The Columbia Waterfront District Coalition is launching the Shop and Dine Columbia Waterfront Art Contest, which will run from Sept. 1st – Oct. 15th, 2012. The Columbia Waterfront District Coalition is a working group established to undertake marketing and promotional initiatives for the Columbia Waterfront District neighborhood.  The Coalition is comprised of the Columbia Waterfront District Merchants Association (CWDMA), the Columbia Waterfront Neighborhood Association (CoWNA), the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative (BGI), the Red Hook Star-Revue, and the Carroll Gardens Association, Inc. (CGA). The Coalition’s first initiative is to launch the Shop and Dine Columbia Waterfront Art Contest.

The purpose of the art competition is to create a unique identity that will help promote the Columbia Waterfront neighborhood and its commercial corridor. The winning artwork will be used as design for the Street Banners and signage that will be installed along the commercial corridor, as well as develop a market brand for the community that aims to draw visitors to explore the neighborhood and patronize local businesses.

The art contest will have three themes: 1) the missing Historic Columbia Street Clock; 2) Gantries; and 3) Maritime images. Winning entries will also be used on t-shirts, stickers, posters, coffee mugs, and other promotional materials to publicize the Columbia Waterfront District and raise funds for the neighborhood’s signage and banners that will be installed along the  commercial corridor that extends from Atlantic to Hamilton Avenues along Columbia Street, and from Van Brunt to Hicks Streets along Columbia Street.

Prizes for the winning entries are: 1st Place: $300; 2nd Place: $200; and 3rd Place: $100. Artists will be given credit for their work. Winning entries that are used for promotional items will also receive a 10% royalty from profits resulting from the sale of promotional items, after the cost of production and marketing has been covered and accounted for.

For more information view the Coalition website.