The Medium is the Message
When graphic designers create an image for a client, the media they use to express the artwork and graphics ranges from animation, video, packaging, posters and everything in between. But when all is said and done the final result is a successful message.

The Say Something Poster Project contest is held to give designers a chance to use their talents to create a poster that will say something to encourage, inspire, motivate and educate teenagers.

The sponsor states:

“Each year 10 winning posters are donated to a non-profit organization and permanently installed in their facility. Posters are used to transform space with engaging imagery that amplifies the organization’s missions.”

This year’s recipient of proceeds from sales of posters will go to The Home for Little Wanderers, a private, non-profit help organization for children and families.

What to Submit
The contest rules and guidelines state that all entries should be submitted digitally to the official contest website. The following specifications for posters are:

Print Specifications
Orientation: landscape or portrait
File format: TIFF
Resolution: 300 dpi
Dimensions: 24″x 36″

Upload Specifications
Orientation: landscape or portrait
File format: JPEG
Resolution: 72 dpi
Dimensions: 480 x 720
Max file size: 3mb

Poster entries must also have a brief write-up (250 characters or less) explaining the inspiration, message, intent or thoughts about your design.

Judging and Awards
There are three phases in determining the winners:

Stage 1: The 100 posters with the highest votes by the public are selected
Stage 2: A five-panel judging board will select 25 semifinalists from the pool of 100.
Stage 3: 10 winners will be selected from the 25 semifinalists.

The 25 semifinalists receive a full sized print of their poster. (25″x36″)

The 10 winners will receive a copy of Autodesk Sketchbook Pro plus free subscriptions to design magazines, free design books, and credits and gift certificates for graphic design products.

Contest Links and Other Information

Official Contest Site (Note: This website is slow to load its content.)
Complete Contest Rules (Downloadable PDF file)

There are no entry fees for this contest. The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2010. Winners will be announced in March 2011.

Look, Up In the Sky!
The town of Roswell, New Mexico is known for its connection to the well publicized UFO sighting that occurred there in 1947.

The Roswell Incident has spawned numerous conspiracy theories regarding the possible cover up of extraterrestrials crashing on Earth.

But Roswell also has another claim to fame as well; it is host to one of the longest artist residency programs offered in the US. The Roswell Artist in Residence Program is now open for applications.

What the Program is About
This residence opportunity is also known by artists as the “Gift of Time.” The program was first started in 1967 in order to provide visual artists with the opportunity to freely concentrate on their work for an entire year.

Those who are accepted into the program will work in a collegiate atmosphere that will help them to grow and realize personal artistic goals.

The residence grants are available to those who are involved in the visual arts such as painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, printmaking and other fine art media. These grants exclude performance art or production crafts.

Residency Details
The sponsors of this in-residency program strongly urge applicants to thoroughly understand the commitment needed to stay with this residency for an entire year. They recommend that you do not apply if:

* You will have a number of exhibitions opening during the period ….of your residency.
* You find the idea of the residency just a flattering notion.
* Your spouse or partner is not committed to the entire length of ….the residency.
* You have unusual heath issues or heavy debt.
* You are uncomfortable living alone or often find yourself having ….issues with acquaintances, neighbors or friends. (Lack of people ….skills)
* You have no means transportation.
* You cannot live without your dog or other beloved pet for a whole year.

According to the Board of Trustees of this residency program:

“For over forty years the Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program has provided talented artists a long-term opportunity to free themselves from the entanglements of their jobs, careers and other responsibilities, to focus on their creative imaginations.

“Roswell is remotely located, away from the trends and noise of our cultural capitals and provides the artist an opportunity to look inwardly, over an entire year, at the sources of their vision and the reach of their talent.”

Residency Grant Details
Those who qualify and are accepted into the RAIR program will be offered a monthly stipend of $800 plus $100 per dependent living with the grantee. (No pets allowed)

Artists will live in a housing complex consisting of six house/studios. Rent, utilities, repairs and maintenance are included.

What to Submit
Artists are required to send in their portfolios via photographic transparencies (35mm) or through digital means on a CD/DVD. The specifics of what is needed are detailed in the application .pdf file found in the link below.

Important Links and Other Information

Official Website for RAIR Program
Application Information and FAQs
Full Submission Guidelines and Application Form (PDF Document)

The deadline for applications is December 1, 2010. Send your submission packet to:

Roswell Artist-in-Residence Program
c/o RAIR Foundation
P.O. Drawer 1497
Roswell, NM 88202

There is a $25 application fee for this residency. For questions call the residency office at (575) 622-6037 weekdays during the hours of 1-5 p.m. US mountain time.

Make a Brit Grin
Or to be more specific, make a Londoner smile. The Meme Partnership, a company which is a “socially focused creative enterprise merging public art with contemporary design,” is sponsoring the Smile for London contest.

The Contest
Many people commute daily by using the London Underground rail system.

The trains provide an important transportation service, while the various stops provide numerous digital display screens to inform the passengers.

The Smile for London contest is seeking entertaining 20 second video clips to display on the digital display screens located throughout the London Underground. The sponsors state:

“Create a twenty second piece of animation, moving image or film for the digital screens with the ultimate aim of inspiring, exciting or amusing Londoners as they make their way into work.

“We want you to really push the boundaries of this exciting and underexploited medium. Keep the message positive, inoffensive and remember commuters are looking for an escape from their Tube journey.”

Submission Guidelines
Please note that there is no sound needed for submissions as the video clips will be run without audio on the display screens. The rules state that all videos entered in this contest must follow these criteria:

* Resolution of 1280 x 720
* 16:9 aspect ratio
* QuickTime file format
* Video codecs allowed: Animation, Uncompressed 8-bit 4:2:2
* File size no larger than 2GB
* Containing a silent digital audio stream at 48KHz (2 Channel)
* Should be 20 seconds long.

Video titles and text should follow standard action and title safe parameters: Action safe - 10%; Title safe - 20%.

Judging and Awards
Submitted videos will be eligible for online voting by the general public. The top 50 entries with the most votes will be deemed winners of the contest.

Winners of the contest will have their videos displayed on the London Underground monitors for two weeks in January 2011 and will be invited to the launch event at the Museum of London where the winning videos will be showcased.

Contest Links and Related Contest Information
Because the London Underground stations are brightly lit, videos that are dark or dim will look washed out or be very difficult to view.

Take this into consideration when producing your videos and make adjustments to color and contrast to compensate for these viewing areas.

The contest deadline is December 10, 2010. There is no entry fee for this contest and no limit to the number of entries you wish to submit.

Follow these links for more contest information:

Contest Site and Announcement
Contest Rules and Guidelines (pdf document)
Smile for London Video Submission Site

It’s All About Image
If you are an amateur or professional in photography, the Sony World Photography Awards 2011 contest is an excellent opportunity to compete with an international field of photographers.

The winners receive worldwide recognition for their images in addition to cash awards in their respective contest categories.

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Awards
The winners of each contest category will receive free travel arrangements to the awards ceremony in London, cash awards, and Sony products.

Other Details
In order to enter this contest, you must register for a free account at the official contest site.
Other important information can be viewed at these links:

Frequently Asked Questions about the Contest
Complete Contest Rules
Entry Page for Professionals
Entry Page for Amateurs

There are no entry fees for this contest. Deadline for all submissions is January 5, 2011.

Design a Book Cover
An often overlooked source of art is found on the humble book cover. The book cover art must not only be visually interesting it must also somehow covey a message of the contents of the book–no small matter.

If you are a graphic designer, illustrator or someone who is attuned to the fine art of creating and designing images, you may be interested in the Icon Book Cover Art Competition.

The Contest
This competition is open to everyone 18 years or older. The contest is sponsored by the author of the book, “The Unfastened Heart“.

The re-publication of the novel needs new cover art and the author is announcing an open call to all designers to enter this contest.

Paintings, photographs, graphic art, collage or other visual media are eligible in this competition and may be submitted in a digital representation through a JPEG file to this email address: theiconprize [at] gmail.com.

All entries must be original in nature and must not be defamatory or offensive. Submitted material must be totally original and created by the artist.

If you do not win the contest you may have the option of making your artwork available for sale. The sponsor states:

“This competition is being organized to support and nurture the work and careers of other artists who gather together around a common literary work.

“If your submission does not win the competition but you nevertheless wish to make your original work available for sale, the author may choose to assist you by creating gallery showings of your work, either online or otherwise, at a price you select, with the profit to be realized solely by you.

“If you wish, the author and publisher may also elect, in their sole discretion, to include your submission in a “gallery” of submissions interior to the pages of the book, allowing the book’s readers to see your work, read a brief biography about you, and link to websites displaying more of your work.”

The Awards
The winner of this contest will receive:

* The 2010 Icon Prize
* $1500 in Cash

In addition selected finalist’s artwork may be displayed in the book.

Other Details
There is no limit to the number of submissions you may enter. The deadline for this contest is December 31, 2010. The winner will be announced via email between June 2010 and December 2010. For the complete details about this contest, click here.