You may recall that Karen sent the below announcement out to the list a while ago. I am excited to report that Gail Aloisio of Albany Township, ME was named a top ten finalist in this contest; Gail is a graduate of U. Maine-Orono and a current GIS student at White Mountains Community College, Berlin, NH. Voting for the best map started today at: http://bizarremap.sdsu.edu/Voting/voting.html Be advised that Gail's map, the one with the photo of the beloved Lynchville, ME sign post, takes a long time to download; don't give up. Congratulations, Gail; please give her our support! Sarah Tucker "Bizarre Map Challenge" (BMC): A National Map Design Competition Hosted by the National GeoTech Center (http://www.geotechcenter.org/) and San Diego State University. Contact (Q&A) email address: [log in to unmask] Goal: To promote spatial thinking and geospatial technology awareness in high schools, community colleges, and universities in the United States. To inspire curiosity about geographic patterns and map representation for students and the broader public. Awards: 1st prize: $5000 cash 2nd prize: $1000 cash, 3rd prize: $600 cash, 4th - 10th prizes: $200 cash for each Competition Rules 1. Competition participants must be full-time students in high school, community college, or a university (undergraduate students only) in the United States. The cartographic work and map design must be the original work of the entrant. 2. "Bizarre", in this competition, refers to maps that are strikingly out of the ordinary. Though all maps must use real-world data, successful entries might employ unusual techniques, illustrate bizarre topics, or exhibit striking patterns. This competition will not accept imaginary maps, hand-drawn maps, or video game maps. 3. All entries must be submitted in a static PDF format (no interactive or animated maps) using the on-line registration form. The complete map should be no larger than 8.5 x 11 inches (letter size) with a minimum of half-inch margins. A summary description, 500 words maximum, will also be required at the time of submission. The summary should describe why this map is bizarre, how it was created, the tools used, data sources, coordinate systems, projection methods, etc. 4. Each student can only submit one entry. Each map should be created and designed by one student only (no teamwork). 5. Each student needs to provide one teacher's contact information (name, email address, school name, phone number, etc). 6. There are two rounds of judging. The first round will be handled by five world-renowned cartographers who will select the TOP TEN entries. Judges will consider a variety of criteria, including but not limited to topics, techniques, and design. Students, among the TOP TEN entries, may be asked to provide proven documentation of their full-time student status. The second round will consist of public voting. The TOP TEN entries will be posted on the competition website with public voting open for two weeks (one vote per person). Entries will be ranked according to the number of votes received by the end of the voting period. Timeline: . March 1st - March 22nd, 2010 : Accepting map entries (on-line form) from the BMC website (URL to be announced on March 1st, 2010) . April 12, 2010: Announcing the TOP TEN bizarre map challenge design finalists . April 12 - April 26, 2010: Two week on-line voting on the BMC website . April 27, 2010: Announcing the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize winners. **************************** Karen B. Anderson GIS Specialist Acadia National Park 207-288-8724 fax 207-288-8709 **************************** ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This list Maine GeoNews (GEOLIBRARY-L) is an unmoderated discussion list for all Maine GIS Users. If you no longer wish to receive e-mail from this list, you can remove your name and email address yourself at the this web address: http://lists.maine.edu/cgi/wa?SUBED1=geolibrary-l&A=1 Or,you may also request that your name be removed by sending email to: [log in to unmask]