Design Contest Accepting Submissions!

50 shows booked. 1 design needed.

What Chicago Fringe Festival is: an artistic extravaganza taking place in the Pilsen neighborhood between September 1-11, 2011. 50 shows will be performed by theatricalizers of every stripe, from actors and dancers to performance artists and aerialists.

What Chicago Fringe Festival needs from you: a single design that will be as emblematic of Chicago Fringe 2011 as the S on Superman’s chest. We need a design that is so arresting, dynamic, searing, whimsical, mind-bending or otherwise amazing that it will radiate cartoon-like waves of energy. Some further crucial information to help you create the graphic gold we’re panning for:

 The design should reflect, suggest, embody, convey or otherwise relate, directly or obliquely, to our Festival theme: On the Map, Under the Radar.

 The design should capture (or at least not contradict) some of the other key characteristics of Chicago Fringe theatre.

We value diversity. We feature performers of all ages, ethnicities, nationalities and orientations in shows about everything from Irish dancing to Rambo. And we believe that audiences should reflect the diversity on stage: our tickets are affordable, allowing anyone with a few spare bucks to see theatre. We are homegrown. The Festival was founded by Chicagoans and is infused with Chicago’s spirit of grit and innovation. And the Festival is proudly located in Pilsen, a neighborhood whose vivid murals testify to Chicago’s rich history and tradition of public art. We are guided by the philosophy that small theatre can be great theatre. A show performed in an improvised storefront space can be just as gripping and revelatory as the most lavish production at the fanciest theatre. To learn more about what Chicago Fringe is, visit http://www.chicagofringe.org/.

 You can (but are not required to) include the words “Chicago Fringe Festival 2011” as part of your design, but no other text, please.

Prizes

See your design on CTA ads and Fringe materials distributed all over Chicago! The winner’s design will be the design for the official 2011 Fringe Festival poster and the design will appear in part or in whole on a wide range of Fringe materials, including in our mobile app, on ads, tee-shirts, Festival programs, pins, banners and more. The winner’s name will appear on the poster and all other materials on which it is practicable to include an artist credit. The winner will also receive a commemorative Fringe button granting entry to all eleven days of the Festival. Last year’s Festival drew an audience of over 2,000 people, and this year promises to be even bigger. Three runners-up will have their designs published on chicagofringe.org.

Submitting Entries

All entries must be emailed to design2011@chicagofringe.org. The design size of the file must not exceed 11x17”. The design can be saved at a resolution that will enable us to zoom in to see details during judging, but the file size must not exceed 2MB. Designs may be in any medium. Multiple submissions are acceptable.

Submit PDF files only. Keep in mind that if your design is chosen, you will need to supply a version 12x18” at 300 dpi.

In the body of your email provide:

Your First and Last Name

Phone Number

Email Address

The Deadline

Your submission must be submitted by 8:00 p.m. on May 15, 2011. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered for the competition.

Other Important Stuff

Winning Entrants agree to assign all rights in their work to the Chicago Fringe Festival. These include but are not limited to the rights to edit, reproduce and distribute on printed and digital materials (including the Chicago Fringe Festival website). All entries must be 100% original work by the artist. No use of a third party's copyrighted material is allowed in any way, even if it is allowable under Fair Use guidelines. Chicago Fringe Festival will notify winners by June 7th, 2011 or after judging is complete.

If you have additional questions, e-mail us at info@chicagofringe.org