Competition poster by Andrea Hild
We are calling on all students studying fine arts and design to enter the international poster competition 'Water is Life 2010/2011'.
The aim of the competition is not only to demonstrate that the younger generations are prepared to bear their share of the responsibility for our world but, first and foremost, to publicise the message that 'Water is Life' to a broad public by means of worldwide exhibitions.
This is even more significant given the fact that on 28 July 2010 the United Nations General Assembly incorporated the 'right to clean water' in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
"Worldwide, 884 million people have inadequate access to clean water and more than 2.6 billion people do not have basic sanitation. Each year, around two million people die as a result of drinking polluted water, most of whom are children," explains UN Ambassador Peter Wittig (source: Zeit online).
However, as with the entire Declaration of Human Rights, the right to clean water is not binding under international law.
The inclusion of this article in the Declaration nevertheless has important symbolic value and will enable a certain degree of influence to be exerted in politics, business and society.
In addition to the aims outlined above, the competition also provides an opportunity to showcase young creativity from all over the world on a global scale. The one hundred best posters will be presented in travelling exhibitions around the world, accompanied by a comprehensive catalogue with further entries.
Participation requirements
Who can take part?
All students studying fine arts, design, communication design and architecture can take part in the competition, as long as they are enrolled in a state or private art college or university at the time of entering. Graduates can also take part if they completed their studies less than twelve months ago.
The competition is open to all countries.
Excluded from the competition are posters that were already published or publicised before 1 August 2010. Topic
The subject is 'Water is Life'.
It is recommended that you conduct thorough research as the topic is wide-ranging in scope, touching not just on biological aspects of life but also on political and economic issues.
Content-related, formal and legal requirements
All posters have to include the following text:
* in German: 'Wasser ist Leben'
* or in English: 'Water is Life'
Further text information or slogans can be added if desired.
Up to 4 posters can be submitted per entrant (as individual works or as a series)
All posters must be submitted digitally (by uploading them online) and must meet the following requirements:
1. Format: DIN A4 (21.0 cm x 29.7 cm, portrait or landscape format)
2. Resolution: 400 - 600 dpi
3. Colour mode: RGB
4. File format: JPEG (Quality factor: 10 - 12)
5. Maximum file size: 15 MB
6. File name (This should be named as follows: surname, first name, country, date (year-month-day) and, if several submissions are made, please number them consecutively)
7. Example: 'Doe_John_USA_2010-11-08_No.01'
8. Brief description of the poster concept (see Online Form)
On filling in the competition form (which you need to fill in online and upload with the poster file!), the entrant confirms that he or she is the exclusive copyright holder and author of the poster.
Submitting the filled-in form also authorises the competition organisers to use the submitted posters in one or more exhibitions, on its competition homepage, in a catalogue and for publicity purposes for the exhibition(s).
Usage beyond this must be negotiated on an individual basis.
Only posters that meet these criteria will be included in the competition!
Recourse to legal action is excluded.
Prizes and publication
1st Prize: 5000 Euros
2nd Prize: 3000 Euros
3rd Prize: 2000 Euros
An expert judging panel will select the best 100 entries, which will be presented in a catalogue and shown worldwide in a travelling exhibition.
The 100 successful entrants will all receive a free copy of the catalogue.
In addition to awarding prize money, the organisers can also purchase individual posters.
Expert judging panel
Chairman of the judging panel: Professor Heinz-Juergen Kristahn (Berlin University of the Arts, Germany)
Deadline for entries
Your poster(s) must be digitally uploaded by midnight (24:00) on 31 December 2010. Entries will then be closed.
Registration
Please enter you personal details in the online form and upload it online together with the poster data. Schedule
After the deadline expires at midnight on 31 December 2010, the expert judging panel will meet.
The list of results will be published in advance from 20 February 2011 on the competition homepage at:
www.posterart-waterislife.com
The top three winners will be informed by the competition organisers in writing.
The official opening of the poster exhibition will be held on 15 March 2011 at the Frankfurt Exhibition Centre (Messe Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany) as part of the ISH international trade fair.
The top three winners will receive their awards during the opening ceremony. The designers of the 100 best posters will also be awarded certificates.