Entrants Challenged to Design and Create a Printed Product to Demonstrate 'Print Is Here to Stay'

Reston, VA—The Graphic Arts Education and Research Foundation (GAERF) has announced the winners of the GAERF 2013 Student Design Competition. This fifth annual contest, themed Forever Print,challenged students from secondary and post-secondary institutions to design and create a printed product that demonstrates, although we live in a 'digital age,' much information is best conveyed—and proven to be the most effective —in print.

From among the 133 entries, six winners were chosen, three at the secondary school level and three at the post-secondary school level.

Winners at the secondary school level were:

• 1st Place: Krista Sanders
  Monroe Technology Center, Leesburg, VA 
  (Instructor: Pamela Smith)
• 2nd Place: Ashley Farias
  Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School, Fall River, MA 
  (Instructor: Siobhan Santos)
• 3rd Place: Coral Peters
  Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School, Fall River, MA 
  (Instructor: Siobhan Santos)

Winners at the post-secondary school level were:

• 1st Place: Deborah Jones
  Wright State University – Lake Campus, Celina, OH
  (Instructor: Teresa Richter)
• 2nd Place: Desiree Sullivan
  Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, CA
  (Instructor: Steven Gonsowski)
• 3rd Place: Kalen Blackburn
  Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, CA
  (Instructor: William Baldwin)

First place winners and their instructors will receive a two-day all-expenses paid trip to attend PRINT 13 in Chicago, IL. In addition, they will be presented with $2,000 checks during PRINT 13's Career Awareness Day on Thursday, September 12, 2013. The second place winners will each be awarded $1,500, and the third place winners will each receive $1,000.

"GAERF is proud to continue its commitment to supporting education initiatives by encouraging creativity and self-expression in students through the art of design and production," said GAERF President Ralph Nappi. "The GAERF 2013 Student Design Competition has served to recognize our best and brightest students, as well as the significant commitment of their instructors."

All student entries will be featured in a special display within PRINT 13's Education Main Street, and accessed through the GAERF website: www.gaerf.org and the graphicCOMMcentral website:www.graphiccommcentral.org.