Call for Entries: #CharacterMatters

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Pictoplasma invites you to craft a character-powered public service announcement – and submit for a juried exhibition premiere at Pictoplasma Berlin 2025!

Characters can make a change!

In these tough times – with community values under pressure, political stressors abundant, technologies disrupting careers, cultures, conversations, and climates – it’s now or never to look inside, find what matters, and speak up to promote a better world… for humans and characters alike.

We urge you to fight back – by illustrating the value of good character:

Character Matters!

To commemorate the upcoming 21st Pictoplasma Berlin conference on contemporary character design and art, we intend to make such a statement – in the flesh, bound in paper and ink, as proud public service announcements – on the streets and at a vibrant gallery exhibition open to the general public.
Characters can make a change. They can persuade, explain, or dispute with flair, style, and attitude. They can save or sell, propagandize or preach, communicate to all with universal languages of symbolism and cuteness.
If you're with us (and we sure hope you are), we invite you to contribute – by crafting a public service announcement (PSA) poster that shows your original character, what it stands for, and the encouraging slogan “Character Matters”.

GUIDELINES FOR ENTRY:

Your poster MUST include the slogan/claim/text "CHARACTER MATTERS"! Additional text elements are welcome – let us know about your personal character cause.

Your poster should feature YOUR OWN ORIGINAL CHARACTER DESIGN(S) – but should refrain from depicting famous faces (such as Mickey or Miffy) or caricatures of “real” people, celebrities, or politicians.

Any technique or style is welcome (from sophisticated illustration to xerox style punk band flyer or cleverly designed movie-poster homage), as long as the result is in REGULAR POSTER FORMAT (portrait orientation, size ratio approx. 2:3) and anticipates potential printing as DinA1 Poster (*dimensions below).

Submit your entry by uploading it to your Picto|Home profile (free to register) with the hashtag #CharacterMatters in the project description.

The DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES is Monday, March 31, 2025, midnight (all timezones).

JURYING & PRIZES:

An esteemed jury will select up to 100 posters for exhibition based on the following criteria:

— Originality of interpretation and clear communication of the character cause
— Visual impact of layout, graphic elements, typography
— Quality of character design, appeal, attitude, expression, and pose

Selected artists will be notified by April 4 and asked to provide a high-resolution file of their entry for print production (*DinA1 Poster, full bleed to edges, 300 DPI at 59x84cm or 23.4"x33.1").
The winning entries will be produced as Prints for exhibition in a public-friendly gallery in Berlin (giving full credit to their creators), set to premiere on 30 April 2025 as the opening celebration of the 21st Pictoplasma conference.
Additionally, three jury's choice posters will be awarded a full conference pass to attend Pictoplasma and the opening of the exhibition. Winners who have already registered for 2025 receive a golden ticket for any future conference edition of their choice...

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Now is the time to show character,
Pictoplasma