Cooking with the Troops

Logo/Artwork Contest Guidelines

A brand new organization needs a lot of things, but none is ultimately more central to getting operations started than a logo/artwork that visually defines the organization.  A good logo or artwork truly is a thousand words, if not many, many more.  It tells you almost everything you need to know about the people it represents, and often does so without any words at all.

We need something that can do that.  Something that sums up what we are, what we do, and what we hope to do for the troops and their families.  Something that combines the seemingly highly separated areas of cooking, combat arms, and maybe even education.  Artwork that can be printed full color for print applications, but also done as a one, two, or three spot colors onto mugs and other items. 

To make it even more interesting, this needs to be something that can be used almost anywhere:  t-shirts, chefs coats, chefs hats, business cards, coins, pins, letterhead, and more.  This means that if it is artwork, we need to be able to separate out the central, key component to use small.  If it is a logo, it needs to be able to fill all those roles legibly no matter how small or how big. 

Your challenge, should you decide to accept it, is to create something that can stand for our mission and the four key goals, and do it within those parameters.  You then have to submit it as noted below by noon Eastern time 25 June 2010. 

The prize, well, we are just getting started but as a start:

First Prize:  A knife donated by Michael Z. Williamson, author and edged weapons maker, from his operation �Sharp Pointy Things� (http://www.sharppointythings.com/index.php}; a jumbo barbecue gift box set from The Spice House (http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/grill-and-barbecue-deluxe-gift-box); an autographed DVD �Gretchen Wilson Undressed� donated by Gretchen Wilson (http://www.gretchenwilson.com/); a jar of Concrete Bob�s homemade barbecue sauce; and, provided it breaks no laws or regulations, a small feature about you on our web site with a link to your site.  More if and as we can.  Stay tuned.

Second Prize:  An autographed book donated by Michael Z. Williamson (http://www.michaelzwilliamson.com/); a basic spices gift box from The Spice House (http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/basic-spices-deluxe-gift-box-starter-set-of-spices); an autographed T-shirt (2xl) donated by Gretchen Wilson (http://www.gretchenwilson.com/ ); a jar of Concrete Bob�s homemade barbecue sauce; and, more if and as we can.  Stay tuned.

Third Prize:  A small barbecue gift box from The Spice House (http:// www.thespicehouse.com/spices/grill-and-barbecue-gift-box); an autographed camo ball cap donated by Gretchen Wilson (http://www.gretchenwilson.com/); a jar of Concrete Bob�s homemade barbecue sauce; and, more if and as we can.  Stay tuned.

Judging the event will be three very qualified individuals:

Chris Muir, who's Day-by-Day comic strip (http://www.daybydaycartoon.com/) is read world-wide everyday.  Chris was born in Syracuse, New York, but makes his home in Florida not far from the coast.  He cites Gary Larson and Garry Trudeau as influences on his work, and before Day-by-Day did a single panel comic, Altered States, for five years at Florida Today.  His background is in industrial design.

Damon Shackelford, who's military strip Delta Bravo Sierra (http://www.deltabravosierra.us/) is fast rising in readership in and out of the military.  Damon describes himself as a former Officer Candidate in the United States Army, branched Field Artillery, a graduate of the Disney Management School, a former restaurant owner, and now a civilian again.  He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree concentrating on both drawing and painting and has been producing fine art, illustration, and graphic design for more than twenty years.

John Cox, artist and purveyor of fine editorial artwork (http://www.johncoxart.com/).  John became fascinated with art at an early age through the classic illustrations in books and magazines. Illustrators such as N. C. Wyeth, Norman Rockwell, and most especially Tom Lovell forged his interest in art.  Today, his paintings are represented in fine art galleries and museums throughout the United States. John's works are also part of numerous private, public, and corporate collections both here and internationally.

Of course, there are some rules and regulations that go with any contest:

1.  Any individual can submit up to three designs.  Each submission must include the name of the artist, name of the agent (if applicable), phone number, e-mail, and address.  If you leave off the contact information, we can�t tell you if you�ve won�

2.  Initial submissions can be made as a JPEG or similar file, but the winner will have to submit their artwork as an EPS vector file (Illustrator or similar), with fonts (if any) provided as outlines.

3.  By submitting artwork to the contest, the person submitting same confirms that they are the creator or have the permission of the creator to make said submission; that non-exclusive rights to the artwork are given to Cooking with the Troops Inc. and its agents; that as part of that Cooking with the Troops Inc. and its agents have the right to print that artwork in any medium or format for any and all purposes; to display said artwork in any medium or manner; and, to do so with out compensation or other indirect payment. 

Plain English Translation:  This means we can post them to the web to display, to ask for votes, or whatever is needed; print and hang them on the wall; or, use them in a book, brochure, or whatever (think history book as one example) with the only compensation being whatever publicity it brings you.  You can use it too, on your site, clip book, etc.

4.  The artwork chosen becomes the property of Cooking with the Troops Inc.  The artist will retain the right to use the logo/artwork on their site or in print materials as an example of their work.  The original artwork is subject to modification, alteration, or other adjustments as needed now or in the future. 

5.  All prizes listed are subject to substitution, alteration, replacement, or other action based on availability and other factors outside our immediate control without additional recompense or restitution on the part of Cooking with the Wounded Inc.

Plain English Translation:  If someone has promised something as a prize and they don�t deliver, we will substitute something in for that prize and you aren�t allowed to sue us.  If a substitution is needed, we will work with you to come up with something good, and we hope to have everything in hand when offered.  After all, none of us particularly enjoys buying a pig in a poke.

6.  We note for the record that we are not yet a 501(c)(3) entity, and that while we anticipate no problems with obtaining same, the IRS could rule against us.  If we become a 501(c)(3) entity as planned, your submission may qualify as a donation � but you need to check with your accountant or other tax professional on that and on fair value and related considerations. UPDATE:  WE HAVE BEEN APPROVED AS A 501(C)(3) ORGANIZATION.

7.  Cooking with the Troops Inc. and its agents assumes no liability or responsibility for any real or claimed losses, hardship, or other impact to the submitter; nor does Cooking with the Troops or its agents assume any liability for copyright or other claims, and all such responsibility and liability rests with the person submitting the artwork.

Plain English Translation: We are accepting the submission in good faith. 

We are not responsible for any costs, fees, or other impacts you incur as a result of your submission; and, if you submit something that infringes on copyright or other legal protection of another person or party, all costs and liability for that infringement rest with you .

Please submit via e-mail to artcontest@cwtt.org.  Submission indicates acceptance of all terms and conditions, and the ruling of the judges is final.  All submissions must be received by noon Eastern time 25 June 2010 in order to be considered.