Chicago Fringe Festival 2011 Design Contest
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 is 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.

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

The design size of the file must not exceed 11×17”. 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 12×18” at 300 dpi. 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. Eligibility Anyone Prize 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.