Apr 21, 2015 -- The GEO Illustration Challenge is asking participants to give our planet a new face. The theme is "Transcending Borders - and Changing the Earth's Image". From illustrators and designers to keen Photoshoppers, everyone is invited to participate. The grand prize: a VIP invitation to a 2016 ESA satellite launch at Guiana Space Centre near Kourou, French Guiana.

From space, the lines between desert and fertile terrain, populated and uninhabited regions, and dense rainforest and cleared land are clearly visible. Indeed, they are what give contours to the very face of Earth. Also evident, but more difficult to construe, are the borders drawn by humankind: between nations, ethnicities, religions, and the wealthy and impoverished.

As part of the 2015 Copernicus Masters competition, GEO magazine is inviting interested participants to apply graphical and artistic techniques to satellite imagery and illustrate them in vivid, artistic ways that reflect the theme "Transcending Borders".

Participants will receive access to free satellite image data provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) through the competition website. An expert jury will judge every complete submission based on its informative content and aesthetic value.

The submission phase for the GEO Illustration Challenge "Transcending Borders" will run from 15 April to 13 July 2015 at www.geo.copernicus-masters.com.

The annual Copernicus Masters competition awards prizes to the most innovative solutions for business and society based on Earth observation data. www.copernicus-masters.com

Copernicus is the most ambitious Earth observation programme to date. By providing accurate, timely, and easily accessible images and data on our planet's land, oceans, and atmosphere, it is improving our ability to manage the environment, understand and mitigate the effects of climate change, and ensure civil security. http://www.esa.int/copernicus & www.copernicus.eu

Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen - an experienced organiser
AZO has been carrying out the Copernicus Masters competition on behalf of ESA since 2011. By leveraging its extensive experience as a specialist in building and maintaining global innovation networks and organising related competitions, the company supports product innovations and the creation of new businesses, particularly in the field of commercial aerospace applications. www.anwendungszentrum.de

Contacts:
Lena Klemm
Communication & Marketing

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