading website that creates and maintains an online “hive” of artists and designers by way of competitions, announces the launch of its second groundbreaking online design competition.

Beginning May 15th, 2008, any aspiring designers or fashion-forward consumers will have the chance to create a men’s t-shirt for the fall 2008 season by submitting their designs at www.Roygbivlab.com. The Roygbiv online community and the public are invited to vote for the top 16 finalists who will see their styles sold at a major retail location. They will also be awarded a preliminary cash prize of $500. The 16 finalists will be narrowed down to 8 winners based on sales popularity and will also be awarded an additional $2,000. The final 8 designs will comprise the Roygbiv Lab fall 2008 collection and will be sold at a major national retailer. The themes for this contest are: Out on a Limb; Shoot for the Moon; One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure. Deadline is 1 July. Good luck!

Brickfish is bringing back their famous art campaign for the third time - they want to showcase your original art. Whether it’s your best drawing, painting, or sculpture, they want to display it and award you $1,000. Not bad if you’re a starving artist! They are looking for pieces in the mixed media category (pastel, chalk, charcoal, paint or any other creative substance you use to make your masterpiece). Photography will not be accepted for this campaign.

No purchase necessary. Open to anyone who is a resident of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia or Canada (excluding Quebec) has access to the Internet, and is 13 or older at the time of entry. Deadline is 23 July 2008 11:30 PM (PST). Visit the site to learn more.

This year represents HOW Magazine’s 10th Annual Interactive Design Awards. Enter your work in this competition to win a slot in HOW’s huge April 2008 Design Annual and to receive a $100 discount toward registration for the 2009 HOW Design Conference. One ‘Best of Show’ winner will be prominently featured in the April 2008 Design Annual and will be a guest at the 2009 HOW Conference - including round-trip airfare within the U.S., hotel and registration!

Categories range from business-to-business Web sites to “Miscellaneous.” Work must have been created between 1 January 2007 and 15 July 2008. Deadline is 15 July 2008, so get cracking! Visit the site to learn more.