IP/09/640 Brussels, 27 April 2009European Commission launches competition to create a new EU organic logoOrganic food meets fresh design: The European Commission's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development is inviting all design and art students from the 27 EU Member States to enter the EU-wide organic logo competition. The competition offers a prize that money just can’t buy: The winning logo will be introduced as the official logo for organic products throughout the European Union in July 2010. On the eve of the organic logo competition launch, Mariann Fischer Boel, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, said: "The new organic logo will bring identity to the organic sector in the EU. It will help in creating the single market, and that's good news for producers and consumers." With the goal of designing a clever and creative EU organic logo, the EU gives Europe’s up-and-coming talents the chance to create a design that could be printed on millions of product packages. The new EU organic logo will be mandatory for all pre-packaged organic products that originate in the 27 Member States and meet the labelling standards. Additionally, all non pre-packaged organic products that originate from the EU or that are imported from third countries can use the EU logo on a voluntary basis. All EU citizens, registered at an institution of higher education for art or design based in the EU, are encouraged to enter this unique, international design competition. Three winners will be selected, and the first prize winner will be awarded a cash prize of € 6,000. The first and second runners-up will receive € 3,500 and € 2,500 respectively. Entries can be uploaded onto the special competition website www.ec.europa.eu/organic-logo until 25 June, 2009. The EU Organic Logo Competition will be judged by a jury of experts from the field of organic farming and production, and internationally renowned design professionals. Prominent jury members include Professor, Honorary Doctor, Creative Director & Managing Partner Erik Spiekermann from Germany; Riitta Brusila-Räsänen, Professor of Graphic Design from the University of Lapland / Finland; Szymon Skrzypczak, a prize-winning young designer from Poland; Elisabeth Mercier, Director of Agence BIO from France; Urs Niggli, Director of the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) from Switzerland; Tom Václavík, a marketing expert for organic products from the Czech Republic and President of the International Organic Retailers Association; and Craig Sams, the Chair of the Soil Association from the UK. The competition jury will be chaired by Rob Vermeulen, former president of the Pan-European Brand Design Association. After the entry deadline, the jury will select the best submissions which will then be featured on the competition website as the official candidates for the new logo. All European citizens will be invited to help choose the winning logo by voting for their favourite online. In the summer of 2010, the winner and two runners-up will be invited to the awards ceremony in Brussels, where the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development will present them with their prizes. The competition challenges students to design an eye-catching, original logo that captures the diverse aspects of organic farming and production. Additionally, the jury will assess the designs according to their universal appeal, their comprehensibility without the use of words, their clarity of presentation and their timelessness. Full terms and conditions can be found on the website www.ec.europa.eu/organic-logo.