Winners Announced in The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts Poster Design Competition 2010

PITTSBURGH, June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Simona Giordano of Fontana, California is the grand prize winner in The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts Poster Design Competition 2010.  Simona created a winning poster design that integrated the theme for The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts Poster Design Competition, "Life is Better With Art In It." This piece shows how the world seems more vibrant because of art, and how nature constantly inspires artists around the world - having art in life makes it entertaining, spontaneous, and beautiful.  

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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, Simona earns a full-tuition scholarship to study at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire.  In addition to earning the grand prize of a full- tuition scholarship, Simona attended a Congressional Reception on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. with representatives from The Art Institutes, Americans for the Arts and invited Members of Congress, honoring the work of the grand-prize winner and the work of the local winners in the competition.

Simona is looking forward to her studies at The Art Institute of California – Inland Empire, "When I won, it was so magnificent; I felt so honored to be able to attend such an amazing school. I never thought my poster would go this far."

The national second place winner is Emily Jack who earns a half-tuition scholarship to study at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.

The national third place winner is Nels Arne who earns a quarter-tuition scholarship to study at The Illinois Institute of Art – Chicago.  

"The winners of this year's competition are incredibly talented, and we are delighted that they will now have the opportunity to hone their skills by pursuing a creative arts education.   We are confident that with the proper training and education, they will go on to fulfilling and meaningful careers in the arts," said John Mazzoni, President of The Art Institutes.

"Americans for the Arts congratulates these talented high school students. We hope that this scholarship jumpstarts many years of success for these budding artists," said Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts.

The competition, which began in February, took place in two stages - locally and nationally. Students submitted their entries to a participating Art Institutes school, where local competitions were held and a winner from each participating Art Institutes school was selected. These first place local winners' entries were placed into consideration for national judging.  

A panel of graphic design professionals visited The Art Institutes' Web site (www.artinstitutes.edu/posterdesign) and scored the 46 entries on a 100 point-value system.

For more information on The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts Poster Design Competition, visit http://www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=AI2115.

About The Art Institutes

The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu) is a system of more than 45 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

About Americans for the Arts

Celebrating its 50th anniversary, Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Visit us online at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.

SOURCE The Art Institutes