SAN DIEGO MASCOT COMPETITION

SanDiego.com is underwriting a competition to find a mascot for San Diego. The submission deadline has passed and we are proud to announce we received over 100 entries from participants around the world! Listed below are the finalists, category winners and grand prize winner of $5,000!

congratulations to our grand prize winner Ji E.!

This is Sol the sun flare. San Diego is famously known for attracting many with its beautiful beaches, sunny weather, and a vast variety of recreation for everyone. The best time to do anything is a good sunny day. Sol is that epitome of "cool" and bright personality. He can shine and invite all in San Diego to enjoy the day, the outdoors, and especially the beaches.

congratulations to our category winners!...

Alex R. (under 15)

Tashia W. (age 15-18)

Ji E. (age 19-21)

Christine O. (age 22+)

For those of you that were not selected as a winner we want to thank you for your excellent submissions. Even though your mascot idea was not chosen, SanDiego.com will showcase your submission until the end of the contest. Please click here to view all submissions.

Thank you to our finalists...

Colby (under 15)	Conner (under 15)	Jaagriti (under 15)	Chase (age 15-18)
Meghan (age 19-21)	Joseph (age 22 +)	Jack (age 22+)

Mascot Contest Rules & Prize Info

Competition Milestones	Date
✔ Submission Deadline	April 27, 2011
✔ Preliminary Voting Period (Public)	May 2-5, 2011
✔ Preliminary 10 Finalists Announced	May 6, 2011
✔ Finalist Voting Period (Public)	May 6-11, 2011
✔ Category Winners Announced	May 12, 2011
✔ Grand Prize Winner Voting (Judges)	May 13-18, 2011
✔ Grand Prize Winner Announced	May 19, 2011

Voting Process:

1. Between May 2 and May 5 judges will select the top two entries per category and fans will vote via social sharing for an additional two finalists.
2. May 6 is when these top 10 finalists will be announced on SanDiego.com. Readers, followers and fans of SanDiego.com will be able to pick the winning entry for each age group by voting online.
3. On May 12 these category winners will be announced. Each will win $500.
4. After these semi-finalists are announced, the judges will pick the grand prize winner via email voting.

Participants: Amateurs/Individuals only; no company or professional submissions.

Submission Requirement: Rough drawing or computer-generated concept/image of mascot with brief explanation of the mascot and what it means to San Diego. Submissions may include artwork that is not original, as long as it’s accompanied by an explanation of your concept. Video submissions will also be accepted. Please provide a link to your video in the description field of the mascot contest entry form. Finalists will be asked for proof of age to be eligible to receive winnings. Multiple submissions are permitted.

Assignment of Right to Art: All submissions must be accompanied by an assignment to SanDiego.com, Inc. of the right to the original mascot artwork and concept in order to be considered. Such assignment by a signed assignment document which is available in a printable format here. In the case of a minor entrant, the parent or guardian must duly execute the assignment document. Only entrants who have submitted the proper assignment form may take part in the contest.

Deadline for Submissions: Wednesday, April 27, 2011, at 11:59pm

Judging: Entries will be judged by an impartial panel of San Diego business and civic leaders that will pick the mascot design which best represents the region.

Judges in alphabetical order are:

Angela Bass: With a career spanning more than 25 years in education, Bass previously served as superintendent of instruction for the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools, a collaboration between the city of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Unified School District that serves nearly 17,000 students in six schools.	Bob Rauch: Mr. Rauch serves as President of R. A. Rauch & Associates, Inc., the firm that manages the Homewood Suites by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn in Del Mar, CA as well as El Cordova Hotel in Coronado, CA and others. He also serves as General Partner in Del Mar Hotels, Inc.
Donna Frye: Donna Frye is one of San Diego’s most active community and environmental leaders. Born in Pennsylvania, her family moved to San Diego when her father took a civilian job with the Navy. She served nine and a half years on the San Diego City Council, representing District 6 and has run for mayor on more than one occasion.	Jagger and Kristi: Jagger and Kristi have been entertaining San Diego radio listeners for eleven years on Magic 92.5 and are one of the few married radio teams in the country. This energetic duo entertains listeners by laughing at the absurdities of day-to-day life, pop culture and relationships.
Lee Ann Kim: Lee Ann Kim is a first-generation Korean American who was an anchor and general assignment reporter for KGTV Channel 10. While at KGTV, she received numerous awards for her work including an Emmy Award for investigative reporting.	Phil Blair: Phil is one of San Diego’s most visible and respected business leaders. During the last 30 years, he and his partner Mel Katz have built Manpower Staffing of San Diego, the city’s fourth-largest for-profit employer, providing roughly 4,000 jobs.
Reo Carr: Reo Carr is the editor-in-chief of the San Diego Business Journal. Carr joined the San Diego Business Journal as associate publisher in late January 2006 and, prior to this position, he served as editor-in-chief of the San Diego Daily Transcript for six years.	Robert Sanchez: A graduate of University of California at San Diego and former Qualcomm executive, Sanchez now heads San Diego SMS technology company, Globaltel Media. Globaltel is the first company to provide two-way text dialog with rich media from any PC to a U.S. mobile phone and back.
Sam the Cooking Guy: Although Sam the Cooking has no professional culinary training or television experience, he sent a demo tape, which caught the attention of producers at a local San Diego morning news show. His 2-minute cooking segments have won 12 Emmy awards.	Scott McMillin: As chairman of The Corky McMillin Companies and CEO of McMillin Realty, Scott manages both the organization’s land development as well as the independent real estate brokerage.

Prize Categories: Best Entry under Age 15; Best Entry Ages 15-18; Best Entry Ages 19-21; Best Entry Age 22 and up.

Prizes: $500 for each age group winner. Grand prize will be a $5,000 plus a Staycation package in San Diego, including a hotel stay for a weekend, meals and entertainment.

Press

» San Diego's New Mascot Competition Gains Momentum With 31 Entries to Date
(San Diego Union Tribune)
» San Diego seeks a mascot to replace Bum and The Chicken (Los Angeles Times)

What do San Diegans think about a new mascot?

We roamed the streets asking locals what they thought about a new mascot for San Diego and this is what we found out...

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