Final Opportunity To Enter Nokia Arts Awards

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FINAL OPPORTUNITY TO ENTER NOKIA ARTS AWARDS-ASIS PACIFIC

New Zealand, 3 August 2000. Twenty eight thousand entry forms inviting 17-25 year olds to give full play to their creativity and enter the second year of the Nokia Arts Awards-Asia Pacific, have now been distributed to secondary and tertiary educational institutions throughout New Zealand and to the general public.

With just under one month to go until entries close on 31 August, Nokia's New Zealand Country Manager, Pierre Middleton, said Nokia New Zealand " was looking forward to a good crop of entries."

Fourteen countries from the Asia Pacific region are participating in the competition.

Mr Middleton said Nokia had chosen to give substantial support to the arts in New Zealand because, "Art is mankind's most enduring form of communication. It is the one area of human endeavour that has the ability to transcend all boundaries- social, geographical, cultural, religion, time and science. Art also closely matches what we at Nokia see as our own core attributes, communication, inspiration, innovation and creativity."

In one of the most extensive art awards opportunities in New Zealand, five young New Zealanders will win $5,000 in prizes to further their arts education. The winners will be announced on 4 October. They will also be eligible to enter the Nokia Arts Awards - Asia Pacific regional competition, with the 13 other competing countries at the regional finals in Korea in January 2001. The Grand Prize is an International Educational Grant to study at pre-eminent, international arts institution. Such as Parsons School in the United States and University of Art and Design, Helsinki (UIAH). All top five winners at the regional finals will also receive cash prizes, Nokia products and a specially designed Nokia Arts Awards trophy.

The theme of the Awards this year is Playground of Your Imagination. The style required is 2D contemporary painting or Mixed Media.

Mr Middleton said the theme "was evocative of images of youth and activity, a sense of growth and learning through play and exploration."

This year the New Zealand judges are; Justin Paton, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery; Wellington artist, Tony Lane; Ani O'Neill, Pacific Island artist; 1999 Nokia Arts Award winner and Auckland artist, Rona Ngahuia Osborne and Pierre Middleton.

Further information and entry forms for the Nokia Arts Awards - Asia Pacific 2000 can be obtained by calling 0800 Nokia Art (0800 665 422) or email artawardsnokia.com.

ENDS

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