Kona Coffee Festival Seeks Signature Art For 50th Anniversary

There are about 3,500 acres of land used for coffee farming in Kona. PC: Kona Coffee Festival

The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is seeking Hawai‘i artists and artwork for its 50th annual gathering.

The call for signature art invites those interested to submit original Kona coffee art in all forms, including fine art, graphic design and photography. Artwork should reflect the Festival’s 2020 theme “Kona, the Gold Standard of Coffees.”

The winning design will become the official image of the 2020 Kona Coffee Cultural Festival and will be featured on all official Festival merchandise including the Festival button, event poster and retail merchandise. The winning design will also be featured on the Festival’s magazine cover, website and other promotional materials.

Artists of traditional media including oil, acrylic, tempera, watercolor, illustrations as well as computer graphics and photographers are invited to participate. Typography should not be included within the art.

There is no entry fee to participate and the competition is open to all Big Island residents 18 and older. Artwork submissions are due by Monday, March 30, 2020.

Eligibility —The poster art submission is open to Hawai‘i state residents only. Selected artists from the two previous years are not eligible.

Compensation — One submission will be selected from all eligible entrants. The selected artist will receive the following:

• Monetary honorarium of $500
• Name recognition on all print collateral, including poster, magazine and rack cards
• A feature on the Kona Coffee Cultural Festival website along with a link to the artist’s homepage
• A photo and feature in the Festival’s media kit and 32-page full color magazine
• Press release showcasing the artist and the art

Selection — Signature Festival art will be selected in early April, based on the following:

• Artistic execution and marketing adaptation (60%)
• Conformance to the guiding mission (40%)

Signature Art — The concept image must be adaptable, in whole or in part, for the use in other media, including but without limitation, advertisements, t-shirts, brochures and rack cards. Typography should not be included within the art.

Artwork submissions are due by Monday, March 30 and should be delivered to Malia Bolton Hind at the Kona Coffee & Tea Company located at 74-5588 Palani Rd, or entries can be submitted electronically via email to maliabolton@gmail.com. Be sure to include “Festival Submission” in the subject line with electronic entries.

The 50th Golden Festival starts brewing Nov. 6 through Nov. 15, 2020, and includes 10 days of events that promote Hawai‘i’s unique culture and diversity and supports the Festival’s mission to preserve, perpetuate and promote Kona’s unique coffee heritage.

The Kona Coffee Cultural Festival is sponsored by Hawaii Tourism and is made possible through the support of UCC Ueshima Coffee Co., Ltd., Kamehameha Schools, Alaska Airlines, Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union and numerous other corporate and community donors.