Contests

Alexa Melone, grand prize winner in The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts Poster Design Competition 2007, created a captivating poster design integrating both pencil sketch and sophisticated design technique to illustrate the theme for The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts Poster Design Competition, "Life is Better with Art in It."

Sponsored by The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts, The Poster Design Competition was created to recognize, encourage and reward young artistic talent at the high school level. High school seniors with an interest in graphic design were eligible to enter the competition to express their visual interpretation of why "Life is Better With Art in It."

As grand prize winner in the competition, Alexa will be awarded a $25,000 tuition scholarship to study at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

Alexa is excited to have the opportunity to study at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh and the chance to follow her love of art into a professional career. "I was ecstatic and extremely flattered that my poster was selected, especially after seeing all of the other posters submitted. So many of them were innovative and amazing and I felt so honored even to be considered in a contest that had so many creative entries."

"It is always a thrill for us to see what incredible artistic talent is out there among high school students. Not only can they create amazing artwork, but they have a point of view and a perspective that is mature and thoughtful," said John Mazzoni, President, The Art Institutes.

For the partnering organization in The National Poster Design Competition, "We are pleased to support the exceptional work of these students. From the studio to the classroom to the conference room, these emerging artists are at the forefront of bringing creativity and innovation into the nation's workforce," said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts.

The competition, which began in February 2007, took place in two stages — locally and nationally. Students submitted their entries to a participating Art Institute location. Local competitions were held in March and a local winner from each participating Art Institute location was selected. These first place local winners' entries were placed into consideration for national judging, which took place April 13-May 4, 2007.

A panel of graphic design professionals, visited The Art Institutes' Web site and scored the 31 entries on a 100 point-value system. Approximately $100,000 in tuition scholarships to The Art Institutes was awarded to the top 10 students in the competition.

The top twelve winners' work in the national competition will be featured in a calendar, to be distributed to high schools across North America. In addition, The Art Institutes created an online gallery of all the local winners' work on its Web site at: www.artinstitutes.edu/posterdesign.

Participating locations included: The Art Institute of Atlanta (GA), The Art Institute of California—Inland Empire (CA), The Art Institute of California—Los Angeles (CA), The Art Institute of California—Orange County (CA), The Art Institute of California—San Diego (CA), The Art Institute of California—San Francisco (CA), The Art Institute of Charlotte (NC), The Art Institute of Colorado (Denver), The Art Institute of Dallas (TX), The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale (FL), The Art Institute of Houston (TX), The Art Institute of Indianapolis (IN), The Art Institute of Jacksonville (FL), The Art Institute of Las Vegas (NV), Miami International University of Art & Design (FL), The Art Institutes International Minnesota (Minneapolis), The Art Institute of New York City (NY), The Art Institute of Philadelphia (PA), The Art Institute of Phoenix (AZ), The Art Institute of Pittsburgh (PA), The Art Institute of Portland (OR), The Art Institute of Seattle (WA), The Art Institute of Tampa (FL), The Art Institute of Tennessee—Nashville (TN), The Art Institute of Washington (Arlington, VA), The Art Institute of Vancouver, Canada, The Illinois Institute of Art—Chicago (IL), and The Illinois Institute of Art—Schaumburg (IL), The Art Institute of Ohio—Cincinnati (OH), The Art Institute of Indianapolis (IN), Bradley Academy for the Visual Arts (York, PA) and The New England Institute of Art (MA).

The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts Poster Design Competition Deadline for entries: February 8, 2008 (date subject to change).

Find out more about The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts Poster Design Competition:

Download the Poster Design Competition brochure