Yellow Pages Group™ Art Awards Auckland Finalists

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Leila Ataya - Heart of Auckland

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Anita Smith - Auckland's Colourful Cultures

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Jennifer Gottschalk - Woven Together

MEDIA RELEASE
20 October 2008

YELLOW PAGES GROUP™ ART AWARDS AUCKLAND FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

The Yellow Pages Group™ Art Awards finalists for the Auckland White pages® cover have been selected – now it’s up to the public to decide who gets the top cover spot.

Yellow™is giving Aucklanders the chance – via online voting – to help decide which artwork will go on the cover of next year’s White pages®.

The three finalists were chosen by a panel of expert judges from over fifty entries. They are Leila Ataya of Te Atatu South; Jennifer Gottschalk of North Shore City and Anita Smith of Blockhouse Bay.

Ms Ataya created ‘Heart of Auckland’. Her aim was to embody the heart of Auckland through a dream world – fairytales and butterflies – “which I hope will open up with whoever sees it.”

Ms Gottschalk’s mission was to create a work that Aucklanders could easily identify with. Her artwork – ‘Woven Together’ “attempts to convey a feeling of unity whilst at the same time celebrating the diversity of the greater Auckland community.”

Ms Smith’s piece – ‘Auckland’s Colourful Cultures’ – depicts the multiculturalism of New Zealand.

“I wanted to produce a colourful piece of work that would look good on the cover of the phone book as well as representing the varied and colourful cultures that contribute to making Auckland a unique city.”

Yellow™CEO Dudley Enoka says this is the 18th year of the successful programme but the first where the public can decide what makes the cover.

“The White pages® are in nearly a million Auckland households and businesses and used by 1 in 3 New Zealander’s each week – it’s great that Aucklanders now have a say on what best reflects their region aesthetically.”

To vote, visit the Art Awards website www.ypgartawards.co.nz and click on the ‘Voting’ link. Auckland voting closes on Friday 14 November.

In addition to public voting, this year the Yellow Pages Group™ Art Awards programme has been enhanced by The Yellow™ Foundation Trust which will top-up and distribute the funds raised from auctioning the artworks.

“We looked at our successful Yellow Pages Group™ Art Awards programme and felt there was an opportunity to connect more with regional communities. The Yellow™ Foundation Trust will donate money to regional initiatives in each of the 18 regions rather than via one centralised charity,” says Mr Enoka.

The staff at Yellow™ were asked to nominate a special community project or worthy regional cause. From these staff submissions, the Yellow™Foundation Trust members shortlisted three projects based on their synergies with Yellow™ brand values and the Auckland region.

The Auckland finalists then selected which of the three shortlisted charitable initiatives they would like to see their artwork support. Ms Smith and Ms Gottschalk chose Project K, and Ms Ataya chose the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust.

The new Auckland White pages® will be distributed across the region from March at which time the winning artist and their selected charity will be revealed. The charity will stand to benefit to the value of $10,000 following next year’s Yellow Pages Group™ Art Awards auction.

ENDS

About the Yellow™ Pages Group Art Awards
• The Yellow Pages Group Art Awards have been held annually since 1990.
• Each year hundreds of entries are received from emerging and established artists.
• 324 original artworks have been published on the front covers of White pages® phone books since the competition started
• There are cash prizes for the competition’s top three artworks overall and each regional winner. The winner receives $2,000, first runner up $1,000 and second runner up $500.
• Funds are raised through the sale of artworks, both online and at a live auction event.
• The Art Awards judging panel this year comprised of Mark Olsen, a previous Auckland winner; art critic, John Daly-Peoples and Hamish Coney, Managing Director of Art + Object.

About Yellow™
Yellow™ publishes the print and online Yellow™ directory, as well as the White pages® and the Local Directory™ book. Each year, Yellow™ is responsible for printing and distributing 18 regional editions of Yellow™ and White pages®, and 21 editions of Local directory across New Zealand. Yellow™ also publishes the Retirement guide™, Yellow frontdoor™ and the New Zealand tourism guide™. It also provides the 018™ and 0172 directory assistance service.

For more information please visit www.yellowpagesgroup.co.nz

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