Corbis and ADC Unveil Winners of 2nd Annual Corbis Creativity for Social Justice Award & Scholarship

PRLog (Press Release) - May 07, 2008 -
NEW YORK – Corbis (www.corbis.com), a leading visual media provider for the creative community, and the Art Directors Club (ADC), today announced the professional and student winners of the 2nd annual Corbis Creativity for Social Justice Award & Scholarship, part of the 87th Annual ADC Awards program recognizing the best in advertising and design from around the world. The winners were revealed at the annual ADC Awards Gala held on May 1st at the ADC Gallery in New York City.

The Corbis Creativity for Social Justice Award & Scholarship honors the best work created by professionals and students on behalf of non-profits on a pro bono basis. Agency creatives receive the prestigious ADC Cubes, and Corbis donates $20,000 to the non-profit cause and awards the student winner with a $5,000 scholarship. This year, Corbis is inviting the creative community to join the “Search for Justice” and increase Corbis’ donation to the social justice causes just by searching for images at www.corbis.com/searchforjustice.

2008 Corbis Creativity for Social Justice Award Winners Strike Gold!
The professional award this year was a tie, with both winners receiving the ADC’s highest honor, the prestigious ADC Gold Cube. The benefiting charitable causes will split the $20,000 prize as well as additional money resulting from Corbis’ “Search for Justice” initiative.

“We are so thrilled that these winners received the ADC’s highest honor – the ADC Gold Cube,” said Renee Martin, Vice President, Sales & Service, North America, who presented the awards to the winners at the ADC Gala. “Corbis is dedicated to supporting the creative community and the non-profit causes that creatives have spent their hard-to-find free time to support. We love recognizing this incredible talent.”

TAXI Canada was awarded a Gold Cube for a community initiative it conceived and launched called The 15 Below Project (http://15belowproject.org) to mark the agency’s 15-year anniversary.  TAXI executive creative director, Steve Mykolyn, developed the idea for the high-concept, low-cost jackets to help the homeless who can’t get off the streets to survive extreme winter conditions. Stuffed with newspaper it’s a winter coat. Stuffing removed, it becomes a raincoat. When not being worn, it converts into a backpack that can be used as a pillow. On behalf of its clients and staff, TAXI Canada donated 3,000 15 Below jackets to the homeless throughout Canada and the U.S.

Vitruvio Leo Burnett Spain was awarded a Gold Cube for its pro bono work supporting the Prodis Foundation (www.fundacionprodis.org), which helps those with Down syndrome achieve a more independent lifestyle.  Vitruvio Leo Burnett responded to a brief from Prodis to create a public awareness campaign communicating that children with Down syndrome can be active participants in society. The agency conceived a campaign called “Let Us Do It,” whereby children with Down’s created and shot an ad and movie trailer themselves to address misconceptions about those with Down syndrome and illustrate their capabilities and skills.

James Yang, a student of New York-based School of Visual Arts (SVA), was selected as the Corbis Creativity for Social Justice Scholarship winner for his project based on the Darfur Genocide Campaign (www.savedarfur.org), an organization dedicated to raising public awareness about the atrocities in Darfur. James' poster campaign expressed the loss of life in Darfur through graphic symbolism and a slogan ‘400,000 killed and still growing.’ The artwork consisted of a long succession of posters featuring red check marks, which visually expressed the number of lives lost. The red check marks also became the campaign’s logo. While the project was done on behalf of a real non-profit organization, it did not require the participation or consent of the organization.

"It’s clear that this award category is driven by passion—from the non-profits to the creatives and full circle back to Corbis," said Ami Brophy, Executive Director of the ADC. "We hope that these awards encourage others to use their creative skills to benefit the non-profit sector and ultimately their communities at large."

The Creative Community Can Join the “Search for Justice”
The creative community can learn more about the benefiting causes and help raise money for them by participating in the Corbis “Search for Justice” initiative.  Corbis will donate a dollar every day for each person’s first image search conducted at www.corbis.com/searchforjustice starting today through July 31st, 2008.  

Corbis is also proud to sponsor the ADC Awards Exhibition running at the ADC Gallery in New York from June 5-27th, including the VIP Opening Event on June 5th.  For information or to RSVP for the VIP Opening, visit www.adcglobal.org/adc/events/calendar.  

The prestigious ADC Annual Awards and Art Directors Annual remain unrivaled as an educational and industry resource. Other programs also include ADC Young Guns, the ADC Hall of Fame, scholarships, workshops, exhibitions and symposia.

About Corbis
Corbis is a leading visual media provider for the creative community, licensing the widest array of award-winning contemporary, historical and entertainment photography as well as extensive collections of acclaimed illustration and footage. Its imagery is seen everyday around the world in advertising, media, publishing and corporate communications. Corbis is headquartered in Seattle with 15 offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia that serve more than 50 countries worldwide. For more information, visit www.corbis.com.

About the ADC
Founded in New York in 1920 as the first creative collective of its kind, the Art Directors Club, Inc. (www.adcglobal.org) is a 501[c]3 not-for-profit organization with an international membership in advertising, design and related visual communications disciplines. ADC's core program - the international Annual Awards competition, exhibition and Art Directors Annual - is now in its 87th year and remains unrivaled as an educational and industry resource. ADC's signature initiatives also include: ADC Young Guns biennial showcase of promising professionals age 30 and under; the ADC Hall of Fame; Saturday Career Workshops for talented city high school juniors; Designism, connecting designers to social causes; scholarships, exhibitions, speaker events, and original books and publications.

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For customers interested in learning more about Corbis products and services: United States: 1-800-260-0444

For more information or images from Corbis, press only:
Ami Brophy
Executive Director
Art Directors Club
212-643-1440
abrophy@adcglobal.org

Dan Perlet
Director, Communications Corbis
+1-212-375-7355
dan.perlet@corbis.com

Stephen Sumner
Senior Account Executive
Weber Shandwick
+1-212-445-8475
ssumner@webershandwick.com