Recently Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts in Qatar (VCUQ) launched its fifth Annual Students Design
Competition 2006-07 for the first time in Pakistan. The competition is aimed to enable high school students to participate and win a full four-year scholarship at VCUQ.The university was represented by Dr Charles Bleick, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Mr Moamer Qazafi, Director of Marketing.“It’s a great opportunity for Pakistani students to get American-style education,” Dr Bleick said while briefing the audience about the design contest.“In addition to Pakistan, the competition is open to all students in their senior year of high school in Qatar, UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Syria and Turkey,” he added.Dr Bleick expressed that this year’s theme ‘If it was up to me’ is a challenge for high school students across the Middle East to come up with the most imaginative ideas for improving their living environment. It’s a great opportunity for students to share their views of what they think of an ideal future.“Two entrants will win full four-year Sheikha Mozah binte Naseer Al Missned Scholarships for creativity and the top three high school students from each of the 12 countries will receive cash prizes of $1400 for first position, $800 for second and $600 for third position,” he revealed.The university offers three programmes related to the field of
designing. Students can earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Communication Designing, Fashion Designing or Interior Designing.“It’s a golden chance for those students who are interested in pursuing their careers in Fine Arts but due to financial problems, they can’t afford to study at good universities,” said Moamer Qazafi. “The university will provide cash to pay for books to the three winners of all participating countries. The top two regional winners will get full scholarships at one of the best Fine Arts universities in the world,” he added.Mr Qazafi also remarked that there is no shipping cost for regional students to send their models.So guys, if you are seeking a career in the field of designing, just utilise your creativity and design a model based on this year’s theme and participate in the contest.