High School Students Vie for Scholarship and Opportunity to promote Slogan 'Art is a Global Language'

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Art has the ability to transcend language barriers and unite citizens across the globe. Now high school students interested in a design career will have the unique opportunity to help bridge language barriers and communicate through their artistic talents by entering the Poster Design Scholarship Competition, sponsored by The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts.

Students will create original poster artwork that expresses the slogan, "Art is a Global Language." More than $200,000 in scholarships will be awarded, with the first place prize-winning student receiving a $25,000 scholarship to study design at one of 31 Art Institutes locations throughout North America. Entry deadline is February 11, 2005.

"We're pleased to be collaborating with Americans for the Arts because we believe, as educators, this is a critical time to support and strengthen the universal role that the arts play in our lives and in the world," says Michael Maki, Vice President of Academic Affairs for EDMC, The Art Institutes parent company.

According to Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, "As funding for arts programs continue to be slashed in federal and state budgets, we want young people to remember that art is a valuable communication tool, helping us to transcend language barriers and cultures, a tool that needs to promoted and preserved."

The competition takes place in two stages: a preliminary competition will be held at the Art Institutes throughout North America in March. Winners from the preliminary competition will have their entries placed into consideration for the final stage and national judging, which takes place in April.

The first-place winner and other top national winners' work will be used in a promotional calendar for Americans for the Arts to be distributed to high schools across North America. In addition, Americans for the Arts will create an online gallery of all scholarship winning artwork on its Web site http://www.americansforthearts.org/ . The first-place winner's poster will also be used in national marketing materials for Americans for the Arts.

The contest is for graduating high school seniors interested in pursuing a career in design. Students must submit an original poster design, a current high school transcript and a statement describing their design process, and why they want to attend The Art Institutes. In April, an industry panel of judges selected by Americans for the Arts and The Art Institutes will assess each student's poster based on the specified criteria. Contestants are notified of their winnings by May 6, 2005.

Locations participating include: The Art Institute of Washington (Arlington, VA), The Art Institute of Atlanta, The New England Institute of Art (Brookline, MA), The Art Institute of California - Orange County, The Art Institute of California - Los Angles, The Art Institute of California - San Diego, The Art Institute of California - San Francisco, The Art Institute of Charlotte, The Art Institute of Colorado, The Art Institute of Dallas, The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, The Art Institute of Houston, The Art Institute of Las Vegas, Miami International University of Art & Design (Miami, FL), The Art Institutes International Minnesota, The Art Institute of New York City, The Art Institute of Philadelphia, The Art Institute of Phoenix, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, The Art Institute of Portland, The Art Institute of Seattle, The Art Institute of Tampa, The Art Institute of Toronto, The Art Institute of Vancouver and The Art Institute of Vancouver-Burnaby, The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago and The Illinois Institute of Art- Schaumburg.

For more information on the competition or an application, visit http://www.artinstitutes.edu/poster .

About The Art Institutes

The Art Institutes ( http://www.artinstitutes.edu/poster ), with 31 education institutions located throughout North America, provide an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary professionals. The parent company of The Art Institutes, Education Management Corporation ( http://www.edmc.com/ ) is among the largest providers of private post- secondary education in North America, based on student enrollment and revenue. Including the recent acquisitions of AEC and South University, student enrollment was approximately 66,000 as of fall 2004. EDMC has 70 primary campus locations in 24 states and two Canadian provinces. EDMC's education institutions offer a broad range of academic programs in the media arts, design, fashion, culinary arts, behavioral sciences, health sciences, education, information technology and business fields, culminating in the award of associate's through doctoral degrees. EDMC has provided career- oriented education for 40 years.

About Americans for the Arts

Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With a 40-year record of service, it is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. For details, visit http://www.americansforthearts.org/ .