You’ll have to have your head in gear for this one, as it’s due this Sunday, 29 June! Fiat, in association with Don’t Panic, wants artists to design a poster on the theme of ‘Everyday Masterpieces.’ This is to celebrate the spirit of classic design inherent in the recently revamped Fiat 500.

The theme can be interpreted pretty broadly. Look at the brilliant designs that they might take for granted but couldn’t live without, like the new Fiat 500, for example. The poster design doesn’t need to include the Fiat, so don’t think of it as an ad for the car. Instead, reinterpret the classic designs around you – the drawing pins, tea pots, scissors, chopsticks (okay, most things on your desk) – and creatively re-envision them. Rethink the icons of the everyday.

The winning poster design will be printed on one side of our Future poster in July, and distributed in 160,000 Don’t Panic packs around the globe. Plus, the winner will be sent exclusive invitations to the 500 Picnic. This will be hosted at Alexandra Park on 5 July, and guests will be presented with designer Guzzini hampers, brimming with Italian food and drinks. The afternoon will be packed with events, from volleyball games to tai chi lessons, and they have personally guaranteed glorious weather. Picnic attendees will also be able to enter competitions to win their own brand new Fiat 500 and many other prizes. Learn more at the Don’t Panic (seriously!) Web site.

Architecture for Humanity is teaming with Google SketchUp to host “Sportables,” a one-week design sprint. Nothing connects kids like the power of play. Yet, too often kids cannot afford necessary equipment and do not have access to competitive facilities. How can they build a unit that turns would-be play spaces around the world into instant stadiums–equipment and all? Help them design a demountable play space and equipment library. Designs will be showcased on the Open Architecture Network and on Google SketchUp’s 3D Warehouse. The winning team will receive $1,000 design stipend to further develop their concept.

Deadline for this competition is 30 June 2008.

Join the metacycle community by helping to increase product longevity through design and rapid prototyping technologies. In the design lab, they present the following design challenge: Choose one of 10 selected objects and transform it into a new, functional and eco-responsible product. For example, take a flip phone and turn it into a makeup case.

The winning idea will be developed by the professional designers of the Metacycle team and all commercial rights will remain with the originator of the idea. A physical model will be created and shipped to the winner.

Deadline is 30 June 2008. Winner will be chosen by 15 July. Visit the site to learn more.

In anticipation of Codemasters new racing game GRID, Codemasters has teamed up with Brickfish to launch the “Design a Poster for GRID” campaign. The campaign invites entrants to design a poster that captures the thrill of the race and the intensity of the competition. The grand prize winner, selected from the top 100 highest scoring entries, will win a $1,000 scholarship or cash equivalent, a version of GRID on the platform of their choice and have their entry featured on the GRID website as downloadable wallpaper.

Codemasters will also give away prizes for two runners-up, most viral and sign-up sweepstakes. Deadline is 21 June (we think). Visit the site to learn more.

Artists Wanted is proud to announce EXPOSURE: a nationwide open call
for photography! All photographers will have their own online portfolio and receive a complimentary copy of JPG Magazine.

The Top Photographers will be selected by New York Times Photo Editor Patrick Witty, Supermodel and Fashion Icon Tiiu Kuik, and NYC Gallery Owner David Kesting for the following award opportunities:

• The Grand Prize: The Top Photographer will have their work presented in a massive scale photo show on buildings in the top New York City Art Districts: Chelsea, Dumbo and Williamsburg. Their work will also be featured at an Opening Event at the Leo Kesting Gallery in Manhattan on August 9th and they will receive: $2,008 cash, a full-press promotional campaign and a feature in our upcoming publication, “The Annual.”
• Student Award: The Top Student Photographer will receive a $1,000 scholarship; a feature in “The Annual” and their work will be
  presented at the Opening Event.
• Educator’s Grant: The Educator of the Top Student Photographer will receive a $500 discretionary grant and a feature in “The Annual” for Teaching Excellence.
• People’s Choice Award: The public will vote on all the portfolios on
  our site and select their Favorite Artist. The People’s Choice
  Photographer will receive a $500 grant; a feature in “The Annual” and their work will be presented at the Opening Event.

The Deadline is June 17th. Submit your best work at: http://www.artiststwanted.org/exposure

The character of a neighborhood is a reflection of the people who live there. When people feel connected to a place, they feel more connected to one another. The community becomes an extended family and life more meaningful. Thus, Re:Vision is looking for urban planning approaches where revamped environments bring current residents together, particularly families. This is a chance to repair the essential relationships between social work, nature and urban infill with ideas that value humanistic thinking and imagination over bulldozers. Ponder the kinds of structures and landscapes that typically exist in run-down areas and transform them into eco-wise spaces that make life better. How might you overcome the inevitable resistance to change, and harness the community’s human resources? Introducing eldercare and childcare programs or sustainable landscaping with useable harvests might be just what’s needed. The best plans, no matter their originality or scale, will aim to positively affect neighboring blocks as well.

The Re:Connect registration and entry deadline is Monday June 2nd, 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

You are invited to investigate the future design of the work environment – this is your opportunity to showcase your creativity to the Australian design community. Now in its second year, Workstation of the Future 2008 is recognized as one of the most exciting design competitions in the country.

Iken in conjunction with various sponsors is offering a unique and exciting opportunity for architects, designers and students to conceive the office of tomorrow. There are great prizes to be won including a D10-day trip to Orgatec, Cologne, a visit to their manufacturer, Gispen, in The Netherlands and a visit to Okamura in Japan.

There are two categories for working professionals and students: Innovation Award and Sustainability Award. The competition will run until 30th June 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

CUP is seeking designers for the next issues of Making Policy Public. They are looking for designers who are interested in using communication design to illuminate pressing issues of our day. Designers chosen through the juried submission process will receive full attribution for their work, an honorarium of $1000, and publicity through CUP. CUP will manage the design process and provide design support as needed.

Making Policy Public uses innovative graphic design to explore and explain public policy. Each publication is the product of a commissioned collaboration between a designer and an advocate. This series aims to make information on public policy truly public: accessible, meaningful, and shared. Designers can engage social issues without sacrificing experimentation.

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createurope: THE FASHION ACADEMY AWARD aims to demonstrate the vitality of the European fashion scene by way of a competition that invites young fashion designers at the beginning of their careers from all over Europe. It intends to help them get their feet off the ground, start their own business and unite them with other young colleagues from European countries in the form of intercultural dialogue. At the same time, the competition links the many European educational facilities in the fashion world and hereby fosters the exchange of faculty and students.

The young creative prize winners will be determined in two separate phases. In the first phase candidates from the participating countries will be chosen to present themselves in the second phase to a prominent international selection committee. The closing event will take place at the end of October in Berlin offering a platform for publicity.

Deadline for postmarked items is 30 June 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

The 2008 Australian Packaging Awards is organized under the patronage of the Packaging Council of Australia. The Australian Packaging Awards can provide avenues for growth for companies who achieve success at the Awards. The Australian Packaging Awards have helped past winners to attract new clients, reward employees, boost their company profile within the industry and help draw the best talent to their organisation.

With 11 categories to choose from, plus the Best of Show, there are many opportunities for success. The 2008 PCA Awards Presentation Dinner will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Melbourne on Thursday, 9th October 2008. Following the presentation night, photos and details of all winning entries will be featured on the Packaging Council of Australia website www.pca.org.au.

Deadline for entries is 20 June 2008. Visit the site to learn more.