World’s First Global Student Art Competition Announced For Ebook Cover Design

March 29, 2011 - PRLog -- Oxford, United Kingdom  --  Oxford novelist Mike Wells announced today that he is holding the first global student art competition to find the best ebook cover design for his new young adult romantic thriller, ‘A Gift from the Stars.’  Three prizes will be offered—200 USD for first place, 100 USD for second place, and 50 USD for third place.  The novel is about a group of high school students on vacation in the Caribbean who become entangled with a mysterious object that may be from outer space.  
 
“As this is a book written for and about young people, I thought it would make sense to let young people design the cover artwork,” says Wells, an American author of eight novels who currently teaches in the University of Oxford’s creative writing program.  “It’s not only a chance for students to win some much-needed cash, but a chance for an up-and-coming artist to have his or her work showcased to millions of people worldwide.”  

An ebook is a book that is downloadable to and readable on a computer or other electronic device, such as a mobile phone or dedicated ebook reader. They have seen an explosion in popularity this year, with online retailer, Amazon, recently reporting that ebooks are outselling paperbacks in the USA.

The winning design will be the official cover for the ebook, and a credit page inside will be dedicated to the artist.  The book will be available in all common ebook reader formats (Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Sony E-reader, Kobo, Apple iPad, etc.)
 
Wells held a similar contest for his first young adult novel, ‘Wild Child,’ in 1998.  Seron Fuller, a then 17-year-old high school student from Atlanta, Georgia, won first prize.  Fuller went on to achieve his dream of becoming an illustrator at a major Hollywood movie studio and is now employed by Paramount Pictures. You can see Seron’s winning cover design and read his story at https://sites.google.com/site/mikewellsbooks/about-seron-...
 
To enter the ‘Gift from the Stars’ cover design contest, students must be no older than 22 years of age at the time of entry and may only submit one design. The ebook is available free of charge to entrants on the Smashwords ebook website. Contestants upload their images to a common photo album which is open to the public, where all entrants can see each other’s designs.
 
The deadline for entries is May 8th, 2011.  For more details, see the contest entry page on the Mike Wells Books website:  
 
https://sites.google.com/site/mikewellsbooks/student_art_...

Winners will be announced May 10th, 2011 via press release and email.

Further links:

The Smashwords page where “Gift from the Stars” can be viewed and downloaded free (coupon code is given at the above contest entry link):

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/49797

Free downloadable art contest posters for art teachers:

https://sites.google.com/site/mikewellsbooks/downloadable-student-art-contest-poster

Mike Wells’ Bio:

https://sites.google.com/site/mikewellsbooks/biography

 
Contact:
mike@mikewellsbooks.com
Website:  www.mikewellsbooks.com
Follow on Twitter:  MikeWellsAuthor