Calling All Aspiring Art and Graphic Designers
Langara College and Rethink Communications are offering one $18,000 two-year scholarship to Langara’s Communication and Ideation Design program. The CID curriculum at Langara College centers on expanding the creative aspects related to graphic design, art direction, and other visual-media related fields.

The winner of this competition will also receive an internship at Rethink, a cutting edge communications-idea agency located in Canada.

The Rethink competition is open to anyone 19 years or older. You should be able to attend full-time classes starting September 2010 semester. This contest originates in Canada. If an international student wins this award, the scholarship is conditional upon the issue of a valid student visa. Participants in this contest must also have a valid high school diploma or equivalent background.

The Contest Details
This contest is announcing an open call for submissions of sketchbooks from all art and graphic designers.  According to the sponsors:

“The sketchbook can be any size in terms of width and height, but it must have a hard black cover. Also, the number of pages in the book might vary depending on where you get it, though it should not exceed 250.

“Remember not to worry about filling out the whole book, because a few brilliant ideas are always better than a huge pile of mediocre work…

“Your job is to put your most interesting ideas into that sketchbook to demonstrate what you can do. Your book should also tell us something about who you are.”

The official application form must accompany your sketchbook. The form can be downloaded by clicking here. Mail your sketchbook for this contest to:

The Rethink Scholarship
700-470 Granville St.
Vancouver, BC
V6C 1V5
Canada

Judging and Submission Tips
The judges for this contest want to be “amazed” by your work. Entries will be judged upon:

* The clarity of the ideas and how they are executed …within your sketchbook.
* The relevance in association to the scholarship program ….you are applying to.
* How “fresh” and imaginative the thinking is.
* The craft and production value of your work.
* Quality over quantity of your sketches. You don’t have to show ever idea you’ve had.

The sponsors of this contest provide the following tips regarding the submission of sketchbooks:

* Give your book an idea (or ideas) beyond your bio. If we wanted that we’d just steal your diary.
* Your application to a communication arts program should, well, communicate, artistically.
* Don’t use the entire book if there’s no reason to. Remember that a few great ideas will always …beat an entire book filled with mediocre work.
* Pen and paper aren’t your only options. Sculptures, photos, interactive, it’s all fair game.
* It never hurts to show us your thinking, we like seeing how you got to what you’re presenting.

Other Details
Complete details for this contest can be found by clicking here and here. The official application form can be downloaded as a PDF document by clicking here. Questions about his contest should be directed to questions [at] rethinkscholarship.com.

The contest deadline is June 1, 2010. There is no entry fee for this competition.

Design City Benches for Athens
Athens, Greece is well-renowned for its rich history, cultural heritage and beauty.

To further enhance the city’s picturesque setting the city officials are seeking new concepts from industrial designers for a citywide makeover of its benches. The contest is named Athens Bench Mark.

The citizens of Athens will select the top 100 entries from among all submitted works. From this group of finalists, a jury will select three winning designs. At least one design will be utilized for the production of the city’s new benches.

“bench (a) noun, a simple structure placed in open spaces (parks, bus stops etc.) and used as a seat.”

Contest Details
Since winning entries will be used as production plans for benches used throughout Athens, there are specific guidelines and design rules that must be followed to meet the city’s wishes for aesthetic and functional purposes.

According to the contest rules the submitted designs should exhibit:

* Design aesthetics and harmony - the way it is implied …by the central idea of the contest - in the relation of …the relevant proposal with the urban environment.
* Object ergonomics to suit not only the average user but as well the elder, disabled people etc.
* Quality of materials and functionality
* Innovative and sustainable design.
* Environmentally friendly and other possible materials and methods …of building the final product in an eco-friendly or energy saving …manner as a “Green product.”
* Capability of using the modern present industrial machinery and …realistic, cost efficient, mass production methods… “smart design.”
* Compact design, resistance to vandalism, endurance in time under …all environmental conditions, and ease of installation.

N. Kaklamanis, Mayor of Athens, said:

“Athens Bench Mark, is at once, a global call for creativity, an artistic event, a project that contributes to the international promotion of our city and an attempt for Athens to become a modern, high quality tourist destination.”

Photographer T. Karapanagiotis, President of “The World of Athens,” added:

“…By designing, voting, changing benches in Athens, maybe we can put our own personal touch and change our routine a little.

“To get out for lunch instead of eating it at our office, let the light breeze refresh us. To meet a friend at a bench rather than a cafeteria. To read a newspaper on a Sunday and sit at a bench rather than being confined in a house.

“We hope Athenians and others will participate in designing your own bench or vote for one of your favorite benches. Our goal is to involve the citizens in the city they live in.”

“The Athens Bench Mark is here and gives everyone the opportunity to leave their mark in Athens…”

Other Contest Details
There will be three cash awards:

* First prize: 5.000€ (6,836 USD)
* Second prize: 3.000€ (4,101 USD)
* Third prize: 2.000€ (2,734 USD)

The official rules and entry guidelines of the Athens Bench Mark contest can be found by clicking here. For the technical specifications on file format details and what is needed in your submission package, click here. The contest entry form can be seen by clicking here.

The Athens Bench Mark contest deadline is April 6, 2010.

All Animators Welcome
The 4^th Annual Aniboom Awards, sponsored by Sesame Street, is an open international competition that offers animators the opportunity to win development deals and cash for their winning entries.

What the Contest Wants
The sponsors are seeking animation content that is geared towards specific categories. According to Sesame Street there are five:

1. School readiness skills: Numbers, Letters and Shapes
Sample videos: Numbers - Ten Tiny Turtles
Letters - Plain White T’s Song
Shape - The BridgeKeeper Triangle

2. Pro-Social (emphasizing socialization aspects for children)
Sample video: TJ Meets Margarita

3. Pinball (new animation set to at least 30 seconds of a music soundtrack, you can use the original track or mix it to create a new version)
Sample video: Pinball Count Animation
Sample soundtrack: Pinball Count soundtrack

4. “Sky’s the Limit” (open category that is up to the animator’s imagination)

5. Community Favorite (chosen using Aniboom’s unique ranking system)

Other Details
This contest is offering awards totaling $50,000 in prizes and development deals. There will be five category winners plus one overall Grand Prize winner. For the complete rules and guidelines for this contest, click here.

To submit your entries a free account must be opened at Aniboom. Click here to register.

All entrants must agree to and read the submission agreement. Click here for the complete details. The deadline for this contest is April 26^th, 2010.

Frogs Are Our Friends
Frogs can be found, virtually everywhere, throughout the Earth in jungles, lakes, ponds, waterways, marshes, forests and other natural habitats.

Frogs are not only interesting and unique creatures that are able to live on land or in the water; they serve an important role in balancing the ecosystem by eating various insects, small animals or pests.

Frogs also serve as a source of nutrition for larger animals in the food chain.

Frog Population Declining
According to various studies the population and health of frogs are declining due to deforestation, climate change, and pollution. The organization, Save the Frogs, is an international group of scientists, naturalists, educators and policymakers whose goal is to help protect amphibious creatures by educating the public and through legislation efforts.

The Contest
Save the Frogs is holding its 2nd Annual Save the Frogs Art Contest. The competition is especially calling for entries from art students and teachers, however amateur and professional graphic designers are welcome to enter as well.

The contest is international and artists from any country can enter. There is no entry fee for this contest.

The sponsor of the contest is asking for submissions that have graphic elements that feature images of amphibians, the text Save the Frogs!, Save the Frogs.com or both texts.

The winning artwork will be used on various Save the Frog items such as t-shirts, mugs, hats, posters, and stickers. The money raised from the sale of these items will be used for conservation efforts by Save the Frogs, a public funded charity.

Contest Guidelines
A Grand Prize Winner will be selected from one of the following age categories:

* Under 10 years old
* 10-13 years old
* 13-17 years old
* 18 years and older

Submissions for this contest may include artwork that is either hand-drawn or produced through a computer graphics program.

The theme of the image may include pictures of frogs, toads, salamanders, caecilians or newts. The artwork may be in color or black and white.

According to the contest sponsors, artwork entered to this contest must be original and not be based upon the artwork of others. All artwork must refer to the theme Save the Frogs by including one of the following elements in a clear and legible form by showing:

– the phrase SAVE THE FROGS! (capitalized, with an exclamation point!)
– the phrase savethefrogs.com (lowercase with NO exclamation point)
– both SAVE THE FROGS! and savethefrogs.com (as in a logo)

These two phrases can appear on the same design, or alternatively you could put one phrase each on two related pieces of artwork which could work well as the front and back of a t-shirt, or on the outside and inside of greeting cards, for example.

For complete instructions on image format, resolution settings and submission guidelines click here. For questions concerning this contest that are not covered on the official website, send your emails to: art [at] savethefrogs.com

Awards
Each age category winner will receive $35 in cash and a $30 credit to the Save the Frogs gift center. The Grand Prize Winner and category winners may have their artwork featured on products and items sold by the Save the Frogs gift center.

Contest winners and honorable mentions will be acknowledged on the Save the Frogs website along with images of their artwork.

Other Info
For those who wish to submit their entries via regular mail, click here for the contest entry form. Complete contest rules can be found by clicking here. The art contest terms and condition can be found by clicking here.

The deadline for entries is September 29, 2010.

Tate Art Galleries, with four locations in the United Kingdom, and cultureLabel.com–an unique culture store that offer items from over 70 museum shops, artists, galleries and institutions are announcing an open call to all graphic artists and designers to enter the 2010 Release Contest.

Contest Details
The sponsors of this contest are seeking, “…two outstanding product designs that will be produced and sold in Tate shops, through Tate Online and at CultureLabel.com.”

According to the contest guidelines, the winning product design could:

* Capture the experience of Tate visitors, be they young or old, from the UK or from across the …globe
* Capture the impact that Tate has had on the public’s experience of galleries and its influence on …the arts
* Be inspired by the architecture of the buildings, such as the iconic Tate Modern, which is 10 years …old in 2010
* Be inspired by any of Tate galleries, which include Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate St Ives, Tate …Liverpool and also Tate Online

There are two product design categories - products that fall into a retail price range of up to £10 (15 USD) and the second with a retail price of up to £100 (150 USD).

Product Design Guidelines
For a product that will be sold for up to £10 (15 USD) the sponsors state:

“This product will become a much-loved and widely recognized souvenir of any visit to a Tate gallery - the object that anyone visitor will want to take home.

“You might want to focus on London and Tate Modern or Tate Britain and seek to create an iconic tourist souvenir that rivals the ‘Mind the Gap T-shirt’. Or, perhaps you are more inspired by the idyllic coastal setting of Tate St Ives or the post-industrial gallery spaces of Tate Liverpool?

“We want to capture the experience of someone visiting Tate - whether the magic of the first visit or the allure that keeps people coming back. Alternatively, you might seek to capture the impact that Tate has had on the public’s experience of art - transforming galleries into experiential, interactive and lifestyle spaces attracting incredibly diverse audiences.”

For example, some ideas for the sub £10 class of products could be things such as key fobs, cups, posters, t-shirts, folios, pens or other small items.

For product designs that will be sold for up to £100 (150 USD) the guidelines state:

“This more premium product might be the collector’s item that captures the human experience held in Tate.

“We still want to capture the spirit of Tate described above but this product could be a much sought after limited edition, object or accessory and would have the creative flair, artistic and design values reflecting Tate brand and the higher price point.”

Ideas for products in this pricing tier could be, but not limited to, items such as special edition posters or prints, ceramic pieces, jewelry or lithography prints.

Prizes
The winner will receive a cash award of £500 (750 USD) plus royalty payments for the first 6 months of the sales of the design.

Other information
There is an entry fee of £5 (7.50 USD). For the complete rules and guidelines for this contest, click here. To submit your product design idea, click here. All questions regarding this contest should be sent to release [at] culturelabel.com.  The deadline for this contest is March 22, 2010.

Calling All Amateur Photographers
Sigma, a manufacturer of photography lenses and accessories and Photographer’s Forum are announcing an open call to all amateur photographers to enter its 30^th Annual Spring Photography Contest.

This contest is open to individuals worldwide. There is no age limit but the contest is strictly for amateurs only. If you are a professional photographer, you may not enter.

Contest Details
The contest is open-themed and there are no specific categories for subject matter. Photographs that are submitted must indicate if they are being entered as a color or black and white entry.

Winning photos will be published in the November 2010 issue of Photographer’s Forum magazine. All contest finalists will be published in the hardcover edition of Best Photography 2010.

This is an entry fee of $3.95 USD per photo. There is no limit to the number of photos you may enter as long as each submission is covered by an entry fee. If you submit your photos by April 19, 2010 the entry fee is $3.95 USD. If you submit your photos after April 19, 2010 the entry fee is $4.95 USD per photo.

To submit your photos online, click here to register and upload your submissions. Online entries must have a long dimension of at least 1000 pixels and no larger than 3000 pixels. Save all work in JPG format at the highest quality setting. Requirements for color space are Adobe1998, sRGB or untagged color space. File size should not exceed 4MB.

To submit your photos or slides via standard mail, the sponsor states:

* Enter black & white or color prints or slides. Do not send disks.
* Prints must be unmounted 9×12 or smaller.
* Label every photo with your name and address, and indicate which edge is the top.
* Make checks payable to Photographer’s Forum.
* All entries MUST include payment, entry form, and photographs.

Prizes
According to the official details for this contest the awards are:

First Place Grand Prize
$2,000 cash award from Photographer’s Forum PLUS Sigma
24-70 mm lens

Second Place
$1,000 cash award from Photographer’s Forum PLUS Sigma
12-24 mm lens

Third Place
$500 cash award from Photographer’s Forum

Fourth Place
Five $100 awards

100 Honorable Mentions
All Honorable Mentions will be listed in the November 2010 issue of Photographer’s Forum magazine and will receive a gold embossed certificate of outstanding merit from Photographer’s Forum.

Other Information
For contest rules click here to download the PDF document. For the contest FAQs and additional guidelines click here. The contest deadline is May 17, 2010. Finalists will be notified by August 2, 2010. Winners will be notified by August 16, 2010.