Alys Beach, Florida – (September 2, 2008) – Despite a thundershower that watered down Saturday evening's "Digital Graffiti" festivities, hundreds of guests were able to experience a few art projections, new open houses and a dance party that ran late into the night.
"Unfortunately, due to technical issues created by the storm, we were only able to show a few of the exhibits," said Kelli Arnold, Events Coordinator for Alys Beach. "We were especially sad for the many artists that attended, both locally and from as far away as New York. But the dance party was so much fun, and we were overwhelmed by the support and positive feedback from our friends and neighbors."
The next day, the festival's panel of industry experts reviewed each exhibit and awarded the following honors:
- Best Photography ($500): "Feet First" by Sally Mankus of Shalimar, Florida
- Best Still Image ($500): "Spectacular Takeover Battle" by Florian Kulhmann of Dusseldorf, Germany
- Best Environmental Theme ($1,000): "S.O.S." by Donna Callighan of Stamford, Connecticut
- Best Local Submission ($1,000): "SpyCam Series #2" by Janis Sawyer of Seaside, Florida
- Most Experimental ($1,000): "Herr Bar" by Clemens Kogler of Linz, Austria
- Best of Show ($2,500): "Futures" by Robert Seidel of Jena, Germany
Although rain prevented festival attendees from determining the "Audience Choice" award, judges decided to sponsor a special new $500 prize called the "Judges' Choice Award."
- Judges' Choice Award ($500): "Dancing Queen" by Sumit Roy of New Delhi, India
All award-winning entries will be featured soon at www.alysbeach.com/DG.
"We were blown away by the quality and diversity of the exhibits," said Brett Phares, professor of interactive studies at Marist College in New York, and one of the festival's judges. "Alys Beach and Caliza are among the most amazing event venues we've ever seen, and we all just felt honored to be involved with this pioneering concept."
A special "artists reception" will be held at Fonville Press in Alys Beach on Friday, September 19th (weather permitting!), during which all festival exhibits will be projected in sequence in a single location for guests to enjoy.
"Although we realize that some artists might not be able to attend, we feel it's important to share and showcase all of their amazing works," said Arnold. There is no admission for the event, which will start at 8pm.
Anyone who pre-purchased tickets for last Saturday's event can receive a full refund by calling 1-866-481-8387 or or by emailing events@alysbeach.com.
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