Alys Beach, FL– (January 31, 2012) Alys Beach, in conjunction with Visit South Walton, invites artists from around the globe to submit original digital artwork for the Fifth Annual Digital Graffiti Festival at Alys Beach, a one of a kind juried venue for projected art. Artists will compete for $10,000 in prize money, awarded in five categories. All work selected for the 2012 festival will be eligible for the awards, to be held on June 8-9th.

Alys Beach opens its doors, courtyards, and pedestrian paths to groundbreaking international artists who literally transform the entire resort town into a living work of art. The annual festival allows digital artists to explore how their fluid forms intersect with technology and wrap the architecture of Alys Beach to create entirely new art forms. 

“Digital Graffiti, over a short period of time, has become irrevocably linked to Alys Beach,” says Town Architect Marieanne Khoury-Vogt.  “Watching our beautiful, stark, white washed walls and roofs become completely transformed by the colorful and evocative swirling pieces of digital art is truly an inspiring experience. The projected vivid images that mold and melt against the backdrop of our sculptural architecture is fascinating to observe. One can meander through the paths and parks of our town and contemplate all of the different pieces of digital graffiti, at times set to music, and at times powerfully silent.”

An additional evening at this year’s festival includes an open air Salon, where artists are available to discuss their work with guests. During the festival weekend, various art workshops, hosted by Alys Beach in conjunction with the Cultural Arts Alliance, are available
for all to attend.

Florida Travel and Life lists Digital Graffiti Festival in their January/February 2012 issue as one of the must-not miss “52 Amazing Weekends” for 2012.

“The homes of Alys Beach create the perfect canvas to project these brilliant works. Digital Graffiti is an illuminating celebration that focuses on the art of our time!” says Daniel Garcia Sales Operation Manager of Florida Travel and Life.

Digital Graffiti tickets are now on sale and available while quantities last at www.digitalgraffiti.com and at Fonville Press located in Alys Beach. Adult tickets are $30 for Friday night and $50 for Saturday night. Children’s tickets (12 and under) may be purchased for $10 for each night. Please note that this event will sell out so it is strongly encouraged to pre-purchase tickets.

ABOUT DIGITAL GRAFFITI
Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach is the world’s first outdoor projection art festival, with artists using the latest technologies to create original works that are then projected across the town’s iconic white walls. www.digitalgraffiti.com
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ABOUT ALYS BEACH
One of the most beautiful new towns in the world, Alys Beach is located on Scenic Highway 30A in Florida’s panhandle, along what The New York Times said “may be the best beach in the continental U.S.” The resort town’s extraordinary architectural vision drew inspirations from both Bermuda and the family courtyard homes of Antigua, Guatemala. When complete, Alys Beach will be home to 900 villas and courtyard homes, as well as restaurants, parks, shops and other resort amenities. Alys Beach is the first Fortified…for Safer Living® community in the world, and all homes are built to Florida’s Green Home Designation Standard. For home sales or vacation rental information, please call 866-481-8387 or visit www.alysbeach.com
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            HOW TO ENTER
Stage 1:  Initial Screening
The deadline for all submissions is April 2, 2012.  All entries must first be uploaded to www.Vimeo.com and then submitted via the Digital Graffiti website Submit Entry form.

There is no application fee and artists retain 100% ownership of their works, although please note that by submitting an entry, you agree to allow Digital Graffiti, Alys Beach and/or its sponsoring partners the unrestricted right to use your artwork (in part or in whole) for promotional purposes.

You may submit more than one entry, but please note that each artwork requires its own entry information:
• Project Title
• Artist Name
• Original Format
• Running Time
• Year Produced
• One sentence overview of project
• Short description of project (no more than 200-300 words)
• Brief artist statement
• Finally, please indicate if you will attend the festival on June 9, 2012. Please note that attendance is NOT required for eligibility.
• Entries may include new or existing short digital videos or entirely new interactive concepts. 
• Every effort will be made to play audio with the pieces.  However, not all pieces will be shown with accompanying audio.

Stage 2:  Finalists & The Selection Process
Submitting artists whose entries pass the first screening (“Finalists”) will be notified in late April.

These finalists will be eligible for the competition on June 8-9, 2012 and their works will be displayed during the event.

Stage 3:  Awards & The Festival
The 2012 Digital Graffiti festival will be held in Alys Beach, Florida on Friday and Saturday, June 8-9. Prizes will be awarded in various categories, as judged by a panel of art and industry experts:

 Best of Show ($5,000 Prize)
 Most Innovative/Experimental Submission ($2,000 Prize)
 Best in Florida for entries submitted by artists residing full-time in the state of Florida ($1,000 Prize)
 Best Animated Submission ($1,000 Prize)
 Curator’s Choice ($1,000 Prize)

For more information, please email Kelli Arnold at events@alysbeach.com, call (toll-free) 1-866-481-8390 or visit www.digitalgraffiti.com.