SAN JOSE, Calif.--Nov. 30, 2005-- Adobe Systems Incorporated today announced its call for entries to the sixth annual Adobe Design Achievement Awards. The premier student design competition recognizes the world's most talented and promising student graphic designers, photographers, illustrators, animators, digital filmmakers and computer artists from the top design, film, and broadcast institutions. This year's competition will extend the program's scope to 24 participating countries. "The Adobe Design Achievement Awards celebrates student creativity and reinforces Adobe's continued commitment to design education," said Melissa Dyrdahl, senior vice president of corporate marketing and communications at Adobe. "It is truly inspiring to see how this event dissolves boundaries between cultures and unleashes great talents through the convergence of technology and creative arts." For the first time, students in Belgium, China, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, and Taiwan will join their counterparts from Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland, the United States and the United Kingdom in submitting projects in nine categories. This year's categories include live action, motion graphics, environmental graphics/packaging, print multi-page, print single page, animation, digital illustration, digital photography and interactive design (includes website, user-interface, curriculum, and kiosk design), enabling students across various disciplines to compete. "Winning an Adobe Design Achievement Award helped advance my career as a creative," said William Staehle, design manager for HarperCollins. "The competition gave me the opportunity to connect and show my work to some of the design world's biggest names and was instrumental in landing my post-college position at HarperCollins." Using Adobe design environments including Adobe Creative Suite 2 and Adobe Video Collection 2.5, students submit projects that are reviewed and scored by an independent panel of six distinguished judges, including such industry luminaries as Leslie Allen from Cinergy Creative, Julie Beeler from Second Story, Rodolphe Guenoden from Dreamworks Animation, Diti Katona from Concrete Design Communications, Masamichi Udagawa from Antenna Design New York Inc., and Jan Wilker from karlssonwilker inc. Judges will select winners based on originality and effectiveness in communicating project objectives. Finalists will receive a trip to Toronto to participate in the awards event and an opportunity to showcase their work. Finalists will also meet with leading industry professionals during studio tours. The award winners will be announced from among the finalists at the awards ceremony on July 20, 2006 in Toronto. Each winning entry will received US $5000 cash prize and a selection of Adobe software products. Students will be able to submit entries through April 28, 2006. The entries will be judged in May, with the finalists contacted shortly thereafter. For additional information about the 2006 Adobe Design Achievement Awards, visit: www.adobe.com/education.