Colorado Dragon Boat Festival Announces First-Ever Commemorative Poster Design Contest Winners

While nearly 30 Coloradoans showcased their creativity and artistic flare by entering in the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival’s first-ever 2008 Commemorative Festival Poster design competition, it is Patrick Spikes, a digital artist from Wheat Ridge, who has clinched first place.

“When the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival announced the contest, I was excited about the opportunity to design a poster that commemorates both the richness of Asian culture and the colorful setting of Colorado,” says Spikes. “The tradition of the dragon boat race is very interesting, full of history and cultural pride.”

Spikes’ winning design (pictured) will be featured as part of the annual festival, and will be used for various collectible merchandise applications including home décor framed prints, festival t-shirts and marketing materials.

Jonathan Reyes of Denver took second place, and Mingjiang Xiong of Fort Collins placed third. All three winners will receive cash awards from the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival and the Asian Arts Coordinating Council.

The panel of judges included members of the Asian Arts Coordinating Council, Colorado Dragon Boat Festival, and Denver Art Museum. Please visit www.cdbf.org to see images of the three winning posters and to learn more about the artists. The winning posters will also be on display at the Festival in July.

More than Just a Race: Your Weekend Passport to Asia and the Pacific
Celebrating its 8th year, the CDBF is a free annual family-friendly festival highlighting Colorado’s rich Asian Pacific American heritage, July 26-27 at Sloan’s Lake Park in northwest Denver. The two-day celebration provides a window to the Pan Asian world. This diverse festival is the only one of its kind in the United States, and showcases an array of traditional and contemporary performing arts, cultural customs, cuisine and a marketplace of unique and hard-to-find arts, crafts and vendors.

Here We Grow Again!
Due to record crowds last year, the 2008 Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is relocating to the east side of Sloan’s Lake (corner of Stuart and 23rd Ave., near the boathouse), where the festival debuted in 2001. The new/old location provides more open space to accommodate an increased number of vendors, programs and attendees, as well as two race locations for both the 250-meter and 500-meter races taking place this year. There is FREE parking again this year at INVESCO Field with FREE Shuttle service to and from Sloan’s Lake to INVESCO and the nearby light rail station. Check the CDBF website for more info as the festival draws near!

The 8th Annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is presented in association with AARP, Coors Brewing Company, Chrysler LLC (and the Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep Brands), CH2M HILL, Kaiser Permanente, SCFD Tier III, State Farm, 101.5 FM Martini Radio, 107.1 ONE FM, Comcast Corporation, FOX 31 News and The Denver Post. Supporting Sponsors of the event are American Family Insurance, Colorado QuitLine, Pepsi Bottling Group and Westwood College. Corporate Contributors include Raytheon Company and Wells Fargo.

Founded in 2001 to celebrate Colorado’s diverse Asian Pacific American (APA) communities, the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival (CBDF), a 501© 3 non-profit organization, has become the region’s fastest growing, family-friendly summer festival. CDBF offers festival-goers the opportunity to explore APA culture through performances, educational programs, arts and crafts, shopping, dining and the exciting athletic competition of dragon boat racing. www.cdbf.org