Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: UT-Rio Grande Valley Entry Title: Best Shows of the Year Entry Credit: Adrian Ortega Judge Comment: This is a clean, visually pleasing way to compile multiple otherwise mundane images in a way that pops. Creative solution for a story that might be difficult to illustrate in a single piece of art. The overall quality, attention to detail in post-production, and the thoughtful design choices put this entry above others as a winner.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: UT-Rio Grande Valley Entry Title: Orange In Bloom Entry Credit: Kaylee Hernandez Judge Comment: Appreciate the aesthetic and cohesive elements that are blended together in this entry. Like the first place entry, the individual photos that are pieced together in this collage are all high quality and cut together in a way that is complex but still clean, and evokes a mood. There could be slight changes made to encourage the viewer's eye to go to a certain spot first.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: A&M-College Station Entry Title: The Rudder Association Entry Credit: Robert O'Brien Judge Comment: While this design is simple overall, it above others for its effectiveness and clean production. Sometimes less is more, even when trying to come up with art that will assist in telling a hard news story.
Competition Comment: Some feedback for entries that did not place – If you try to create a complex photo illustration with lots of photo elements involved, be sure you still follow basic design rules for clean, appealing compositions. The higher the technical quality is for each of your elements, the better! Also consider the lighting of your photos (regardless of whether you're shooting the photo yourself or choosing from the wire) and whether they will blend well with and complement the other elements you're adding in post-production. Nice work all in all, always remember to ask your visual artist friends who work across various disciplines for their advice as you're creating more abstract designs like this!
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