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Însemn — the “mark” of a place — a creative competition with prizes, open to the general public

1. What is ÎNSEMN?

The “ÎNSEMN®: Plai și Vatră — the Emblem of the Place” competition aims to bring together artists and designers, as well as people interested in drawing, culture, computers, history, geography and traditions — members of communities throughout the country, and even throughout the Romanian-speaking world. Participants create emblems, logos and symbols reflecting aspects of the social, historical, cultural, tourism, traditional or economic character of their locality and region. These examples are not exhaustive.

2. What do participants need to do?

Learn about representative features of the area covered by the competition, including the human stories behind them.
Create drawings, logos or emblems in vector format that capture the essence of an aspect of themselves or their surroundings, family, community, town, region or country. The subject may relate to society, the economy, sport, history, architecture, geography, traditions and more.
Write a description of the first artwork, between 100 and 500 words, explaining what it represents as clearly, concisely, accurately and completely as possible.
Create and submit a logo or emblem for local producers, from any industry or field, to use on products or packaging. Its message is “Made with XXX in YYY”: XXX is an adjective or expression such as joy, pride or care, or may be omitted; YYY is the locality, commune, county or region that is the competition’s theme. “Made” may be replaced with a suitable word such as designed, offered, experienced or assembled.
Do the same for “Made with XXX in Romania”; the simplest version is “Made in Romania”, or an equivalent expression.
Send the above items and the required forms to the organisers: three images in total and a description of the first image.

3. Who can participate?

Anyone, from anywhere, may participate. Entries are evaluated by age group:

Ages 9–21. Participants under 18 need the agreement and signature of a parent, guardian or legal representative to enter the competition.
Over 21.
Over 65: participants may submit at least the local-identity artwork and any combination of the other items; they may also send a physical drawing. This opens participation to people with skills beyond computer use. The remaining requirements still apply.
Teams of up to two people, combining artistic and digital skills. Team members and their roles must be clearly stated.
Organisations and communities may enter separately or organise their own competition, either as part of or separately from the main competition.

4. How are entries evaluated?

I. The drawings, logos or emblems are assessed against a small set of clear criteria:

Clarity.
How effectively they convey their subject.
Simplicity and capturing the essential features.

II. The description accompanying the first, place-based artwork is assessed for:

Compliance with the word limit.
How effectively the description conveys the subject.
Research and accuracy.
What the drawing represents and why the artist chose that feature, place, person, tradition or other subject.

Further entry requirements, including appropriate content and excluded subjects, will be detailed.

5. What prizes will there be?

5.1. Benefits for all participants

Being named on this website.
Publication of their artwork — three images and a description — on this website.
Including their participation in biographies and portfolios.
The opportunity to win a prize.
The possibility that an organisation or public body may choose their work for use in its materials. The author will be credited and may receive further commissions.
Knowledge gained and learning throughout the competition.

5.2. Material prizes

Items, services and other prizes offered by the organisers, through sponsors or their own resources.

5.3. Non-material prizes and recognition

Public profile.
Visibility.
Experience.
Social connections and a sense of belonging.
Promotion of the artist and their work on the organisers’ websites.
Recognition.
Promotion through social media and other media, including possible selection for podcasts, radio or television programmes.

These lists are not exhaustive.

Who benefits from the competition?

Participants.
The locality as a whole.
Local administration.
Businesses.
Schools.
Parents.
The local public image.
Everyone involved.
The country.

If you are interested in participating, email 7directi@gmail.com with your interest. We will keep you informed about the competition in your area and elsewhere.

The materials on this website may be used by any organisation, anywhere, to organise similar competitions, on the condition that Însemn® is credited as the source or reference.
- The organisers are available to answer questions about this initiative.