Yungang Grottoes asks the world for official logo design

A Buddha statue in the Yungang Grottoes (Photo/People’s daily online)

Administrators of the Yungang Grottoes, located 16 kilometers west of Datong, north China’s Shanxi Province, recently launched a global competition to design a new official logo, according to the Yungang Grottoes Research Institute, Chinanews.com reported on March 12. With more than 51,000 Buddhist statues of various sizes in 45 existing grottoes, the Yungang Grottoes is one of China’s largest grotto groups. It was included into the World Cultural Heritage list by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in 2001.

“In order to better carry forward the culture and art in Yungang Grottoes, and to further raise the area’s profile and influence, the tourism management committee of Yungang Grottoes and Yungang Grottoes Research Institute decided to ask the global community for official logo ideas for the Yungang Grottoes,” read the announcement. “Talented designers and people with creativity, copywriting experience, and graphic design experience are all welcome to take part in the contest,” it continued.

The competition requires that the logo should convey the distinctive features of the Yungang Grottoes creatively. The winning design will be used for a variety of occasions in a number of locations. The worldwide contest will start on March 15 and end on Dec. 31, according to the announcement, noting that the competition will consist of three phases: the preliminary screening, selection, and final evaluation.

Ten pieces will be selected for the final evaluation, from which one will become the new logo, while the other nine will be recognized as outstanding works.
The first prize winner will also receive a monetary reward of 10,000 yuan (about $1,489.27) and a certificate of achievement, and the creators of the remaining nine outstanding works will each receive 2,000 yuan and a certificate of achievement.

(People’s Daily Online)