There will be no extension to the March 1 deadline for entries to this year’s International Reggae Poster Contest (IRPC).

The IRPC announced its seventh call for entries in November of last year. The theme of the 2020 contest is ‘Reggae Music: Messages from Jamaica to the World’.

Designers are invited to submit original reggae poster designs for their 2020 collection. This contest is a search for 101 posters which express the spirit of reggae music and culture. According to Maria Papaefstathiou, co-founder of the contests, the posters should exemplify the positive messages of reggae music and the vision of the conceptualisers, which is to establish a Reggae Hall of Fame, Celebrating Great Jamaican Music. The contest also acknowledges the rich legacy of the historic music program at the Alpha Boys’ School in Kingston, Jamaica.

“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 the IRPC, reggae is an umbrella term, signifying all the genres of Jamaican popular music… ska, rocksteady, reggae, dub, dancehall, and the unique Jamaican sound system,” she noted.

“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 the energy and the vibe of Jamaican culture, at home and internationally,” Papaefstathiou continued.

An attractive prize package awaits the winners including a trip to Rototom Sunsplash European Reggae Festival in Spain, a cover feature and exclusive interview of the grand winner in the IRIE magazine, the new Down in Jamaica box set by VP Records, a package of fonts, worth €500, from PARACHUTE Type foundry, an exclusive handmade wood product from Alpha Institute wood shop made by its students.