Congratulations to Aaron Porter (ALT Kyoto-fu, Yawata-shi, 1998-2001), who is the 2012 winner of New York’s “Japan Day @Central Park“ poster contest!
From the JapanDayNYC.org website:
“Japan Day – Cherry Blossom Art Contest”
Contest Results
WINNER
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift of cherry trees to the New York City, Japan Day invited visual artists to submit artwork that featured the beautiful of both cherry trees and Central Park.
Thanks to all of your support, the art contest received total of 45 submissions. All Jurors will agree that, there were a number of impressive entries that made the selection process a challenge. In fact, the Judges also awarded 5 honorable mentions, in addition to choosing a winner.
We are delighted that we can now reveal the winner of the Japan Day Cherry Blossom Art Contest — Aaron Porter and his art work!
【Japan Day 2012 Official Poster Visual using Mr. Porter’s Art Work】
From Aaron’s profile on the Japan Day NYC website:
Aaron is originally from Chicago and received a Bachelor’s Degree in Scientific Illustration from Northern Illinois University. He began his career as a newspaper artist in South Florida in 1988 in a pre-digital world. Aaron first worked for the Sun-Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, then the Miami Herald. While in South Florida, Aaron earned a MFA in painting at the University of Miami.
Shortly after finishing his course work, he was accepted into the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program the summer of 1998. He taught English in four junior high schools in Yawata City (Kyoto Prefecture) and still to this day considers it the most exciting three years of his life. While in Japan, he spent his spare time getting to know Japanese culture and painting. His paintings during this period were most often about Japanese culture. During his time in Japan, he had a painting exhibition at the Kyoto International Center in Kyoto Station as well as a number of other small shows in coffee houses and wherever he could get his work shown.
Aaron returned to the States the summer of 2001 and began his new career in newspapers at The Journal News in White Plains, New York. Presently, Aaron is a part-time digital art instructor at the Bronx Community College as well as a freelance graphic artist and illustrator.
Aaron is married to a Japanese woman from Fukuoka whom he met in New York City after he returned from Japan. They live in Up State New York, visit NYC often and travel to Japan each year to visit her family. Much to his wife’s disappointment he speaks very little Japanese.
Thanks to JETAA Music City President (and Arkansas Cherry Blossom Princess) Terry Vo (Kumamoto-ken, 2007-09) for sharing info about the songwriting contest for the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival.
Terry writes: ”It’s open to ANYONE that believes that they can create a song (lyrical or instrumental) that exudes the spirit of the Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival (or any cherry blossom festival). This is an awesome opportunity and I would love for a JET alum to win this!! Let’s hope we get some entries on the JET or JET community side!”
GRAND PRIZE: $3,000 + A spread in the premiere Nashville Arts Magazine (February 2012) + Opportunity to have the song performed at the annual Nashville Cherry Blossom Festival (March 24, 2012)
Deadline: January 15, 2012
For questions or inquiries, please contact 615-383-0278 or songs@nashvillearts.com.
| Christmas Party and Photo Competition Do you like taking pictures? Whether your weapon of choice is a point-and-shoot or a DSLR, why not share your photos with us? This year we are running a photo competition as part of the JETAA Christmas party on 10 December. Interested? Keep on reading.Photo Competition
We’re sure you have many pictures in your collection, so start sorting and start sending them in! Good luck! Christmas Party In addition to the photo competition and general Christmas party fun, we will also have a giant raffle, with a great range of prizes. All raffle proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross Japan Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami Appeal. There will also be a donation box for anyone wanting to make further contributions. When: Saturday, 10 December from 7:00pm until late. Where: Parkview Hotel, 178-170 Mitchell Road Alexandria (closest station is Erskineville). Cost: Only $25 per person includes food and drinks for 2 hours (get there early to get the full drinks package). RSVP: Email sydney@jetalumni.org by Wednesday 7 December to confirm your attendance. |
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James Kennedy (Nara-ken, 2004-06), author of the acclaimed young adult novel The Order of Odd-Fish, will be curating the 90-Second Newbery Film Festival with the New York Public Library around November 5 and with the Harold Washington Library in Chicago around November 16. And he has a special request for JET alumni who are into film making:
There are some Newberry award winners that are about Japan and the Japanese, and nobody has done a 90-Second Newbery film of them yet!
Off the top of my head, I can think of:
(1) Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus, which is about John Manjiro (2011 Honor Winner)
(2) Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata, which is about WWII Japanese-American experience (2005 Medal Winner).
(3) Commodore Perry In the Land of the Shogun by Rhoda Blumberg. (1986 Honor Winner)
So, as for JET alumni:
(1) I’d love to put the call out to the JET alumni community, which surely must include filmmakers, to make 90-second films based on those books for the film festival. (It would be even better if they were totally in Japanese, with subtitles!)
(2) The film festival at the NYPL on November 5 will be not only films, but also live acts between the films — a kind of cabaret atmosphere — live 90-second Newbery reenactments, or songs, etc. So this is also a call out to any arts groups / comedy teams / bands / etc. who would be interested in doing something as a between-film live segment for the 90-Second Newbery film festival?
Here’s a little more info from James about the 90-Second Newbery Festival: Read More
Via AJET:
Every year National AJET recognises some of the outstanding contributions JET participants have made to their local communities. If you know an individual or prefectural AJET chapter that fits this profile, please nominate them for one of the categories listed. Self-nomination is encouraged, so don’t be shy – go for it!
For more info about how to nominate somebody go here:
http://ajet.net/lang/en/2011/04/18/2011-national-ajet-awards-nominations/
Posted by Sam Frank, an ALT who taught English in Hiraizumi-Cho, Iwate Prefecture from 2002-2004 and worked in Shirahama-cho, Wakayama Prefecture as a JET from 2004-2006. He currently manages the New York Division of UnRated Magazine and works as a Project Manager/Web Producer at Arrow Root Media.
FYI, JNTO is running a quiz contest where you can win a free trip to Japan (i.e., round-trip ticket plus accommodations). It’s part of their effort to promote Tokyo’s new Haneda Airport (i.e., the one that’s not actually 3 hours outside of Tokyo). I just entered myself!
Here’s the link: http://www.japantravelinfo.com/haneda_sweepstakes/
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Via JETAA Northern California:
JETAANC is looking for one of our talented alumni to design our 2011 Nengajo New Year’s postcard.
The card will be sent out to all of our members later this month, so alumni across two states will enjoy your work. Put your creativity to good use and add a piece to your portfolio!
Send your conceptual design in PDF format to communications [at] jetaanc.org by this Friday, December 10.
We will select a design this weekend and ask the designer to finalize it early next week for print.
Design in black & white for the front of a standard sized postcard.
2011 is the Year of the Rabbit, so make sure this lucky animal is the focus of your design!”
JETAANY Logo Contest – open to all
Contest, JETAA Chapters 
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Via JETAANY:
Calling all graphic designers, artists, and creative types!
We are looking for people to enter their designs for a new logo to be featured on JETAANY’s website, announcements, marketing materials, letterhead, business cards, etc. Your logo will be the visual cornerstone of our rebranding effort. You’ll win some prize money and some recognition, so what’s keeping you from entering?!
Prize:
In addition with providing JETAANY with a visual calling card, you will have the logo of a recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to add to a design portfolio, and the winner will also receive $100 as a small token of our appreciation.
How to Enter:
Please send your designs to Janelle (secretary [at] jetaany.org) by November 30, 2010 December 31, 2010. The contest has been extended to allow as many entries as possible! You may enter as many designs as you like. Participants do not have to be JET Alumni or affiliated with the JET Program. To increase your chances of winning, please be sure to send in a high resolution graphic, preferably in .png/.gif/.jpg form.
Judging:
Winners will be selected by a vote, pending Board approval. The winning entry will become property of the JET Alumni Association of New York.
Need some inspiration? Check out the logos from other JET Alumni Associations from around the United States!
Via Kia Cheleen (CIR, Aichi-ken 1996-98, ALT 1998-1999) of the Donald Keene Center of Japanese Culture at Columbia University:
Call for submission for the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature
We are currently accepting applications for Japanese to English translation of literary works for the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prize for the Translation of Japanese Literature.
The Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prize has long set a standard of excellence in its field, playing a central and enduring role in enhancing the quality, quantity, and scope of Japanese literary works that receive translation into the English language. Annually, it awards the Prize to the best translation of a book- length modern work or a classical work, which is selected by the translators themselves.
The 2011 Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Prize application deadline is Thursday, October 28, 2010.
For submission guidelines and the application form, please click here: http://www.keenecenter.org/content/view/58/76/
Via JETAA Chicago October Webletter:
Call for Submissions: First Annual William F. Sibley Memorial Translation Prize
To honor their late colleague William F. Sibley, The Department of East Asian Languages & Civilizations and the Committee on Japanese Studies of the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Chicago have established the William F. Sibley Memorial Translation Prize in Japanese Literature and Literary Studies. The competition will be held annually and judged by members of the Committee on Japanese Studies.
In keeping with William Sibley’s lifelong devotion to translation and to the place of literature in the classroom, up to three awards of $2500 each will be given for the translation from Japanese into English of a work of fiction, poetry, or drama (including screenplays), or scholarship in literary studies, broadly understood. To encourage classroom use and comparative research, winning entries will be published on the Center for East Asian Studies website (http://ceas.uchicago.edu).
Submissions should be on the scale of short story rather than novel, on the one hand, but a body of poetry rather than single poems, on the other. Essays, reportage, and criticism are all genres for consideration. Retranslations of works previously translated, especially of premodern literature, may also be submitted. Translations of manga and anime will not be accepted, but scholarly essays about these genres will be considered. Translations of subtitles, no; scenarios, yes. Co-translations are acceptable.
Each entry should not exceed a length of 15,000 words and should be accompanied by an introduction of no more than 1,000 words presenting the significance of the work in Japan and its potential life in English. The rationale for retranslation should be separately addressed. Entries should be for unpublished works only. The committee will not consider more than one submission per person per year.
The deadline for the first competition is December 1, 2010.
Application materials should include:
A cover letter with the applicant’s full name, mailing address, email, and phone number.
Introduction (1,000 words or less)
A single printed version of both the English translation and the Japanese original, as well as a digital copy of each, preferably in .pdf format.
If applicable, a rationale for retranslation of previously translated works.
If applicable, proof of permission to translate. It is the responsibility of the applicant to secure permission from copyright holders for any works not in the public domain.
Send materials to:
Chair, Selection Committee, Sibley Memorial Translation Prize
Committee on Japanese Studies
5835 S. Kimbark Ave.
Judd Hall 302
Chicago, IL 60637
For additional information about William F. Sibley and his work, we encourage you to visit the William F. Sibley Memorial Symposium website at http://ceas.uchicago.edu/events/Sibley_Memorial_Conference.shtml.
For additional inquiries about the translation prize, contact Sarah Arehart at sarehart@uchicago.edu or 773-702-2715.
A little while back we posted about JETAA Portland’s effort to get every JETAA chapter to make a Rajio Taiso video in their city or town. Well, JETAA Portland has started things off with the first video.
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Inspired? For more information, or to submit your a video for your chapter, you can contact JETAA Portland’s webmaster Bob Schnyder at webmaster@jetaaportland.com or go to: http://www.jetaaportland.com/community-events/rajio-taiso-portland-japanese-gardens/
Budding designers are invited to submit designs to the second annual International Furoshiki Design Contest. Furoshiki are traditional Japanese cloths used to wrap small objects.
Design Theme: Designs should evoke a fusion of the United States and Japan
Eligibility: Entry is open to individuals or groups engaged in the study of design or related subjects at a university of vocational school, and reside in the United States (Student of any nationality are welcome to enter the contest).
Deadline: Applications must be received no later than Fridday, October 29
For more information, visit The Japan Foundation, New York’s website at http://www.jfny.org/
Flyer: http://www.dc.jetalumni.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/flyer3.pdf
Guidelines: http://www.jfny.org/userfiles/file/English%20guidelines.pdf
Entry Sheet: http://www.jfny.org/userfiles/file/furoshiki%20English%20Entry%20sheet%20form.pdf
The JETAA Toronto photo exhibit, entitled ‘shin‘ for the Japanese symbol for “new,” is our way of marking the start of a decade.
What symbolizes shin?
Perhaps it’s a picture that sums up the way everything felt new to you in Japan when you first arrived. A festival, a ritual, a small cultural difference. Or perhaps it’s a Japan-inspired photo taken back home in Canada that shows the old in a new light.
Selected works will be exhibited March 6 at the Gladstone Art Bar, where we will also have a deejay spinning tracks throughout the night.
Come join us as we celebrate the memories of our time in Japan and enjoy the good music. Drinks will be available on site.
Date: Saturday March 6, 2010
Event: Shin Photo Exhibit: Japan-inspired works by former JET’s
Location: Gladstone Art Bar, 1214 Queen St. W., Toronto, ON, Canada See map
Website: Toronto JETAA Homepage http://toronto.jetaa.ca/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=26
Time: 7 p.m. until the bar’s closing time Cost: $5 entrance fee
Via JETAA DC:
Greetings JETAA DC members!
We are proud to announce plans to hold a JETAA photo exhibit entitled, “Japan Through Our Eyes: Photographs by JET Program Participants,” which will be held at the Embassy of Japan’s Japan Information & Culture Center (JICC) this December. This exhibit will highlight the works of current and former participants as a way to celebrate Japan and give JET Program participants an outlet for sharing their favorite memories of their time on the JET Program.
The objective of “Japan Through Our Eyes: Photographs by JET Program Participants” is to educate the public about Japan via the eyes of current and former JET participants.
To make this possible, we need YOUR photo submissions! We are now accepting photographs taken in Japan. Full submission guidelines are listed below. Make sure to send your photos by September 12th in order to be considered!
This exhibit is coordinated by JETAA DC, JICC, the JET Program office at the Embassy of Japan, and the Center for Professional Exchange (CEPEX).
I’m very excited that we’ve been given the opportunity to exhibit our photography at the Embassy of Japan. Let’s show the DC area our images from Japan! I look forward to seeing everyone’s submissions.
With best wishes,
Heather McDonald
Ad Hoc Chair
jetaadc_photos [at] yahoo.com
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
NOTE 1: Please limit your submission to no more than 3 photos.
NOTE 2: By entering your submission you are deemed to have accepted Terms and Conditions provided in the Group Rules, below. Read More
Definitely some future JET alums in this crowd. It turns out there’s a national contest for U.S. high school students to submit “karaoke videos” in which they sing Japanese songs which are then judged by a panel of experts. (Come to think of it, I wonder if there are any JET alums now working as Japanese teachers who have students who submitted videos.)
You can see the full slate of the winner and finalists here: http://www.cheng-tsui.com/superstar/index.php?q=finalists
And the winning entry below:
