< Census year. The 2010 Census Poster Design Competition, inspired by the rich tradition of visual communication, aimed at encouraging public awareness and participation in the Census in order to get a complete count in Rice County.
This competition, organized collaboratively by the Carleton Art Gallery, Viz (Visualizing the Liberal Arts) and ACE (Academic Civic Engagement), was open to Carleton and Northfield community members. The requirements were for the participants to design posters using texts and images that encourage residents to fill out Census forms and to emphasize the importance and safety of doing so, using English, Spanish, Somali or Arabic languages.
The competition attracted a total of 14 entries, from Carleton and St. Olaf Colleges. Out of the fourteen posters, displayed at Upper Sayles this past weekend, three were chosen as winners, across two categories—Juror’s Prize and People’s Choice.
Tina Tavera, an artist and curator, served as Juror. Her lecture earlier this term titled, “Design to Build Participation: Latino Art in Minnesota,” kicked off the poster competition. The People’s Choice was decided through paper ballots, available at the poster display over the weekend.
Aditya Menon (freshman) won Juror’s Prize, while Mahima Swarup (Senior) claimed the People’s Choice prize. Kaiylyn Kent (Junior), claimed the Runner Up Prize, for both Juror and People’s Choice Awards.
The 2 winners will receive a $200 cash prize, with $100 for the runner-up. The winning posters of the competition will be distributed across Rice County to encourage residents to fill out their Census forms.