VCUQatars Design Competition deadline a month away

Launched in November 2010, VCUQatar’s premier high school level design contest, VCUQatar Design Competition 2011, invites senior secondary school students in Qatar and the world who have yet to submit their applications to study at VCUQatar, to present a piece of art that expresses their favorite or unforgettable moments.

This year’s theme ‘Moments’, gives students the world over and in Qatar a chance to express three moments during their day through a two or three dimensional piece of art. The best two complete university admissions applications from the pool of top competition contestants will win the Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al Missned Scholarship for Creativity covering four years of tuition, housing, books and supplies to attend Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar and obtain a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.

A moment can be anything – something that is often a routine part of daily life like washing one’s hands or waking up, to a moment as complex as driving to the movies or playing basketball. It can also be an important moment that is monumental in shaping or changing a person’s life. The object or art piece can be created in any medium, which means applicants can use any stationary or material to create the art piece. All submissions need be electronic. Students are required to scan in their 2D work or take a digital photograph of their 3D work. In addition to the requirements listed, applicants are encouraged to submit five sketches or photos illustrating their creative process.

“Students in Qatar have had a very exciting year, especially with Qatar winning the 2022 World Cup bid recently. The country also hosted the Doha Tribeca Film Festival in 2010 and was the Capital of Arab Culture. So many exciting things have been happening in Qatar the last few years, we’re sure students will have many moments in their day to choose from to present for the contest,” said Moamer Qazafi, VCUQatar’s director of PR and Marketing.

To be eligible for one of the two full four-year Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned Scholarships for Creativity at Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar, applicants are required to submit complete VCUQatar application including English competency test results (TOEFL/IELTS) and portfolio by the deadline.

Instituted in 2003, the VCUQatar Design Competition has so far offered the Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned Scholarship for Creativity to 15 students residing in the Arab world. In 2010, for the first time in the history of the competition, both winners were from Qatar, from the Al Khor International School.

One of the winners from Qatar, Marianne Bermejo said she felt very blessed to win the scholarship and looked forward to a future career in Art and Design. “I would like to encourage others to try for this, it is a great opportunity. VCUQatar is giving me a great platform to polish and expand my creative skills for the future,” said Natasha Bahri, the other winner of the scholarship.

Students interested in the competition and applying to study at VCUQatar can visit the Design Competition link http://www.qatarcontest.com/ to get the rules and details for the competition.

The competition is open to all students who are in their senior year of high school who will graduate in May/June of the calendar year 2011 and be ready to enter university in the August of the same year. All files must be uploaded before the deadline. Students may email [email protected] or call +974 44020555 for more information.