Competition Alert! [Photography]

Photography Book Now Competition

 Category:  Photography
Deadline:  July 14, 2011  (6 days left)
Contest’s Website:  [link]

Photography Book Now is an international juried competition celebrating the most creative, most innovative, and finest self-published photography books – and the people behind them.

PBN is open to working photographers, students, and creative enthusiasts, and is judged in four categories: Fine Art, Documentary, Travel, and Student.

• Fine Art:
Entries in this category should be books driven by the personal, artistic interests and concerns of the photographer. Successful submissions will add up to more than just the sum of their parts, whether the work is conceptual or stylistic, the aesthetic is deadpan or modernist, or the artistic practice is in the world of expressive arts or the world of performance.

• Documentary:
Entries in this category are books rooted in the documentary tradition or based on a long-term narrative project. It may be a broader project that evolves out of an assignment, or a personal project arising from your own interests. Successful submissions will be artfully made and tell a compelling story, whether personal or journalistic in nature.

• Travel:
Entries in this category are books about journeys that observe the world at large. Books about exploring far-flung places – or truly seeing what’s in your own backyard with the fresh eyes of a traveler. Successful submissions will convey a sense of curiosity about recognizing, investigating, and honoring places where life in all its complexity happens.

• Student:
This category is open to full- and part-time undergraduate and graduate college students. The work submitted may fit into any of the three professional categories: Fine Art, Documentary, or Travel. Student submissions are not restricted to a particular subject matter. Successful books in this category must have a clear thesis, be well-edited, and exhibit strong photographic talent and skills.

There is no limit to the number of Submissions that any Contestant can make in any category. Submission fee: USD $35 | UK £20 | EUR €27.50 | CAD $35 | AUD $35

Eligibility

The Photography Book Now International Juried Competition is open to Professionals and Students who are English-speaking adults, who are the age of 18 years or older (or of the age of majority in jurisdictions where the age of majority is over 18 years and where such Contests are legal).

Prize

All entries are reviewed by our panel of expert judges, who select a Grand Prize winner, the top winners in each category, first- and second-runners up in each category, and honorable mentions.

And once the judges have made the first cut, you – the people – get to vote for your own favorites to win the PBN People’s Choice Award.

• Grand Prize: $25,000
• Category Winners: $5,000
• People’s Choice Winners: $1,500

Competition Alert! [Architects/People Who are Into Savvy Fabrication]

Ok…soo…maybe I’m a little bit biased about this one [I AM a huge digi_fab geek], but this is a really stellar competition. I can think of at least twenty people off of the top of my head who would be more than well-suited for this competition [*Cough* Monika Wittig…LAN…Christian Jordan…Skylar Tibbits…*Cough*]… 🙂 Super cool..check it out!

Integrative Materialities: Design & Fabrication Competition

Register/Submit: Wednesday, June 15, 2011

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The Brooklyn-based design and fabrication studio, FLATCUT_, announces the ACADIA 2011 Design + Fabrication Competition, an international call for submissions that challenges academics and designers to push the boundaries of materials, minds, and machines. In a partnership with the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (“ACADIA”), FLATCUT_ is opening up their 100,000 square foot fabrication facility, complete with more than 100 cutting-edge machines, as a laboratory for the competition.

UPDATE: The jury has been announced, and consists of Bjarke Ingels, Tod Williams, Dror Benshetrit of Studio Dror and Tom Wiscombe of Emergent.

Each year ACADIA attracts pioneers in computational design to discuss new discoveries in their respective fields. This year FLATCUT_ is offering them the opportunity to translate their ideas into physical form. “We want them to challenge us and to challenge what our machines can do,” says FLATCUT_ founder Tomer Ben-Gal. “We believe this is a great opportunity for designers to search through our encyclopedia of machines and generate innovative ways of combining materials and creating new forms.”

FLATCUT_ and ACADIA are looking for participants to explore integrative material strategies in three design categories: lighting, partitions, and furniture. The jury will be announced in May. Winning designs will be fabricated by FLATCUT_ and exhibited at the ACADIA Conference in Calgary, Canada in October 2011. In addition to having their designs built, the winning designers will receive a $1000 stipend, free admission to the conference and the opportunity to speak on a panel led by Ben-Gal and other Conference organizers.

Designs should demonstrate an experimental approach to the problem of digitally fabricating multiple part assemblies that address both themes of the conference: integrative trajectories- the areas of overlap between design and other disciplines such as computer science, material science, mathematics, and biology – and the performance criteria of the category in which they are situated. Contestants are encouraged to minimize waste and fully engage the performance of their selected materials, to be creative and inventive with their choice of materials and take risks in their material pairings.

“We want to promote design that engages the latent potentials of multiple materials simultaneously in a way that is innovative and takes advantage of the growing range of technologies becoming embedded into the design process.”, said Jason S. Johnson, ACADIA 2011 Co-Chair.

For full competition details or to enter go to:
www.acadia.org/acadia2011/competition.html

Entry Fee: $100

FLATCUT_ is a fabrication studio with a design sensibility that is committed to expanding the creative horizons of designers and architects by exposing them to working models that transcend the traditional, and introducing them to new computational and material capabilities. While they maintain a comprehensive machine shop with state of the art technology and can operate in the traditional sense of “fabricator,” they are excited to be at the forefront of a new design era that integrates the cerebral, creative and material processes. Their design studio in DUMBO, Brooklyn in conjunction with their 100,000 square foot fabrication house in Passaic, NJ is dedicated to pushing the limits of architecture and design through machinery.

The ACADIA 2011 Annual Conference will explore integrative trajectories and areas of overlap that have emerged through computation between design, its allied disciplines of engineering and construction, and other fields, such as computer science, material science, mathematics and biology. The conference will highlight experimental projects in which methods, processes, and techniques are discovered, appropriated, adapted, and altered from elsewhere, and digitally pursued.

Competition Alert! [Typography]

Communication Arts is hosting a call for entries for a typography competition. Get in there!

Description Below, Yo. Lust on!

Typography Competition

Deadline: September 9, 2011

Entries submitted after that date require a $10 per entry late fee.

Our juried competition celebrates the best use of typography as the primary visual element in design and advertising, plus new typeface designs, calligraphy and handlettering.
Chosen by a jury of leading design professionals, the selected entries will be distributed worldwide in the Communication Arts Typography Annual and on commarts.com, assuring important exposure to the creators of this outstanding work.

2012 Typography Jury

Richard Kegler, founder/lead designer, P22 type foundry, Buffalo, NY
Erik Spiekermann, creative director/managing partner, Edenspiekermann, Berlin, Germany
Tiffany Wardle, typographer/graphic designer, Typegirl, San Jose, CA

View Previous Winners

What to Enter: Information on eligibility, categories and fees.
How to Enter: Information on preparation of entries and forms.
Typography Competition FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions about applications and file formats.

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What to Enter

Any project printed, published or aired for the first time within the two years prior to the deadline is eligible. Entries may originate from any country, but we need an English translation for the jurors. Submission of entries acknowledges the right of Communication Arts to use them for publication and exhibition.

Typography Competition Categories/Fees
These categories are judged by the typography jury and will appear in the Typography Annual:
Advertising: $35 single entry/$70 series
Brochures: $35 single entry/$70 series
Posters: $35 single entry/$70 series
Ephemera: $35 single entry/$70 series
Packaging: $35 single entry/$70 series
Books: $35 single entry/$70 series
Periodicals: $35 single entry/$70 series
Digital Media: $35 single entry/$70 series
Environmental: $35 single entry/$70 series
Identity: $35 single entry/$70 series
Motion: $80 single entry/$160 series
Typeface Design: $35 single entry/$70 series
Calligraphy/Handlettering: $35 single entry/$70 series
Miscellaneous: $35 single entry/$70 series
Unpublished: $35 single entry/$70 series

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How to Enter

All competition entries are processed through our online entry system. Printed Call-for-Entry forms are no longer used.

Before you begin the process of entering a competition, please have the following information and materials ready. This will make the process go quickly:

-Your contact information for registration and notification.
-Title of each project.
-Any digital files you might want to submit saved as RGB (not CMYK) JPG format (maximum 1024 pixels wide X 768 pixels high @72dpi)

Entries can be submitted in the following formats:
Print Entries: Submit tearsheets or proofs, unmounted and trimmed as they appeared. Do not tape series together. Send annual reports, brochures, folders, books, catalogs, etc., in bound form. For posters over 18″ x 24,” packaging, displays or signage, submit JPG files with a resolution of 1024(H) x 768(V). Wordmarks must be centered on an 8-1/2″ x 11″ sheet. Place the company name and nature of the business under the mark. Typeface designs must show a complete character set and a sample setting and fit on a single 11″ x 17″ sheet. Type families must show a complete character set and a sample setting for each variant. Each variant must fit on a single 11″ x 17″ sheet.

Audio/Visual Entries: Submit motion graphics on Beta SP NTSC, DVD NTSC (viewable on a standard DVD player) or CD-ROM. Include 4 seconds of black, no slates or bars. Single entries must be on individual cassettes/disks. Series should be edited together on one cassette/disk with 2 seconds of black between each entry. Computer-based formats such as QuickTime or Flash should have a maximum screen size of 1024 x 768. Tape an entry form to the outside of each disk/video case.

Please do not send any pieces of art you want returned. NO ENTRIES WILL BE RETURNED. No exceptions. CA is not responsible for damage or loss of any entry. All entrants grant Communication Arts the right to reproduce work selected in the Typography Competition on the Communication Arts site and in materials used to promote the magazine, the competition and/or future related promotions.

Preparation of Packages
Address packages to Communication Arts Typography Competition. Non-United States contestants should mark each package “Materials for Contest Entry. No Commercial Value.” No provision will be made by Communication Arts for U.S. Customs or airport pickup. International entries should be sent by post or international courier. All entries must be received by the deadline date.

Forms and Entry Fees
After choosing a form of payment, you will have access to PDF reports summarizing what you entered. If you chose to pay by check, you will have an invoice available for printing. If you chose to deliver entries via mail/courier, you will also have entry forms in PDF format that you will need to print, trim and attach to your entries. Tape an entry form to the back of each entry. If the entry is a print-based campaign, you will tape an entry form to each part of the campaign. Tape an entry form to the outside of each disk/video case. Multiple digital files may be placed on a single disk. Please tape all applicable entry forms one on top of the other so we can flip through them to verify the contents of the disk.

Make checks payable to Communication Arts. Non-United States contestants must send an International Money Order or a check in U.S. funds drafted on a U.S. bank. Please include the check with your entries if you are delivering them via mail/courier. If your payment is being sent under a separate cover, please send your entries now, with a note saying that the check is coming under separate cover. If you submit all of your entries online please write the Communication Arts invoice number on the check. The invoice number can be found in the Entry Forms PDF file. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. Charges for your entry fees will appear on your statement as “Commarts”). Credit card charges can only be done online. We do accept wire transfers, however there is a fee of $25 (U.S.) to cover fees charged by the banks to process the transfer. Please contact our office at (650) 326-6040 (9-5 PST) for instructions.

Mail entries to:
Communication Arts Typography Competition
110 Constitution Drive
Menlo Park, CA 94025-1107 U.S.A.
(Via United States Mail, FedEx, UPS, etc. Entrants submitting from outside the U.S. please use an international courier)

Notification of Acceptance
Only accepted entries will be notified two months after the deadline date. Complete credits and any necessary material for the best possible reproduction in the Annuals will be requested at that time. Award of Excellence certificates for firms, individuals and clients will be mailed one month after the publication date.

Questions
If you have any other questions you can reach us by:
Email: competition@commarts.com
Fax: (650) 326-1648

 

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Typography Competition FAQs

 

Can I get an extension on the deadline?
The deadline will be extended two weeks after the published date, but a late entry fee of $10 per submission is required.

Do you offer a cash prize?
We do not offer a cash prize. The winners are featured in one of our annuals distributed worldwide and on commarts.com, assuring important exposure to the creators of this outstanding work.

Are there additional hanging fees or publication fees if my work is selected?
No. There are no additional fees if your work is selected.

Can I submit my work via e-mail and just include a credit card number with it?
You can submit and pay for your entries online.

Will you confirm receipt of my package(s)?
The best way for you to track your package(s) is to contact your carrier. We are unable to acknowledge receipt of your package(s) until your submission(s) has/have been processed. At that time you will receive an e-mail confirming that your package(s) has/have been received, along with your assigned entry number(s). This process can take up to two weeks.

Will my entries be returned?
Because of the number of entries we receive, it is not possible for us to return any of them.

I have already sent in my submission, can I still make a change?
No, due to the large number of entries we receive we are unable to locate individual pieces. If you want to submit additional entries, please submit a new package.

Can we send actual packaging instead of JPGs?
Yes, if it is less than one cubic foot, or if it is necessary to communicate the entire design.

Can I enter one project into two separate categories?
Yes, just make sure to submit a duplicate entry for each of the categories you are entering and attach a separate entry form on each printed submission.

Can I enter my work as a series?
Yes, but all work in a series must be part of the same campaign. When works are submitted as a series they are judged together as a group. The overall strength of the series depends on each individual piece and its function within the campaign.

If my entry is accepted, what will you use for reproduction?
If your work is accepted we will request necessary reproduction materials at that time.

How do you want wordmarks/logos presented?
Send an unmounted output with the wordmark/logo (maximum of 4″ square) centered on a single unmounted 8-1/2″ x 11″ sheet. Text with the client name and nature of the business should appear under the mark for the judges’ information.

How do you want typeface designs presented?
Typeface designs must show a complete character set and a sample setting and fit on a single unmounted 11″ x 17″ sheet. Type families must show a complete character set and a sample setting for each variant. Each variant must fit on a single 11″ x 17″ sheet.

What do you mean by “unmounted”?
We get thousands of entries and they would get very heavy if every entry was mounted on a board. If your entry is very flimsy and you feel it must be mounted on something, please back it with lightweight paper.

The entry instructions state, “Do not send original pieces of art you want returned.” What does that mean?
It simply means that you should not send original drawings, calligraphy or artwork because they will not be returned.

Where do we put creative credits??
All we need is the contact information of the person submitting the work along with the name of the firm or agency entering the project. Creative credits will be requested if your work is chosen for inclusion in the magazine.

I have a poster bigger than 18″ x 24″, can I send it in a mailing tube?
We don’t recommend it; mailing tubes (and the posters inside them) usually arrive damaged. If you must send a poster, send it in a flat package or submit JPG files with a resolution of 1024(H) x 768(V) either online or on CD-ROM.

I’m entering a series, do I pay $70.00 for each piece in the series or $70.00 for the whole thing?
$70.00 for the complete series.

We’re waiting on the check from our accounting department. Can we have an extension?
Please send your entries now, with a note saying that the check is coming under separate cover. If you submit all of your entries online, please write the Communication Arts invoice number on the check. The invoice number can be found in the Entry Forms PDF file.

I don’t know which category to put my piece in?
Choose the category that you feel best fits your submission. If we feel another category is more appropriate, we will move it; your work will not be penalized or disqualified.

Do you accept work on disk?
Entries can be submitted as digital files on disk, although it’s easier to submit them online. Digital files will be projected for the judges. Submit digital images in JPG format with a maximum width of 1024 pixels and a maximum height of 768 pixels. Images with a vertical format must have a height no greater than 768 pixels. Tape an entry form to the outside of each disk case. For posters over 18″ x 24,” packaging, displays and signage, submit JPG files with a resolution of 1024(H) x 768(V). Digital files will be projected for the judges.

Can I submit multiple entries on one CD?
Yes. Please name the files as instructed on the entry forms generated for you and attach all the entry forms (one for each entry) on the CD case. Please enclose each series in its own folder on the CD.

 

How do I enter a Web site?
If you would like your project judged for its typographic design, submit it as a series of captured screenshots and submit it in the 4B (Media/Editorial) category of the Typography Competition. If you want the complete Web site judged, enter it in our Interactive competition.

Is there a category for student work?
The Typography Competition has an Unpublished category, which can include student work. However the work must be completely original and not utilize content owned by another copyright holder unless the entrant has been granted specific usage rights. If a student project is selected and documentation of specific usage rights cannot be supplied, the project will be disqualified. Communication Arts is not liable for any copyright infringement on the part of the entrant and will not become involved in copyright disputes.

What rights do I retain if my work is chosen?
You retain all rights to your images. If selected, you will need to grant us the right to reproduce the image or images for both our online and print-based publication.

How does the judging takes place?
The judging process is a two-part system: screening and finals. In screening, the jurors are divided into multiple groups and each category is distributed equally amongst them. Judges are not permitted to vote on work in which they were directly involved. Each juror views the entries independently. Print entries are spread out on rows of tables and digital entries are projected on a large screen. Any juror can put a print entry into the final voting by picking it up from the table. Digital entries are selected by checking an “in” or “out” column on prepared scoring sheets. For the final round the judges are brought back together as one group. Each judge votes “in” or “out” on each entry. After the judges make their selections, their votes are tallied. A simple majority is usually required for a finalist to be selected a winner.

When will we know if our entry was chosen?
If your entry is chosen we will notify two months after the deadline date. Because of the number of entries we receive, we can only notify people whose work is accepted.

Competition Alert! [Illustrators]

Poster For Tomorrow 2011 Call For Entries

Category: Illustration

Deadline: July 10, 2011 (55 days left)

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” (Nelson Mandela)

Every year poster for tomorrow chooses a basic human right to draw attention to. We then invite the global design community to make posters on this theme that are exhibited around the world on International Human Rights Day, December 10th. We passionately believe that one poster is a start, but one hundred, one thousand, constitute a movement that can’t be denied.

This year we’re fighting for the right to education for all. This might not seem like the most exciting or controversial issue, but it’s one of the utmost importance.

Everyone in the world has the right to an education. That’s a fact. Yet incredibly 121 million children worldwide are not in primary school, despite universal primary education being a right ‘guaranteed’ in the Universal Declaration of Human Right and a UN Millennium Goal; while illiteracy rates are still staggeringly high even in countries where a child’s right to education is guaranteed. In France illiteracy has become a “cause nationale” (with 3.1 million people unable to read, write or count), the rate of illiteracy in the U.K. is “unacceptably” high according to M.P.s, while according to the National Adult Literacy Survey, 42 million adult Americans can’t read (and current estimates have the number of functionally illiterate adults in the U.S. increasing by approximately 2,500,000 people each year). This is truly a problem that affects us all.

We would now like to invite you to use the most powerful weapon you possess, your creativity, to illustrate a poster and add your voice to the call for education for all.

There’s no entry fee.

Eligibility

An entry to the competition consists of a portrait format (vertical) poster addressing the proposed creative brief. Posters may be designed by a single author or by a team.

Illustrations submitted to the contest must be original artworks that are previously unpublished. The illustrations must consist entirely of the authors’ own work and must not include any copyrighted material. Participants may submit up to 10 different posters.

Prize

poster for tomorrow rewards the 100 best designs received by including them in an exhibition that will be held in a series of cities around the world on 10th December 2011, as part of an event called “a day for tomorrow”, that celebrates the anniversary of the Declaration of Human Rights.

Ten designs will be made part of prestigious graphic design collections in numerous design museums worldwide.

Competition Alert! Linux T-Shirt Design

Hey Quirklusters!

This competition is for a Linux T-Shirt design—holy crap that’s a great way to get a buttload of people to wear your design! Check out the deets below.

Category:  Multiple Disciplines
Deadline:  May 30, 2011  (16 days left)
Contest’s Website:  [link]

Developing and submitting code are not the only ways to contribute to Linux. Contribution to the Linux community comes in all forms, which includes submitting your creative design for the annual Linux.com Store T-shirt design contest.

This year, the T-shirt Design Contest will celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Linux by soliciting designs that represent the impact of the operating system on computing, business and/or culture.

These guidelines are general on purpose: show what a 20th Anniversary of Linux T-shirt should look like. It can look back at 20 years of innovation; it can focus on today’s celebration; or it could illustrate what the future holds for the operating system. Or, all of the above.

Eligibility

The 2011 Linux.com Store T-shirt Design Contest is open to anyone.

The design file must be no larger than 640×480 (.jpg, .png, .gif) and must be under 1MB in size. Please remember that while your submission is only a .jpg or .png, the winner will be required to provide a vectorized version (.svg, .eps, .pdf) of their design to print on the T-shirt.

Prize

The winning design will be used for the official LinuxCon T-shirt, which means every attendee at this year’s event will receive the T-shirt. That’s a lot of people wearing your design. The T-shirt will also be available in the Linux.com Store as the official 20th anniversary of Linux T-shirt.

The Top Five designs will be announced and hosted on Linux.com beginning the week of 5 June 2011 for two weeks of community voting. The winner will be revealed late June/early July and will be awarded travel to Vancouver, B.C. to attend LinuxCon and the 20th Anniversary Gala in August.

Lust On!

Competition Alert! [Architects, Designers, Planners, Landscape Architects, Engineers]

Hey Quirklusters!

There’s a new competition out there for Architects, Designers, Engineers, Urban Planners, Landscape Archies, etc. –Sounds really amazing and there’s some big bucks to be had for the winner! Check it out below.

Lust on!

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Close the Gap invites architects, landscape architects, urban designers, engineers, and students worldwide to broaden the dialogue of alternative solutions for sustainable urban living.

The competition focuses on the Midtown sector of New York City’s East River Greenway – a critical missing link in Manhattan’s alternative transportation infrastructure.

Close the Gap requests urban design solutions that complete the missing link between East 38th and East 60th streets, integrating alternative means of transportation including walking, jogging, biking, etc., as well as leisure and recreation space.

Close the Gap calls for proposals that fundamentally transform how people move through Manhattan. The competition offers a platform for exploring emerging ethics and aesthetics in urban design, as well trans-disciplinary underpinnings that link ecology with architecture, landscape architecture, planning, and urbanism. Close the Gap welcomes submissions that propose diverse, multi-layered, and nuanced understandings reconnecting people with cities, waterfronts, and alternative transportation systems. Entrants are encouraged to craft the fullest possible definition of alternative transportation that offers the potential to flexibly adapt and grow over time.

Eligibility

Individual or group entries worldwide are accepted. No limit on the number of participants per team.

Prize

Top concepts, designs, and images will be selected as finalists by a diverse jury of distinguished academics and professionals.

• First Prize: $3000 cash prize
• Second Prize: $2000 cash prize
• Third Prize: $1000 cash prize
• Special Mention Categories

Winning and top projects will be publicized in a broad media campaign in Fall 2011. An exhibition of competition winners will be shown at the Center for Architecture in NYC, Center Gallery at Fordham University, as well as other venues. A permanent gallery of all projects submitted to the competition will be published on-line. A print publication of winning and top design proposals is anticipated.

Competition Alert! [Photographers]

Hey Quirklusters!

Here’s a super cool photography competition that is a really beautiful opportunity. I know there are some world-changing photographers out there, so get on this…wherever you are! You can visit the competition’s main page here: http://www.graphiccompetitions.com/jump.php?contest=i-am-an-entrepreneur-photo-competition

Lust on!

Contest details

Cambridge, MA – January 1, 2011 – The SEVEN Fund is pleased to announce the ‘I Am an Entrepreneur’ photography competition. This competition recognizes the outstanding use of photography to tell compelling stories of role model entrepreneurs from around the world. Anyone globally is welcome to participate in this competition.

Each quarter, ‘I am an Entrepreneur’ features a new theme to inspire photographers and document a different aspect of the entrepreneur’s experience. The theme for April – June 2011 is entrepreneurship and education.

During 2011, the competition will award four (4) prizes, one every three months, over a period of one year. One finalist will be selected every three months, with a winning photograph for the quarter’s theme, and will receive a prize of $250. The grand prize winner (selected from among the 4 finalist photographs) will receive $1,000 at the end of the competition.

Often, the imagery associated with developing nations captures the misery that accompanies poverty. While it is important that these things are taken seriously and are documented, we believe that developing nations also represent tremendous opportunities for hope. The “I am an Entrepreneur” competition strives to reframe the dialogue around solutions to poverty by infusing the world’s imagination with new imagery that focuses on entrepreneurship. Our objective with this competition is to gather stunning photographs profiling individual entrepreneurs from around the globe.

At SEVEN, we believe an opportunity exists to change the terms of discourse surrounding poverty; and to break through existing stereotypes about emerging economies to change the assumptions and behaviors of entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, aid professionals, academics, and business leaders by exposing them to successful models of enterprise-based development. We believe that entrepreneurs who are starting and running for-profit businesses in ethical ways -serving customers, treating and paying workers well, generating returns for investors, and making investments in the public good – should be celebrated. These entrepreneurs are role models, in their own communities and on a global scale.

Photographers are invited to submit iconic images that embody the spirit of entrepreneurship and private sector innovation. In particular, during the second quarter of 2011, we are interested in imagery that focuses on entrepreneurial ventures and education. Examples can focus on entrepreneurs leading training programs or learning from others; private and public education in the developing world; private sector led innovations in education; and more. We invite you to surprise us with your creativity.

For winning photographs from SEVEN’s 2010 competition, please visit: http://www.sevenfund.org/entrepreneur-image/winners.php

The competition will award four (4) prizes, one every three months, over a period of one year. Each month, one finalist will be selected and will receive a prize of $250. The grand prize winner (selected from among the 4 finalist photographs) will receive $1,000 at the end of the competition. Finalist photos will be announced on the 15th of thefourth month, from January 2011 to December 2011. The grand prize winner will be announced on January 30, 2012. All winning photos will be featured on SEVEN’s homepage and publications, and prominently displayed in galleries at SEVEN-sponsored programs and conferences around the globe.
About SEVEN

SEVEN (Social Equity Venture Fund) is a virtual non-profit entity run by entrepreneurs whose strategy is to markedly increase the rate of innovation and diffusion of Enterprise-based Solutions to Poverty. It does this by targeted investment that fosters thought leadership through books, films and websites supporting role models – whether they are entrepreneurs or innovative firms – in developing nations and shaping a new discourse in government, the press and the academy around private sector innovation, prosperity and progressive human values.
Q&A

Who qualifies to compete in the photo competition?
Anyone may participate in this photo competition. The winning photographers will be required to enter into a contract with SEVEN prior to final awards stating that they hold rights to the image and granting SEVEN a perpetual, worldwide, royalty free license to use the image in connection with the competition. We welcome participants from every field of study, discipline, level and area of professional experience, and geographic region. Submission of the photograph grants SEVEN the right to use the photograph in its media, including but not limited to its website, marketing materials, or upcoming books and films. Any photograph selected to be used in that way would be done so with proper attribution to the photographer, who would also be compensated for that work at market rates.

Which photo should I submit?
Applicants should submit photos of individuals that they feel embody the spirit of entrepreneurship. Selected photos should be relevant to that quarter’s selected theme.

What languages must the “I am an Entrepreneur” be included in?
Each submission should include the phrase “I am an Entrepreneur” in the local or indigenous language of the person portrayed in the photograph.

What are the technical specifications for the competition?
Photos from any geographic location may be submitted. Photo submissions can be in color or black and white, and must be digital photos. Sample illustrative pictures are provided; SEVEN looks forward to receiving a broad stylistic range of photos, including but not limited to abstract, impressionistic, various tints, an element of the face, etc. Let your imagination be your guide.

How do I submit my photo?
Photos must be submitted electronically using the submission form on SEVEN’s website. No printed photos will be accepted. Along with the submission, you MUST include the following information in the submission form:

* Your full name and mailing address, a contact telephone number and your email address.
* A brief paragraph biography of the photographer.
* A title for the photograph
* A brief description of the image, including where and when it was taken, any information on the person or other details in the image, and any relevant stories

How should the photo be formatted?
We can only accept digital photo submissions. No printed photos will be accepted. Photos must be submitted electronically as a high resolution image, of up to 2200 pixels at 72 dpi. The maximum file size is 2MB. All photos must be in .jpg format. Photos can be in color or black and white, and must be appropriate for printing as a 16 x 20 inch print, as winning photos will be printed and featured in galleries at SEVEN sponsored events.

What, if any, digital modifications are permitted on photos?

Not Permitted:

* No borders or frames may be added to images.
* No watermarks, signatures, or copyright notices may be added to images. All winning images will be displayed with the photographer’s name.
* Artistic filters are not permitted.

Permitted Modifications:

* Images may be cropped and rotated as necessary as long as the rectangular format is maintained and the size is within the specifications above.
* Images may be resized as long as the aspect ratio is maintained
* Red-eye removal and spot editing
* One-step enhancement (such as “AutoFix”, “QuickFix”, “Auto Levels”, etc.)
* Use of filters to sharpen, soften, blur, despeckle, or remove noise.
* Use of corrective functions to improve the natural appearance of the image, such as levels, contrast, brightness, curves, intensity, tone, hue, saturation, lightness, value, color balance, and tint.

Can I submit a photo taken by someone other than myself?
Photos must be submitted by the original photographer. Photo submissions that are taken by someone other than the applicant will not be accepted.

Am I required to have a release?
All photographers are expected to have the appropriate releases on file, and are expected to provide to SEVEN within five business days if requested. Photographers, if they do not have their own release, may use the sample release as provided by SEVEN Fund.

How are photos judged?
All photos that comply with the call for photo rules will undergo a competitive process of confidential jury review. Expert SEVEN Fund jurors will evaluate and rank the photos according to the criteria described in the call for submissions. The winning applicants will be required to enter into a contract with SEVEN prior to final award. The judges decisions are final, and there is no recourse.

What are the judges looking for when selecting winning photographs?
The I am an Entrepreneur photography competition judges are looking for high-quality photographs that embody the spirit of entrepreneurship, with particular focus on entrepreneurial ventures and technology. We are especially interested in photographs that capture some emotional quality associated with entrepreneurship: risk, innovation, excitement at possibilities, fear, wonder, etc.

Can I submit multiple photos?
You may one photograph per month to the competition.

What if I’m unable to submit my photo electronically?
Only applications submitted through this form on our website will be accepted. If you encounter problems, please contact SEVEN at info(at)sevenfund.org.

Why has my submitted photo been rejected?
SEVEN reserves the right to reject any submitted photo. Photographs featuring any inappropriate material will be rejected. Please note that we take a particularly hard lined approach to photographs that include children. Even if the custom in a region may be to have children wearing limited clothing, photographs of that nature will be rejected immediately and without exception. Photographers may crop inappropriate images out of otherwise acceptable photographs. SEVEN also reserves the right to reject photos that clearly do not reflect the theme of the competition.

What sort of legal organization is SEVEN?
SEVEN is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) corporation under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

What if I have additional questions?
You may send your questions to info(at)sevenfund.org.
Important Dates

* Inaugural SEVEN fund call for photos – January 2011.
* Winning photos will be chosen every four months – Deadlines for photo submission are March 31st, June 30th, September 30th, and December 15th by 12:00AM EST – Photos submitted after the last day of these months will be eligible for the prize to be awarded in the next quarter.
* The competition will run from January 2011 to December 2011. The first of four finalist prizes will be awarded on April 15, 2011. The grand prize will be awarded on December 31, 2011.

Terms & Conditions

The SEVEN Fund has sole and absolute discretion to determine which submission entries, if any, merit an award. The SEVEN Fund reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to change, modify, extend or reduce the terms and conditions of, or to suspend or terminate, the competition without prior notice. SEVEN will endeavor to inform participants of any such change, modification, extension, reduction, suspension or termination, as the case may be, through any media outlet deemed appropriate by SEVEN in its sole and absolute discretion. SEVEN further reserves the right to nullify and/or cancel any part or all of the competition if it appears that any fraud or malfunctions have occurred in any form whatsoever. Each participant undertakes to indemnify and keep SEVEN harmless from and against any loss, damage, claims, costs and expenses which may be incurred by or asserted against SEVEN as a result of such participant’s participation in the competition. Participation in the competition and submission of photographs grants SEVEN a perpetual, worldwide, royalty free license to use the images in its sole discretion. Submission of the photograph grants SEVEN the right to use the photograph in its media, including but not limited to its website, marketing materials, or upcoming books and films. Any photograph selected to be used in that way would be done so with proper attribution to the photographer, who would also be compensated for that work at market rates.

All photographers are expected to have appropriate subject releases on file granting the photographer permission to use the photograph in accordance with the terms and conditions of the competition and to provide those releases to SEVEN Fund within five business days if requested.

All photographs submitted are subject to the Foundation’s judgment for inclusion. SEVEN Fund may decline to include any submission at its sole discretion.

Competition Alert!

Hey Quirklusters!

There’s a new competition out there waiting to be had–this one is for all of your architects/interior designers/urban planners/landscape archies, etc! It’s through SuckerPUNCH, which is one of my favorite places to seek out competitions. They’re always really interesting, and typically involve great cash prizes or some stellar publication. I’ve copied the details below. I think it would be fun if there was a Quirkust team created…just saying…

Lust on!

center for urban farming
///theCOMPETITION

As the interest and demand rises in New York City for locally grown food and the appreciation for a wealth of vegetables and plants deepens, there exists an opportunity to develop an urban agriculture for the city. Urban farming has the potential to raise city dwellers’ awareness of their food sources and increase their appreciation for agriculture and sustainable practices. In addition to providing fresh nutrient rich food, the farms will provide a wealth of new employment opportunities in the city as well as potential revenue from urban farm markets. Waste incurred by shipping food into the city will also be reduced and will allow for even fresher farm to table opportunities at the markets and restaurants.

This open international ideas competition is for a Center for Urban Farming. This center will experiment with a small farm within New York City while also developing programs and serving as an educational hub for the promotion of urban agriculture. The facilities will house testing centers for developing means of safely and efficiently farming in the city as well as offices for staff working to develop land in the city and promote the cause.  There will also be exhibition space and lecture space for events and symposia. While farming is a fundamental part of our history, to make urban agriculture succeed, technology and science will play an important role. The celebration of progress and technology should be explored in the architecture for this project. The notion of a farm should be reconsidered as its placement in a dense metropolis is quite different than its historically rural setting in the same way that the use of hydro/aeroponics and other soil remediation techniques rethink the relationship of food to the ground. There also exist important variables such as the decision to grow indoors versus outdoors or on ground level versus rooftop. In any case the land around the center’s planning and use is vital to the project as well as its relationship to the building. The farm will recycle its black water to take advantage of rainwater harvesting. The center and farm spaces should strive for an exuberance to match the exciting potential and serve as a visual landmark in the city.

///theSITE

The site for the project is located adjacent to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. This area was used to build ships for the US Navy, starting in 1801. The Brooklyn Navy Yard has historically embraced new and innovative technologies. Many of the early American steam ships were constructed and worked on at this yard. The site was the first place in the US that a steam powered pile driver was implemented and was also one of the first dry docks. The Niagara was the first ship to lay trans-atlantic telegraph cable from the dock of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The first song broadcast over wireless radio went out form the Dolphin when it was docked at the Yard. In 1966 the dock was closed and then bought by the city of New York to be transitioned into an industrial park. The Navy Yard currently houses diverse businesses such as movie studios, furniture manufacturers, ship repairers, architectural designers, electronics distributors and jewelers. The site is rich with history including two decades of the celebration of progressive technology and urban employment. Currently the site is used by a tow company as a place to store impounded cars, for this ideas competition the pound will be relocated leaving the site vacant. Site is zoned as M1-2. See http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/zone/zh_m1.shtml for more details.

///PROGRAM

Lobby 3000 sq ft
Exhibition gallery 10000 sq ft
2-Lecture halls 2500 sq ft each
3-classrooms 1000 sq ft each
Cafe serving food grown on site 10000 sq ft
Offices 3000 sq ft
Restrooms [8] 100 sq ft min each
Conference room 1000 sq ft
Laboratories [4] 2500 sq ft each
Delivery Dock for receiving and shipping 2500 sq ft
Storage 3000 sq ft
Parking – One Space / 2000SF
Farm space and type defined by entrant
This is an open international ideas competition hosted by suckerPUNCH to generate progressive contemporary design ideas. There are no plans for the Urban Farm to be built at this time. The site is not owned by or affiliated with suckerPUNCH.

///jury/AWARDS

robertBRACKETT (ffflourish)
lonnCOMBS (EASTON + COMBS)
abigail COOVER (hume coover studio, suckerPUNCH)
annaDYSON (Center for Architecture Science & Ecology)
jose GONZALEZ (SOFTlab)
nathan HUME (hume coover studio, suckerPUNCH)
seanLALLY (WEATHERS)
ronniePARSONS (studioMODE)
mike SZIVOS (SOFTlab)
keith VANDERSYS (PEG office of landscape + architecture)
This competition is blind peer reviewed.
$2500 in prizes will be awarded and the winning designs will be published on suckerPUNCH.

///entryREQUIREMENTS

this is an open ideas competition. entrants will be required to digitally submit two [2] boards at 18” high x 24”wide and 150dpi in tiff format with the provided 5 digit code in a 1”x1” square in the lower right hand corner of each board. image requirements are as follows: plans all necessary site and floor plans to describe the project including at the minimum a ground level plan describing the form, integration of program and relationship to the site
*scale is at the discretion of the entrant

sections
one [1] north/south section
one [1] east/west section
*scale is at the discretion of the entrant
renderings
one [1] aerial view
one [1] exterior view of the farm
one [1] interior view
*one rendering best describing the formal and atmospheric intent of the project must be rendered at 10” high x
13” wide and 150dpi in tiff format. this image is to be included on the boards as one of the above views.
///competitionSCHEDULE
04 April 2011 competition launch
13 May 2011 deadline for questions may
16 May 2011 answers to questions will be posted on suckerPUNCH
23 May 2011 early registration deadline
15 August 2011 registration deadline
22 August 2011 project submission deadline
12 September 2011 winners will be posted on suckerPUNCH

///registration/FEES

entrants may register by submitting payment to suckerPUNCH via paypal and contact info to competitions@ suckerPUNCHdaily.com. once payment and contact info is received, an email will be sent containing all project documentation (including dimensioned cad plan, 3d model, aerial photo, site photos, and zoning information) and a 5 digit identification number to be placed in a 1”x1” square on the bottom right corner of each board. the
submission procedure will also be outlined in this email.
early registration fee – $35
registration fee – $65
please email any questions to competitions@suckerPUNCHdaily.com

//links

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/a/agriculture/urban_agriculture/index.
html?scp=1-spot&sq=urban%20agriculture&st=cse

The Problem

http://www.greenthumbnyc.org/
http://www.justfood.org/
http://www.urbanfarming.org/

Homepage

http://www.added-value.org/
http://aerofarms.com/