The Planetary Society Announces International Space Art Contest Winners

The Planetary Society announced twelve winners from over 150 finalists in its International Space Art Contest. The public will select the grand prize winner by voting on-line on The Planetary Society's website.

The winners represent seven nations, and include entries from children as young as five and from adults in their eighties.

Winners were chosen in each of three age categories. The public is invited to choose their favorite entry from among the work of the three first-place artists. The art can be viewed at The Planetary Society's website. The grand prize winner will be featured on the cover of a CD-ROM of the winning artwork, which will be distributed to space museums, science centers, planetariums, and art galleries around the world. The International Association of Astronomical Artists and The Planetary Society are providing additional prizes for all the winners.

"It was exciting to see such creativity and innovation in the drawings and paintings from each age group. It's obvious from the domed cities, shuttlecraft, life support equipment, and even shopping malls, that both kids and adults had great fun making their dreams of a future world come alive on paper," said contest judge Rick Sternbach, Senior Illustrator and Technical Consultant for Star Trek Voyager.

The art contest was part of The Planetary Society's "Red Rover Goes to Mars" educational project sponsored by the LEGO Company. Entrants were asked to draw or paint what the next landing site on Mars might look like, both now and in 100 years. Artists submitted a wide range of entries, many exhibiting optimistic portrayals of humans inhabiting Mars within the coming century.

"Humans advance by imagining the future, then conveying their dreams and visions through the medium of art and science. It was a privilege to see the outcome of this process," said art contest judge Charles Kohlhase, an artist and a member of The Planetary Society's Advisory Council.

A team of professional space artists, including members of the International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA), selected the winners. In addition to Sternbach and Kohlhase, the judges were Don Davis, John Brosio, and Stephen Nowlin. The Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California hosted the international round of judging for the art contest.

Art was judged in three categories: Children 10 and under, Youth 11 to 18 years, and Adults over 18 years. Each country's art was judged within that nation, and the best artwork from each participating country went on to a final round of judging at the international level.

Winners are as follows:

Children:
1st place: Juan Antonio Vazques Rosales, Venezuela
2nd place: Yuya Kurima, Japan
3rd place: David Szmigielok, Poland
Honorable Mention: Mark Egyud, Hungary

Youth:
1st place: Hidehiko Igarashi, Japan
2nd place: Maheesha Amarasena, Sri Lanka
3rd place: Daniel Szapanski, Poland
Honorable Mention: Natsuko Kushida, Japan

Adults:
1st place: Kazumi Ohkubo, Japan
2nd place: Gerald Kuhn, USA
3rd place: E.A. Latimer, Scotland
Honorable Mention: Hisao Naga, Japan

Artists from Canada, Spain, Australia, Thailand, and the Netherlands also submitted entries, and the "Best of Nation" winners from those countries will be honored as well.