Open for entries
The International Reggae Poster Contest is announcing its call for entries for the seventh competition to be judged next year.
Co-founder of the global contest, Maria Papaefstathiou noted that after six successful annual competitions between 2011 and 2018, the International Reggae Poster Contest has now become a biennial event under the theme, ‘Reggae Music: Messages from Jamaica to the World’.
“In the world of design and the arts, there are many poster competitions. Some focus on music, such as jazz and rock, and others on social awareness; but there is only one competition worldwide on reggae music. One of the reasons this music has spread across the globe is because reggae speaks to our heart and our mind about a wide range of social and political issues. For this seventh contest, we would like entries to focus on the messages that reggae and all the other genres of Jamaican popular music are spreading globally. We are looking for creative visual expressions that capture those issues and showcasing them through the energy and the vibe of Jamaican culture, at home and internationally,” she noted.
The contest for 2020 will open for entries as of November 1, until March 1. Papaefstathiou warned that there will be no extension on this closing date. The top 100 posters will be selected by a jury panel comprising international design professionals following a voting process between March 15 to April 20. This panel comprises 15 professionals including one Jamaican, Andre Hutchinson. The other judges for this round are drawn from Paraguay, Ecuador, Mexico, Venezuela, China, Poland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Greece and Japan.
Following this narrowing down of the entries to 100 posters, a separate 11-member panel will decide on the eventual winner. This panel includes one Jamaica, Susan Lee Quee. The other adjudicators are drawn from Canada, Greece, Zimbabwe, Mexico, the United States, Cuba, Iran, Switzerland, Denmark and Bolivia.
The eventual winner will receive a trip to the Rototom Sunsplash reggae festival in Spain; a cover feature and exclusive interview in IRIE magazine; the Down in Jamaica box set by VP Records; a package of fonts worth €500 from Parachute Typefoundry; and an exclusive, handmade wood product from Alpha Institute’s woodwork shop, made by its students.