And the Winners Are…

One of the best aspects of my job at ST is coordinating the International Sign and Vehicle Graphics Contests. Spreading the word about each new competition (sometimes, I feel like the frenzied host of a public-TV or radio-station fund drive; I’ve probably asked for “pledges” instead of “entries” by mistake on occasion), compiling the entries and juggling the judging-day logistics require considerable time. But, when I’m closing up after another competition, I always feel a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that we’ll have a mother lode of quality projects to publish in our pages.
 

This year’s Vehicle Graphics Contest – the 5th edition, which will be published in the October issue – didn’t disappoint (with the exception of retiring Handcrafted Graphics, which didn’t receive enough entries to constitute a category). The approximately 275 entries submitted were mostly quite strong, and the judges spent considerable time debating the merits of each entry.
 

Not surprisingly, the longest deliberation occurred when picking the Best of Show. We simply assemble the first-place winners side-by-side and ask the judges which is the king of the hill. For approximately 15 minutes, the judges pondered whether Signs Now #98’s (Baltimore) decoration of a Mini Cooper to promote digital artist Robert McClintock’s studio, or 360 Wraps’ (Dallas) embellishment of a vintage-style racecar for an EA Motorsports-sponsored team, would earn the grand-champion designation.
 

Both were worthy of the crown, but Signs Now’s work prevailed. In a field that’s replete with skulls, flames, monsters and pin-up girls, a slightly impressionistic depiction (McClintock created the original image files) of Baltimore’s skyline and several of the Charm City’s landmark buildings stood out.
 

The rest of the winners? Well, you’ll just have to check back on www.signweb.com over the next few days, or look for the print edition, which will be delivered within the next two weeks. Incidentally, Baltimore will receive a double dose of praise in the October issue; Art Display Co. (Capitol Heights, MD) built signage for the water tower at McHenry Row, a mixed-use development in that city.