Patron Announces Winning Design in "The Art of Patron" Contest

NEW YORK, July 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Following hundreds of entries and votes, Patron announced today the Grand Prize winner of "The Art of Patron" contest. "Batalla de los Espiritus," an original chess set created by Brandon Montgomery of Spring Valley, Calif., has been selected as the winning design in the brand's first competition that invited fans and artisans to share their handmade creative and functional works of art inspired by the Patron bottle.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130701/SF40787)

"We were delighted by and impressed with so many outstanding entries in 'The Art of Patron' Contest," said Jennifer Pisciotta, Patron's vice president of marketing.  "From different styles of artistry to the photos and stories of inspiration behind them, each entry inventively gave Patron's iconic glass bottles a second life."

Meet the Grand Prize Winner and Finalists

For his contest entry, Montgomery submitted a photo of his custom creation along with an essay describing the motivation behind his piece. According to Montgomery, his winning entry – a custom chess set and table made from 52 Patron bottles and 16 corks – was inspired by the rich history, elegance and uniqueness of Patron tequila.

From the handcrafted and recycled glass bottle to the cork, Montgomery incorporated each element of the Patron bottle into his entry. Each chess piece was created using mini 50ml bottles of Patron, and the cork tops were meticulously carved for each pieces. The legs of the chess table were created from Patron bottles fused together. As the Grand Prize Winner, Montgomery will receive $10,000.

"The Art of Patron" Contest challenged art and Patron enthusiasts to share their artistic vision using the brand's signature tequila bottles. Twenty-five Semi-Finalists were selected, then the public was asked to vote for its favorite designs to help select the 10 Finalists. From the 10 Finalists, the entries were again reviewed and narrowed down to one Grand Prize Winner. The 10 Contest Finalists each will receive $1,000. To view the Finalists' entries, visit www.ArtofPatron.com.

The 10 Finalists included:

• Dessi B. of New York, N.Y., for her entry "Skinny Margarita"
• Michael B. of Cedar Falls, Iowa, for his entry "Patron Bee Mosaic"
• Mikael D. of Acra, N.Y., for his entry "Patron Pendant Lamp"
• Chris E. of Eugene, Ore., for his entry "De Agave on the Rocks"
• Brian H. of Pittsburgh, Pa., for his entry "Tequilavision"
• Danny K. of Leicester, N.C., for his entry "Bottom's Up Floor Lamp"
• Brandon M. of Spring Valley, Calif., for his entry "Batalla de los Espiritus"
• Karen M. of Brooklyn, N.Y., for her entry "Tequila Starburst"
• Bryan N. of Oak Park, Ill., for his entry "Elevated Shards Bowl"
• Andrea V. of Las Vegas, Nev., for her entry "Bee Extraordinary"

A judging panel that included three prominent board members from DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS, one of the nation's largest funders of HIV/AIDS service and education supported by national designers and artists from all disciplines, reviewed the 10 Finalist entries to help select the Grand Prize winner using the following criteria: overall creativity; unique use or representation of the Patron bottle; visual appeal; and persuasiveness and appeal of the essay.

DIFFA board members acting as judges in "The Art of Patron" Contest included Cindy Allen, editor in chief of Interior Design magazine; Evette Rios, correspondent for ABC's "The Chew"; and David Rockwell, founder and CEO of Rockwell Group.

"I was incredibly impressed with the creativity and thought that was put into all of the designs. Each of the designers saw such different qualities in the Patron bottle and as a result utilized them in completely different ways," said Rios. "The judging was very, very tough!"

About Patron

Simply Perfect in every way, Patron tequila is an ultra-premium luxury white spirit that's delicious on the rocks, and mixes flawlessly into most any cocktail. From the highest-quality Weber Blue agave plants grown in the highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, to the centuries-old distillation process, to the handcrafted glass bottles, Patron is produced with unparalleled attention to detail. Imported and marketed by The Patrón Spirits Company, brands in the portfolio consist of Gran Patron Burdeos, Gran Patron Piedra, Gran Patron Platinum, Patron Silver, Patrón Reposado, Patron Anejo, Patrón XO Cafe (coffee liqueur), Patron XO Cafe Dark Cocoa (coffee and chocolate liqueur), and Patrón Citronge (extra fine orange liqueur), as well as Pyrat Caribbean rums, and Ultimat ultra-premium vodka.

For more information, please visit www.patronspirits.com.

SOURCE Patron Spirits