Oh, how time flies!
It seems like it was mere moments ago that the 2012 ADAA’s kicked off the call for entries for this year’s competition – but here we are, already in the third and final session of submissions! Not only that, this week we made the big announcement that over 1200 Session II hopefuls were waiting for! The whopping 289 Semi-Finalists for Session II are officially announced and visible on our live Semi-Finalist Page.
What exactly does it mean to be a Semi-Finalist? A lot! The most amazing thing about the ADAA’s (in our humble opinion!) is that to enter the competition is to already become a member of this incredible international community of designers, students, educators and professionals. Adding your Semi-Finalist status to your resume or portfolio is a great idea too and will increase your profile! It also means that you are one step closer to our amazing prizes which include a trip to Toronto and passes to DesignThinkers, $3000 cash and Adobe software!
But even if you did not make it in this round, by joining us on our social media and networking sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and G+, you gain access to worldwide network of individuals – all committed to the same goal: encouraging and supporting design potential in emerging designers, and celebrating the innovation of design educators. So, go ahead, join our community and start a conversation – the ADAA’s are not just a competition, but also your platform for sharing ideas, perspectives and inspirations with people all over the world! And remember, you can submit again in the current session!
We are proud of our growing worldwide family! So far we have contestants from 57 different countries: from Malaysia to Germany, Colombia to Taiwan. It is amazing to think about the incredible diversity in culture and in approach to design that we see in our applications. Reflecting on this diversity, Pre-Selection Panel Judge Monica Zacarias (Mexico), believes that:
“Even though we are living in a particular moment where global communication gives access to all, it is inspiring to feel the different nationalities in the works submitted to the ADAA competition.”
We all continue to be inspired by the relationship between design and its expression through the diverse approaches of our contestants. Yet, no matter where a designer comes from, the objective of the project is always the same: to express, to move, to motivate, to help us understand. The real value of exploring other cultures is the ability to see the goals of design expressed in new and interesting ways. In the words of Monica:
“Culture gives personality to the work.”
- The ADAA Team