FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 8, 2004	FOR MORE INFORMATION: Nick Braden: 301-258-3072; nbraden@hsus.org

U.S. DESIGN AGAINST FUR! WINNERS CHOSEN;
VIE FOR INTERNATIONAL GRAND PRIZE

WASHINGTON – The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) today announced the U.S. winners of the second annual Design Against Fur! competition, a worldwide student poster design contest sponsored by The Fur Free Alliance.  The competition is a forum for young art and design students worldwide to put their creative talents to work on behalf of animals by designing an innovative anti-fur poster.   The HSUS hosted the competition in the United States.  Contests have run concurrently in Australia, Canada, Europe, the UK, and Ireland.  Fur Free Alliance members will view winning posters from these regional competitions in London on June 14 and a Grand Prize winner will be selected from a pool of 16 posters.

The U.S. winners vying for the Grand Prize are:

• 1st Place: Oleg Yagolnikov of James Madison University
• 2nd Place: Sheetal Vig of Pratt Institute
• 3rd Place Tie: Cristine Esguerra of Fashion Institute of Technology
• 3rd Place Tie and winner of Todd Oldham prize: Jessica Cino of James Madison University

 Design Against Fur! is open to all students enrolled in a recognized college or university during the winter of 2003 and the spring of 2004 who would like to design an innovative anti-fur poster. Prizes for the winning entries include $1000 for the United States winner, $500 for the runner up and $250 for third place. The top three U.S. entries are automatically entered into the international competition where they can win 5000 euros (about $5,500 USD) and a trip to a European capital. The message to be conveyed in this year’s poster was:

When you buy or wear fur trim you are contributing to the pain and suffering of animals. Consumers have the power to stop the killing of animals for fur trim. Buying garments with fur trim is unnecessary and unfashionable in this modern age.

Commenting on the U.S. competition, internationally renowned fashion designer Todd Oldham praised the work of the contestants, finding that many of the designs “have a really smart edge that communicates the message in a creative and unique style.”

The first-prize winner of the 2004 Design Against Fur USA contest, Oleg Yagolnikov, was born in the Ukraine and came to the United States in 1989. Yagolnikov, who graduated this year from Virginia's James Madison University (JMU), recalls growing up in a fur-wearing environment. "At that point—I was 11 or 12—it didn't bother me because it was part of the culture, it was part of life,” said Yagolnikov. But researching his entry for the competition changed his perception. “Now, knowing what's been done to [animals] to get the fur...I can make a direct link: fashion plus fur equals something wrong there."

For his anti-fur trim entry, Yagolnikov drew a cartoon fox over the message: "You want a piece of me?" Further down the poster, the sobering facts are given: "3,159,000 foxes are killed every year to become a cute little fur trim." Why did he pick a fox? "Because I like foxes… and foxes seem to be getting a bad rap. I was thinking, 'do foxes a favor'."

Trudy Cole-Zielanski, JMU assistant director of the School of Art and Art History, said that designing the fur-trim posters posed an important challenge to her students. "A lot of them, particularly in the first go-around, were honing in on the blood and guts of it," Cole-Zielanski explained. "So we talked a lot about how to intellectually approach the solution rather than just going for the superficial, emotional side of it."

In an effort to reverse its declining fortunes during the last decade, the fur industry has inundated the market with cheap fur trim. According to John Grandy, senior vice president for wildlife and habitat protection for The HSUS, “Many people are misled into thinking fur-trim is made from the ‘leftovers’ of full-length fur coats. To the contrary, more animals are used each year for fur trim than fur coats and 90 percent of factory farmed foxes are killed for fur trim alone.”

Winning posters can be viewed at:
http://www.infurmation.com/daf/daf2004/daf04us/4design.html

About The HSUS

The HSUS is the nation’s largest animal protection organization with over eight million members and constituents. The HSUS is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research and farm animals and sustainable agriculture. The HSUS has protected all animals through legislation, litigation, investigation, education, advocacy and fieldwork. The non-profit organization, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2004, is based in Washington, DC and has 10 regional offices across the country.

About the Fur Free Alliance

The Fur Free Alliance (FFA) is an international consortium of animal protection groups. For further information please go to: www.inFURmation.com. The Design Against Fur! competition information can be accessed at the FFA site in a number of languages.