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Press release Oct 30, 2006
Design Against Fur 2006: Students Speak Up to “Protect Seals”: International Grand Prize and People’s Choice Award winners announced
Theme for 2007’s contest: “Fashion Victims”
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
Maria Rhodes Castro, Milan
Accademia di Comunicazione |
PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD WINNER
Yu-Tzu Chung, NYC
Pratt Institute
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The Fur Free Alliance (FFA) is delighted to announce its 2006 Design Against Fur Grand Prize Winner, Maria Rhodes Castro, of Milan's Accademia di Communicazione and its People's Choice Award Winner, Yu-Tzu Chung, of New York City's Pratt Institute.
Both students did an excellent job creating a poster with a conscience conveying the message “Protect Seals” to protest Canada’s cruel commercial seal hunt. Over 1000 entries were received from students worldwide. Six regional heats took place for entries from Australia and Asia Pacific, Canada, Europe & International, Russia, UK & Ireland and the USA. The resulting eighteen finalists were put forward for consideration by FFA member organizations to vote for the Grand Prize Winner, and for the first time, FFA held an international on-line vote for the “People’s Choice Award” winner.
Maria Rhodes Castro, who lives in Spain, said today: “The information I read about the seal slaughter in Canada inspired my poster. It’s terrifying to learn how these seal pups are being killed when they are just a few weeks old.” She told us that meeting Professor Wladyslaw Pluta, a visiting poster design expert from Poland, helped inspire her to create an image that spoke directly and instantaneously to the viewer. Her depiction of the message “Protect Seals” by including the caption “Clean hands are as guilty as dirty ones” caught the eye of the European judges and members of the FFA. Maria is just back from enjoying her win after attending Stella McCartney’s fashion show in Paris and receiving her $5,000 US cash prize.
Joh Vinding, Director of Anima and Chair of the Fur Free Alliance, states: “Our congratulations to Maria, her design is certainly thought provoking and interprets the message “Protect Seals” very well. I wish her, and all the finalists, the very best in their future careers. We’re delighted that our Design Against Fur competition is so enthusiastically taken up by design students across the world. We will build on its success for 2007.”
Yu-Tzu Chung, from NYC’s Pratt Institute won the FFA’s first ever People’s Choice Award. Three thousand individuals world-wide took the time to consider all the regional finalists’ posters and voted online to choose the most popular poster. The winner, Yu-Tzu, told us that: “I was shocked to learn about the cruelty of the Canadian seal hunt in a video. The splattered blood on the Canadian ice caught my eyes and reminded me of this bloody mass killing. I hope that my poster design can help raise awareness about the cruelty of the seal hunt and remind us of the importance of respecting every creature's life.” Yu-Tzu was pleased to receive the news of her win and her $1,000 US cash prize. Having the public vote gives the FFA information on how the posters resonate with the public and at the same time everyone has an opportunity to be a judge and consider the excellent student designs.
The theme of the DAF competition, "Protect Seals," was aimed at bringing awareness of the annual Canadian commercial seal hunt to the youth of the world and to display their posters as a message to the global community. Sealers target pups as soon as they have begun to molt—as young as 12 days old. The pups are shot or clubbed to death, and independent veterinary reports have concluded that a large number may have been skinned while still conscious and able to feel pain. The slaughter takes place every spring and targets harp and hooded seals. Although illegal since 1972 in the US, seal fur is exported mainly to Europe, Russia and Asia for use by the fashion industry.
In April, David Carson, author of the top selling graphic design book of all time The End of Print, and a DAF US 2006 and 2007 judge stated: “That we still hunt and beat to death harmless seals in this day and age is indefensible. This poster event is an excellent opportunity for young designers to see that they CAN have an impact on import issues, that they CAN use their unique voice, combined with their unique vision to create something infinitely more important than, say, new packaging for toothpaste, energy drinks or motor oil cans.”
The FFA is calling on governments around the world to ban the import of all seal products. In September, the European Parliament passed a declaration calling for a ban on the trade in harp and hooded seal products. Last week, the German parliament voted unanimously to ban the import of seal products. Its motion calls for the government to work toward a European ban and to introduce a temporary ban in Germany until the European ban is passed. Seal exports to Germany account for nearly 20% of all Canadian reported seal fur-skin exports. In addition, several European countries, including Belgium, Italy, Croatia, Luxemberg and the Netherlands have taken steps to ban seal products. They join Mexico and the United States, which have banned all trade in marine mammal exports.
"Fashion Victims" is the theme of the 2007 Design Against Fur international graphic and arts design competition, presented by the FFA, which includes the Animal Protection Institute (API), The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Humane Society International, Respect for Animals, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA).
College students from around the world are united in one cause—to design a poster representative of the perils of the fur industry and our commitment to the protection of wild animals, while nourishing and promoting creative and compassionate expression.
DAF U.S. 2007 Judges: We are very pleased to announce our judges for this year's U.S. contest: Mickey Boardman, Design Director, Paper Magazine; Austin Brown, International Marketing Director, Paul Frank Industries; David Carson, Chief Designer of David Carson Design, Inc.; Mary Gehlhar, Fashion Division Director, Gen Art; Teressa Iezzi, Editor, Creativity Magazine; Paula Jaworski, Creative Director, The Humane Society of the United States; Patrick McDonnell, Mutts Cartoonist and Director, The Humane Society of the United States; Todd Oldham, Founder of Todd Oldham Studio; Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO, The Humane Society of the United States.
Notes to Editors:
The Fur Free Alliance is a coalition of thirty animal protection organizations from around the world. More information at: inFURmation.com
Design Against Fur 2006: Grand Prize winner:
Maria Rhodes, Accademia di Comunicazione, Milan, Italy Cel:011 39 3482404061
Maria’s image can be downloaded at: http://inFURmation.com/daf/2006/win06_eu.php
Design Against Fur 2006: People’s Choice Award winner:
Yu-Tzu Chung, Pratt Institute New York City United States Cel: 917-362-9320
Yu-Tzu’s poster image can be downloaded at: http://inFURmation.com/daf/2006/win06_us.php
Design Against Fur 2007: to register or see full details of the brief and deadlines, please go to: http://infurmation.com/daf/2007/daf_register07.html
The inFURmation.com website, home of the DAF competition, was designed by WireMedia Communications, a web and print design firm that also provides creative strategy and technical consulting.
For further information and images please contact:
Shely Bryan, Respect for Animals:
Cel: +44 (0) 7710 148957
Email: mail@shelybryan.net
Ainslie Willock, Design Against Fur:
Phone: 416-922-4554
Email: ainsliewillock@hotmail.com
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