Yes you can, and Yes you will!

Brussels - Combining Creativity with Social Awareness: Sappi Fine Paper Europe announces the four winners of the coveted 2011 Ideas that Matter prize. In a competition where the emphasis is on turning theory into reality, the hard work starts now. Through a combination of financial and material support provided by Sappi, the attention is now focused on turning these great ideas into the meaningful and hard-hitting visual campaigns they have been designed to be, so keep your eyes peeled and prepare to be touched by the power of print.

Voting is over, and decisions have been made. Sustainability, combining breastfeeding with work, the use of art and drama therapy to help children through difficult times, and the impact of deforestation on animal habitats; these are the issues that are close to our 2011 winner’s hearts and that are now going to make the headlines. In a competition that challenges designers (students and professionals) to use their creative skills in an impactful way, entrants are placed at the coal face of the real world, both in terms of creating realistic campaigns where the sky is not the limit, as well as raising social awareness about real world issues.

This year, the Ideas that Matters competition launched an online public voting system via its new website www.sappi-ideasthatmatter.eu. Through the multiplier effect of social media, hundreds of votes were registered. The winners of the public vote are as follows:

Using print is about increasing the quality of the message. The tools selected by this year’s winners to raise awareness about their chosen issues range from books that have a life-long existence and can be shared and re-read, to billboards that can be seen on street corners public at large, to postcards that can be sent, received and collected.

But the real work starts now. Part of what makes the Ideas that Matter competition so special is that the emphasis is on the realisation of the design projects. It is about bringing theory to life in order to create social awareness about the topics that our winning designers have chosen to highlight. In addition to a grant of up to €10,000 to implement the projects, Sappi will sponsor paper up to a maximum of 5,000kg. Working in partnership with the winners and their non-profit organizations, Sappi specialists will advise on best grades of paper to make maximum impact for the campaigns.

 

The next round of the Ideas that Matter competition is already under way with a 30 April 2012 deadline for entries. For more details please go to our dedicated  websitewww.sappiideasthatmatter.eu

About the winners and their entries

Paula Raché and Aart van Bezooyen (DE) [Professional]
It’s Not Easy Being Green
Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli eV

 

Viva con Agua de Sankt Pauli is a charitable organisation based in St Pauli, Hamburg (Germany), campaigning for clean drinking water worldwide. Paula and Aart, two European designers, travelled around the world over a period of six months collecting ideas and inspiration from local creatives on the subject of ‘sustainability in practice.’ Their project idea is to bring together these experiences in the form of a book – The Sustainable Design Book Project – in collaboration with Viva con Agua, to inspire others to work towards a more sustainable future. The book would support the goals of the organisation in its role as an information carrier, as well as a vehicle to gather funds (ie for every book that is sold, a donation goes to the organisation.)

 

Samia (Lilla) Al Assir (Hungary/Lebanon) [Student]
A Fairytale Refuge
LAKMUSZ Rögtönzések Színháza, Erőszakmentes Kommunikáció (EMK) es
Gyermekdráma Projektcsoport, Kreatív Bázis Alapítvány Momentán Társulat (HU) and
DINSART (ES)

Lilla developed the concept for her campaign around Drama and Art Therapy for children. The initiative is about creating a network to bring together non profit organisations who use drama and art to help children with special needs under one umbrella called the Fairytale Refuge. Through striking watercolour images, and a clever logo representing a phone that turns into a fairy godmother, a billboard campaign will raise awareness about the Refuge concept, and the purchase of promotional cards will seek to raise funds for the network. The initial plan is to roll out the campaign in Budapest and Barcelona.

Danielle Schaffelaars (NL) [Professional]
Borst en BAAN
Kenniscentrum Borstvoeding

The central objective of the Borst BAAN campaign was to support and inform (new) mothers going back to work about the options available to continue to breastfeed, thereby extending the benefits of doing so to both mother, baby and employer. ‘Borst en Baan’ translated means ‘Breast and Job’. Danielle, a working mother herself, chose to develop her idea in conjunction with Kenniscentrum Borstvoeding (Centre for Breastfeeding in Holland), a centre focused on equipping mothers with knowledge and information about breastfeeding. The project centered on the development of a series of booklets, flyers, poster and creative stationary for both mothers and health professionals.

Pascal Krenn (DE) [Student]
No forest, no animals
Bund Deutscher Tierfreunde

Through a series of very striking billboards throughout Germany, Pascal’s winning entry aims to encourage people to join and support Bund Deutscher Tierfreunde eV (The German
Union for Friends of Animals). The central message of the campaign entitled ‘No Forests, No Animals’ is that, animals’ habitats are reducing in size as a result of deforestation,
endangering their lives in the process. The striking images will draw people’s attention and stir them to take action.

ENDS