GM Media Online

• Chevrolet is launching the second edition of the Young? Creative? Chevrolet! contest with 75 schools of Applied Art registered for the 2008 competition in 15 European countries

Expecting up to 940 projects to be submitted this year, Chevrolet seeks the best growing creative talents, among European students.

Young? Creative? Chevrolet! is a competition on Chevrolet’s brand image conducted in cooperation with renowned Schools of applied art across Europe and open to their students.

Chevrolet creates an opportunity for students to focus on a specific brand project and add their own touch to it. “Young? Creative? Chevrolet!” aims to stimulate and reward the students directly and links Chevrolet’s identity to the best creative hubs across Europe.

The students participating in the competition have to present a personal or group work in one of the following 5 disciplines, using Chevrolet’s brand image:

Photo / Video / Visual Arts / Interior Design / Fashion

2007 to 2008, more and more participants...

In 2007, 8 countries participated. This year, the number of participating countries has increased to 15 countries across Europe: Austria, the Baltic countries (Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia), Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia and Switzerland.

Most schools have registered to compete in more than one discipline. The schools say it is a very good way to illustrate what they teach and to motivate their students

Alain Vögeli, General Manager of the Ecole de Multimédia et d’Art of Fribourg in Switzerland, whose team won the first prize in Photography in 2007, explains: “Projects linked to real-life creation like this one help getting beyond the perceived rigidity of the professor-student relationship, giving young creators different guidance. This is something very rewarding for us professors, too!”

Most schools involved in 2007 also registered for 2008. Among them:

National and European awards
The 940 projects, which are expected, have to be submitted in May to the national juries. Panels of judges involving prominent figures from the art world, the media and Chevrolet organization will elect the best projects for each discipline at a national level. Each national winner project will then be presented to the European judges for the YCC 2008 European grand finale for each of the five disciplines.

Virginie Lescure, the French stylist who chaired the European Fashion jury in 2007, underlined how many initiatives such as “Young? Creative? Chevrolet!” are needed in the arts community, targeting young talents: “I remember well my times as a young creator trying to get my career started and I must tell you that opportunities such as these are as rare today as they were yesterday. Arts do not get enough support in our societies. We need more wonderful, concrete projects like this.”

“We are very excited to continue this project”, says Wayne Brannon, Executive Director of Chevrolet Europe. “We were very impressed by the first works the art students submitted for the first contest. The young artists demonstrated clearly their creativity, their enthusiasm and their fresh thinking!”

For more information about the contest, please visit: www.youngcreativechevrolet.eu

Notes to editors:

On the YCC prizes for students:

National level:

First prize: Photography

An amount of €1,000 and a „witness trip“ to the photo shoot for a new Chevrolet product commercial or corporate campaign, where awarded students will have the opportunity to witness how a professional photo shoot is organized and performed.

First prize: Video

An amount of €1,000 and a „witness trip“ to the video shoot for a new Chevrolet product commercial or corporate campaign, where awarded students will have the opportunity to witness how a professional video shoot is organized and performed.

First prize: Visual Arts

An amount of €1,000 and a weekend with the Chevrolet WTCC racing team at the race in which the car decorated with the winning project will participate. The winning student will have the opportunity to discover all aspects linked with motor sports and with the media and PR activities in conjunction with the decorated car.

First prize: Interior Design

An amount of €1,000 and a “full immersion“ of 2 days in a major international motor show, during which the winner will be able to see all aspects related to building the stand (development and implementation of the plans, choice and use of materials, construction and assembly, etc.) and to attend the first press day.

First prize: Fashion

An amount of €1,000 and a mini traineeship of 2-3 days with a stylist who has created his/her own label, during either the starting phase of a new collection (choice and purchase of fabrics, start of production, etc.) or during the set-up of a collection exhibition together with other fashion stylists (jewelry, accessories, etc.).

For all disciplines:

Young? Creative? Chevrolet! 2008 Students > ready, set, go.. the competition begins!