One of the largest bullion dealers in the U.S., Westminister Mint, is inviting submissions from designers all over the world to enter their “Green Coin” contest. Westminister Mint seeks designs for the coining of a 39-millimeter piece incorporating a number of environmental themes such as conservation, climate change, global warming, recycling, energy efficiency, and alternative fuels.

The grand prizewinner receives $2,009 in cash or the silver equivalent, the first “Green Coin” struck from the press, and original hand sculpts of their design.

The deadline for this contest is June 30, 2009.

Contest Rules and Guidelines

–All design entries must be submitted with the Official Entry Form.

–Please use a pencil, black ink pen or black marker for designs. No colors should be used in designs as the coin will not include any color other than that of the metal. Computer-generated designs are welcome if submitted with an Official Entry Form.

–Designs may be submitted through June 30, 2009. No entries received after that date will be accepted.

–All designs should be simple and uncluttered in composition, avoiding fine detail as a great deal of intricacy cannot be reproduced on a coin. Designs used in the minting process will be reduced to fit on a silver dollar-sized coin.

–All designs must incorporate an environmental theme. Among the concepts that could be conveyed in a design are global warming, climate change, recycling, energy efficiency, conservation, clean fuels and others.

–Designs should be submitted for both sides of the coin. Multiple entries from the same individual are welcome. Individuals may work alone or with others on a single entry.

–Designs with elements covered by copyright, trademark or other rights must include a release acceptable to Westminster Mint, Inc. from the rights owner.

–All design submissions become the property of Westminster Mint, Inc. and cannot be returned.

–Westminster Mint, Inc. reserves the right to offer the coin for sale to the public. No additional remuneration will be due to the submitter.

–Through the act of submitting a design, contest participants agree to allow Westminster Mint, Inc., to use their design or concepts on a coin and in materials featuring such coin.

–Westminster Mint, Inc. reserves the right to modify any entries in order to attempt to improve the coin and its potential for sales.

–Westminster Mint, Inc. reserves the right to have submitted designs developed by independent individuals prior to production of the coin.

–Westminster Mint, Inc. reserves the right to reject all submitted designs.

The Applied Arts Design & Advertising Awards for 2009 is open to all designers, producers, graphic artists, and media professionals for entry in its annual design contest. This competition is considered one of the most prestigious award shows of its kind in Canada.

Winners of their respective categories have their entries published on www.appliedartsmat.com. The site has a reach of over 200,000 individuals who visit the site each year.

Winning participants garner a precious spot in the 2009 November/December issue of Applied Arts Magazine. The special edition has a reader-base of more than 65,000 individuals. From this number, many can be considered as potential clients. The winning submissions will be displayed at the Awards Exhibit held in Toronto, Canada in fall 2009.

Contest winners are sent a personal invitation to attend the gala award ceremonies. All entrants receive, at no charge, a copy of the Design and Advertising Awards Annual while winning contestants receive two free copies. Award Certificates are issued to the finalists.

The categories for this contest are:

• PRINT MEDIA
• PROMOTIONAL/COLLATERA
• TV/CINEMA COMMERCIALS
• RADIO COMMERCIALS

Within the principle categories are many subcategories. The complete listing is found at www.appliedartsmag.com. The entry form is available here. Entry fees range from $65 to $150 depending on the subject class.

Deadline for all entries is May, 8, 2009. For complete details of this competition, go to the main contest website.

Cooking shows have been a mainstay of public television for many years. Julia Child blazed the trail for this genre with her wit, charm, and demystification of cooking techniques. In the early 2000s, cooking shows on cable TV such as Iron Chef and others, popularized this unique form of television entertainment while also educating and informing its viewers about the culinary arts.

If you are into cuisine and food shows, Cuisinart’s Culinary Cook-Off Video Contest may be just what the cook ordered for you to fulfill your dream of producing a cooking video. Cuisinart is excepting videos in the categories of:

* Product Testimonial
* Commercial Ad
* Instructional video on best uses of a Cuisinart product
* Step-by-step video on your favorite recipe
* A “Mockumentary”

Videos submitted to the contest cannot be longer than 10 minutes or more than 100MB in file size. Content must be original and not contain any explicit material. Video entries uploaded to Cuisinart.com cannot be sold, re-distributed, broadcast, or circulated. Videos can be shot with digital cameras and cell phones in .avi, .mov, and .mpg formats.

No cash prizes are available for this competition but winners receive award products from Cuisinart. The contest is ongoing till next year. The present deadline for entries is April 30, 2009. The next deadline is set for August 31, 2009. Visitors vote and grade video submissions displayed on Cuisinart.com. The top entries are passed on to a judging panel that selects the winners.

An account on the Cuisinart.com website is needed for contestants to upload their content. For a complete description of contest rules, go here.

Bonne chance and bon appetit!

Andreu World, a leading furniture design company based in Spain, is announcing its 9th Andreu World International Design Competition. The deadline for entries is September 14, 2009.

Andreu World has been actively promoting originality and innovation in furniture design for over 50 years. The competition started in 2001 and is now an international stage for discovering, promoting, and recognizing new trends for 21st century design.

The Andreu World competition is open to design students and professionals in the industry. There are no age restrictions for entrants; so younger designers will have a chance in displaying their designs along with the seasoned professionals. Entries are judged according to innovation, technology, quality, design, and manufacturing processes.

The first prize winner receives 4000 Euros ($5,345). Second place prize is 2000 Euros ($2,673) with up to three honorable mentions for runners-up. A panel of recognized design professionals decides rankings of submitted entries.

Contestants are required to send in a 1:5 scale model of their prototype along with the design plans, sketches, CD, or anything else that is relevant to their project. A Sworn Statement of Intellectual Property Conveyance is also required. For the rules of the contest, visit the official website.

In 2008, Andreu World was accepted into the Leading Brands of Spain Forum. The Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade, and the Patents and Brands Office of Spain formed the organization. The forum’s purpose is to promote and develop leading Spanish brands in order to compete in markets nationally and internationally.

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 Communication Arts Design Competition is open to anyone who has had a design project printed, published, or aired for the first time within the last twelve months prior to the contest deadline of June 1, 2009. Winning entries will be published worldwide in the Communication Arts Design Annual and on commarts.com.

The official entry form can be found on the host website here. Although no cash awards are given, the resulting exposure through the publication of winning entries in Communication Arts Design Annual is valuable for graphic artists, photographers, or videographers to showcase their abilities and skills to the public. Winners will be notified two months after the deadline.

The Communications Arts Design Annual spotlights the best and brightest talent from a diverse field of graphic design disciplines. Categories feature corporate identity, letterhead and signage, catalogs, trademarks, packaging, posters, brochures, and integrated ad campaigns. This yearly edition also includes cutting edge articles and features written by industry professionals.

Design Competition Categories/Fees:

Packaging/Labeling: $35 single entry/$70 series
Identity: $35 single entry/$70 series
Integrated Branding Program: $300
Letterhead: $35 single entry/$70 series
Company Literature: $35 single entry/$70 series
Poster/Design: $35 single entry/$70 series
Editorial: $35 single entry/$70 series
Books & Jackets: $35 single entry/$70 series
Self-Promotion: $35 single print entry/$70 print series/$90 single video entry/$180 video series
Motion Graphics: $90 single entry/$180 series
Public Service: $35 single print entry/$70 print series/$90 single video entry/$180 video series
Environmental Graphics: $70 series
Miscellaneous/Design: $35 single print entry/$70 print series/$90 single video entry/$180 video series

For more information, go to rockstarcontests.com