Calling All Sculptors! Noilly Prat(R) Announces Le Prix de la Sculpture, a Global Competition to Unearth New Talent in the Field of Outdoor Sculpture

MARSEILLAN, France, Feb. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Noilly Prat, original French dry vermouth, announced today the launch of the U.S. portion of its "Prix de la Sculpture," a sculpting competition to engage emerging artists to create an outdoor sculpture for the headquarters of the company in Marseillan, in the south of France.

The link between Noilly Prat and the art world dates back to the 1850s, when the Company commissioned a young Gustave Eiffel to create a staircase for the home of Noilly Prat. This spiral cast iron staircase still stands to this day.

The competition will run in three countries -- the United States, France, and the U.K. -- with regional finals in each country.

The U.S. winner will receive a prize of US $10,000 and the runner-up, a prize of US $5,000. Entries are due on March 3, 2008.

The U.S. winner will present his work in Paris, France, on April 2, 2008, during the finals of the global competition. The overall winner will receive a commissioning budget of euro 30,000 (approx. US $44,000) to produce the final sculpture.

Design concepts will be judged by "l'Academie Noilly Prat," a recently established international body of highly respected international artists and curators. Founding members include:

    -- Alain Kirili, renowned French sculptor       (http://www.kirili.com/pagesE/Biography.htm);    -- Caroline Bourgeois, doyenne of the contemporary art scene in France and       director of TRAM, an art network that supports emerging artists;    -- Jerome Sans, curator of the Palais de Tokyo in Paris and director of       the Baltic Mill Contemporary Arts Center in Gateshead, U.K.; and    -- Emmanuel Latreille, international curator and director of the FRAC, the       Regional Contemporary Art Collection of the Central Region, based in       Orleans, France.

"The inspiration for this competition is our company's commitment to quality and craftsmanship, qualities that are inherent in the production of our product," says Guy Lawrence, global brand director for Noilly Prat. "It takes us more than two years, from blending to bottling, to produce Noilly Prat. The barrels are left under the elements to emulate the way wine was transported in the past -- by sitting on the decks of ships enduring rain and the pounding of waves. So, it's only natural that we'd choose a nature-based theme for our sculpture competition: water!"

For rules and regulations on how to enter the competition, please visit www.noillyprat.com.

About Noilly Prat

Created by Louis Noilly in 1813, Noilly Prat Dry vermouth is a classic French aperitif created exclusively from Picpoul and Clairette grapes, using a unique aging process pioneered in 1850. At its home in the South of France, these fine white wines are aged outdoors in oak casks exposed to the Mediterranean sun, sea, and wind for 12 months. The dry, full-bodied wines are then infused with the aromatic blend of 20 herbs and spices macerated directly in the wine for three weeks. The result is worth the wait: the distinctive taste of Noilly Prat is delicious served on the rocks with a lemon twist, chilled on its own, with a mixer, or in cocktails. The spirit is enjoying resurgence in the United States as American cocktail aficionados insist on authentic, quality ingredients.