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Original Artwork Sought To Highlight The Delaware River As Pennsylvania's 2011 River Of The Year
Artwork To Also Focus On The 2011 Delaware Sojourn Theme “River of Life”

For Immediate Release

March 25, 2011

(WEST TRENTON, N.J.) -- The Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), along with its partners on the 2011 Delaware River Sojourn and Pennsylvania 2011 River of the Year (ROY) steering committees, are looking for original artwork for flyers, the sojourn t-shirt, and other promotional materials.  Images should effectively portray the Delaware River and the sojourn, as well as emphasize the honorary ROY designation.

Artists are invited to submit original works to be selected by members of the two steering committees for various promotional uses.  Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three winners, with the first place winner also having his or her design featured on the sojourn T-shirt that is given to all sojourn participants.  Other uses of artwork would be for event materials, sojourn day plans, flyers, and may also be used on the sojourn and ROY web sites.  Artists whose work is chosen will be properly credited wherever the work is published.

The Delaware River Sojourn, in its 17th year, is an eight-day paddling trip that will take place June 18-25, 2011.  The sojourn combines paddling, camping, and educational programming in order to encourage appreciation of this vital resource.  This year’s “River of Life” theme will focus sojourn programming on the variety of life that the river sustains and on its distinction as ROY.

The Delaware was named Pennsylvania’s 2011 River of the Year in January through a public vote.  Bestowed annually on a Commonwealth river by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Pennsylvania Organization for Watersheds and Rivers, this honor helps raise awareness about the overall significance of rivers and the importance of stewardship.

Additional details on the art contest, including guidelines, technical and design requirements, and application procedure, can be found at www.delawareriversojourn.org.  Artists are asked to email their submissions to delawaresojourn@gmail.com.  The deadline to submit artwork is April 15, 2011. 

The 2011 Delaware River Sojourn and 2011 ROY steering committees are comprised of agencies, organizations, and individual volunteers from throughout the watershed.  The sojourn committee plans the annual paddling excursion, and the ROY committee will organize a series of activities to celebrate the river’s ROY designation.  Events will highlight the Delaware’s conservation needs, robust recreational offerings, and connection to watershed communities.  DRBC co-chairs the 2011 sojourn steering committee and also serves as the 2011 ROY steering committee coordinator.

DRBC was formed in 1961 through compact legislation signed into law by President John F. Kennedy and the governors of the four basin states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania), marking the first time in our nation’s history that the federal government and a group of states joined together as equal partners to oversee a unified approach to managing a river system without regard to political boundaries.  2011 marks the commission’s 50th anniversary.

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Contact: Kate O'Hara, DRBC, 609-883-9500 ext. 205, katharine.o'hara@drbc.state.nj.us

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