An excerpt from the Competition Brief:

As a compassionate designer, you can make a real difference for millions of animals, and we invite you to participate in this important design competition with a conscience.

Design a creative, compelling poster or animation that delivers the compassionate message that the wearing of fur is cruel and unnecessary. We want the modern world to celebrate all animals and not victimize them by killing them to wear their skins – and we want you to help us make that happen.

Your work will be evaluated by design and marketing experts, and potentially used in national and international campaigns to end the cruel fur trade. There are cash prizes and all winners and commended students will receive certificates for their portfolios. Winning work will be promoted on a range of national and international sites, in exhibitions and online galleries.

Related Post: Anti-Fur Posters from 2008

The event’s other winning designs can be seen here.

The Fur Free Alliance is “an international coalition of over 35 animal protection organizations working to bring an end to the exploitation and killing of animals for their fur.”

For “inFURmation” on this year’s competition, check out Design Against Fur 2009.

Although I’m not familiar with the nuances of the video industry, this event looks worthwhile to me, so I’m pleased to share it here…

For starters, they’ve dubbed it an “award” (vs. contest or competition), The Jerry Greenspan Student Voice of Mental Health Award.

The event is for “college students who have had mental health issues”, and asks them to “create a video on their experiences with mental health issues and how they are working to raise awareness and encourage their peers on the issue”. The creator of the winning video receives the award, which includes a $2,000 scholarship, a trip to NYC to our annual gala in June 2009, recognition through The Jed Foundation’s website and events and possibly appearing on MTVU.

The Jed Foundation which works nationally to reduce the rate of suicide and the prevalence of emotional distress among college and university students.

Additional information about The Jerry Greenspan Student Voice of Mental Health Award is available on the foundation’s website: http://jedfoundation.org/programs/student-voice-of-mental-health-award.

Good luck to all who participate!

The exhibit features the works of 48 designers and artists from North America, Europe, and Asia, ranging from well-known typographers and designers to up-and-coming artists and students. The work they display represents a variety of approaches to letters and a variety of styles ranging from “graceful and polished” to “witty and unconventional.”

Although this exhibit has been touring the United States and internationally for some time now (since July 2005), it continues to make the rounds and impress along the way. Don’t miss a chance to catch it at a city near you (incl. Boston sometime soon?).

Alphabet will be traveling through 2007. Upcoming and past shows include:

December 2007 / Ohio Northern University / Ada, OH
July 2007 / Say It Loud / Orlando, FL
2007 TBA / Cooper Union / New York, NY
Feb-March 2007 / Minneapolis College of Art & Design /Minneapolis, MN
January 2007 / Pennsylvania College of Art & Design / Lancaster, PA
November 2006 / Northern Illinois University / DeKalb, IL
March 2006 / Workhorse Gallery / Los Angeles, CA
January-February 2006 / M-80 / Milwaukee, WI
November 2005 / Heaven Gallery / Chicago, IL
August 2005 / Lump Gallery / Raleigh, NC
July 2005 / Pinkard Gallery, Maryland Institute College of Art / Baltimore, MD

Alphabet is curated by Post Typography and organized by Artscape.
For more information on this exhibit, check out the website, or enjoy a sneak peek via the online gallery of selected samples.