Category Archives: Contests

Jumpin’ on the Throwback Thursday Bandwagon

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Reporter's First Place WinI thought the day would never come when I would start posting old photos, but here I am in 2019, and mysteriously, this 35-year old gem rose to the top of my flat files.

For weeks I’ve been seeing Throwback Thursday images sneak into my Facebook and LinkedIn feeds. Old photos continue to pop up, so what’s the point of making the excuse that all my photos are old? Of course they’re all old—it’s just a matter of degree.

Throwback Thursday can really take you back. The photo I chose to post shows me being hoisted by the Three Bearded Men early in my Photojournalism education.

While Editor-In-Chief of The Reporter, Moorpark College’s student-published newspaper, our staff grabbed a First Place General Excellence trophy at the Journalism Association of Community Colleges southern California conference.

That was the spring of ’84 when journalists were still using typewriters, film cameras, Compugraphic Editwriters and the old process camera.

Just one year later in the spring of ’85 Apple introduced the LaserWriter, the first desktop “type and image setting” machine, changing My World and The World forever.

Customer gets free packaging

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Jillian-by-Design

“I actually did not know that this contest was going on but I am thrilled that I won!  That is huge!” said Christina Groat, owner and operator of Jillian by Design.

hanging notecard bag

A2 Hanging Note card bag.

note card boxes

A2-1 note card boxes.

Jillian by Design, baby and toddler boutique, features handcrafted baby items and is named for Christina’s daughter, Jillian.

Christina was Oak Creek Printworks’ 10,000th online customer, and, in order to recognize this achievement, we announced we would give the 10,000th customer their order for free, up to $100, including shipping.

Christina’s order totaled $67.43. She used  the A2 Hanging note card bag to package her hand made “onsie stickers.” Thank you cards were packaged in A2-1 note card boxes.

A2 is standard industry-speak for an “announcement” style (square flap) envelope and note card. The A2 card measures 4.25 inches by 5.5 inches when folded. The A2 announcement envelope is slightly larger, measuring 4.375 inches by 5.75 inches, with the A2 card box topping out at 4.5 inches by 5.785 inches.

A2 boxes come in a range of depths from .25 inches, holding two to five cards and envelopes, up to two inches, holding anywhere from 18 to 30 card and envelopes, depending on their thickness.

Christina recently displayed her handcrafted baby-themed products at craft fair near her home in South Lyon, Michigan. You can see all of Christina’s handiwork which is available for purchase at her website, Jillian by Design.

Michelle Luft

Michelle Luft
Jillian by Design

craft fair booth

Christina Groat

Christina Groat Jillian by Design

Could you be the next Featured Artist?

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As we are about to transition to our next Featured Artist, we want to let you know that…Oak Creek Printworks is always searching for future Featured Artists!

At Oak Creek Printworks we assist artists in promoting and marketing themselves by providing packaging and displays for greeting cards, as well as presentation products for a range of artistic formats.

Featured Artists are chosen quarterly, and their work is presented on the cover and in the center spread of our catalog. The Featured Artist’s work is also displayed in our website banner, and in a blog article, where they have the opportunity to talk about their featured artwork. We link to the artist’s website to drive traffic there, and award each Featured Artist a $100 credit in products and services (including printing services).

In choosing each Featured Artist, we look for an artist whose images are strong enough to stand alone, while also working in sets, demonstrating their ability to focus on a theme that can then translate to a set of greeting cards. We review digital portfolios on an ongoing basis. There is no application to complete—just put “Featured Artist” in the subject line of an email, and let us know that you would like to be considered. Include all of your contact information, as well as your artist biography and any articles and images you’d like to see published in our catalog. If you have a website, we can review your work online, otherwise you can send us jpegs or pdf files to review. We do not return any material we receive by mail.

If you are chosen, you will be asked to sign a digital release allowing us to reproduce your images and written statements in digital and print format. We will also ask you for your artist’s statement, a biography, one or two photos of yourself, and at least 12 images of your work (ideally in 3 sets of 4). All images should be in jpeg format, 300 dpi (at least 10 megabytes each).

Check out our previous featured artists:

Niamh Slack
Elizabeth Vanduine
David Southern
Klaus Lange
Angela Sharkey
Georgia Lange

Photo Contestants Beware: Read Contest Guidelines Carefully

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by Nancy Haberman

Some time last spring, knowing that I was fond of hiking and photographing in the hills of Simi, a friend suggested I enter some of my images in a postcard contest sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce. I’m not usually lured by contests, but due to the particular subject matter of this contest, I have to admit, I was intrigued.

I’d always wanted to make postcards from my “Simi Rocks” images, a series of landscape note cards I created between 2000-2004, so I immediately I began a rough edit of my archived photos. Many of the note cards depict the Simi and the adjacent Conejo hillsides, which are dotted with gnarled and mangled oaks. The environment became inspiration for Oak Creek Printworks. The hiking trails that surround our little valley run through a rocky landscape that was home to the Chumash Indians, and later to early western film stars and crews. The few areas that remain open space tell tales of movie land cowboys and real life Indians. I swear there are commercials running on television Continue reading →

Body of Art Contest: Win up to $2500!

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Aaron Brothers is currently having an art contest called Body of Art! Using pens, paint and markers, artists get to let their creativity loose on clothing including t-shirts, jeans, shoes, and hats. Get involved, get creative, and take a 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 photograph of your original, one-of-a-kind wearable art to your local Aaron Brothers for a chance to win a $2500 Gift Certificate! Entries are due by September 25, 2010. Click here for more details.