Winners Of L.A.'s Next Sex Symbol Contest Announced

LOS ANGELES, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's Division of HIV and STD Programs announced today the winners of its first-ever condom contest to design an official Los Angeles branded condom. The contest-- "L.A.'s Next Sex Symbol" --launched in late May 2012 and received over 500 entries with more than 185,000 online votes cast. The Grand Prize winner is "Suit Up" designed by graphic designer and Los Angeles County resident Adam Lyons.

Grand Prize: The Official Los Angeles Condom
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120628/LA32250)

The top 10 wrapper designs from Los Angeles County residents will appear on one million and ONE condoms set for free distribution throughout Los Angeles County later this year.  The Grand prize winner gets $750 in gift cards and a Toshiba 19' LED TV with built-in DVD (valued at $249.99). All nine runners-up will each receive $200 in miscellaneous gift cards. Prizes were donated.

To view all the finalists and the top 50 condom wrapper designs, go to Facebook at www.facebook.com/LACondom.

The top 50 condom wrapper designs were chosen by a panel of judges including Perez Hilton, gossip columnist, alongside Julia Allison, relationship expert and star of the new BRAVO show Miss Advised. Additional judges included Scott McPherson, creative director of The Advocate and HIV Plus Magazine and co-founder of The Stigma Project; Oriol Gutierrez, the editor of POZ Magazine; David Stern, the publisher of Frontiers IN LA Magazine; Pepe Torres, publisher of Adelante Magazine; and members of our community advisory board. 

From the top 50 designs, the public voted for the grand prize winner and finalists.

An estimated 2,000 new HIV infections occur annually in L.A. County.  Last year, the Public Health Department reported more than 47,500 new cases of chlamydia, more than 9,500 new cases of gonorrhea and nearly 1,800 new cases of syphilis.

The campaign was facilitated with help from L.A. County's condom provider, ONE® Condoms.

The L.A. Sex Symbol program is funded by the County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This initiative is intended to increase condom use, drive awareness of HIV and STD prevention, and provide information about HIV/AIDS and STD treatment and care.

About ONE Condoms
ONE® brings a fresh perspective to sexual health through a fusion of advanced product design, manufacturing technology and social responsibility. The brand utilizes crowd-sourced designs, donates a portion of all sales to AIDS prevention programs at home and abroad and is a recognized leader in innovation. ONE® products are the leading choice for fashionable, socially conscious individuals who crave maximum pleasure. ONE® is available at select E-tailers and Costco.com, as well as at Walgreens retail locations. For a complete list of where ONE® is sold, visit www.onecondoms.com.

About L.A. County Department of Public Health
To learn more about Public Health and the work we do please visit www.publichealth.lacounty.gov, visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/lapublichealth, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lapublichealth, or follow us on Twitter: LAPublicHealth.

SOURCE Los Angeles County Department of Public Health