Skywards membership cards will have an exciting new design next year. The winners of the first Skywards Future Artists programme — to find new artwork for the 2011 Skywards membership cards — have now been selected from more than 3,500 entries. Distribution of new cards to members will begin in January 2011.
Judging was conducted by Skywards members and a panel of highly regarded industry professionals and experts. The panel of judges created a shortlist of entries which was judged by the Skywards members through a voting process on the website. Among the judging criteria are creative merit, technical excellence and suitability for end use.
Through the Future Artists programme, exciting contemporary art is brought to the attention of a discerning global audience. It is a unique opportunity to reward artistic talent and showcase the art to millions of Skywards members in 236 countries around the world. The three winning designs, as well as each artist’s name, will be displayed on the new cards.
The winning artists are Nedim Kufi (the Netherlands) – Gold card; Amir Vafaei (Iran) – Silver card; and Kambiz Sabri (Iran) – Blue card. The Gold card art is a 3-D, computer-generated image of bronze nuggets. A silver geometric design motif of Turkoman rugs was chosen for the Silver card. A sculpture of light and transparency featuring enlarged rain drops was the winner for the Blue card art.
“We are very pleased to have such a tremendous response to our Future Artists programme. There are many, many talented artists around the world who participated in the competition. The use of colour, graphic design and creativity in the submissions was truly impressive, and so many could have been ‘winning’ entries,†said Brian LaBelle, Senior Vice President, Skywards.
The winning artwork on the new cards will replace designs from famous artists such as Damien Hirst. The winners will receive a commission of US$ 5,000, enjoy global exposure and recognition for their work and will be flown to Dubai, where their winning design artwork (and other art in their portfolios) will be displayed at the Art Dubai fair in March 2011. Art Dubai is the leading contemporary art fair in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, attended by art critics, collectors and gallery owners from around the world.
The three winning entries will be used on the Skywards membership cards, as well as all supporting online and offline communications and promotional material. The website for the competition is www.ourfutureartists.com. More details on the winners can be viewed there.
The competition is annual and open to budding artists around the globe, except for the United States and Italy (due to legal restrictions). All styles of art, including sculpture, photography and paintings are considered.
