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…to enter our Illustrated Mapmaking Contest for the chance to win a $1,000 first prize ($500 for you, $500 for your class)! Prizes will also be awarded for second and third places, as well as “Best in Grade.”
*For Teachers: you may schedule a free mapmaking workshop during school hours for your students (groups of 10-35) by form or by email.
Option 1: Mail your map and Entry Release Form to:
Osher Map Library & Smith Center for Cartographic Education
(Attn: Mapmaking Contest)
P.O. Box 9301
Portland, Maine 04104
Option 2: email a high quality scan to: renee.keul@maine.edu. Please note that the scan must be high-quality and appropriately cropped. No photographs please, as photographs have uneven lighting and if the lens axis is not exactly perpendicular to the map, the map will be distorted.
Q. Can I work with another student to make my map?
A. Sorry, no. All the work needs to be your own!
Q. How are maps judged?
A. Every year, we bring together an independent panel of educators, artists, and cartographers to help OML staff with the judging of our annual mapmaking contest. All submissions are reviewed by the panel, and after extensive discussion, the panel selects 12 finalists to go on to the online community voting round. Maps are judged blindly; judges do not see names or schools. This year, because we have maps being sent in by 4th, 5th, and 6th Graders, we have a new prize category: “Best in Grade.” The three “Best in Grade” maps will be selected by the judging panel. It is possible that a map selected as “Best in Grade” will not be among the Top Twelve Finalists.
Q. Which will be more likely to win: maps made on computers or hand-drawn maps?
A. Remember that the final winner will be chosen by online voting. However, the 12 finalists will be chosen by committee based on aesthetics (how nice they look) and originality (creativity and uniqueness). Maps made on the computer can be more mathematically precise, but that will not matter for this contest. Use whatever method allows you to create the most unique and attractive map you can!
Q. Can I use any art material to make my map, so long as it is flat?
A. You can use any standard art medium, but if you use something that might by messy, such as chalk pastels, you need to spray it with fixative. We will be scanning the finalist maps for online voting, and we can’t risk damaging our scanner!
Q. Can I put printed images on a hand-drawn map?
A. You can create images on the computer, print them off, and paste them on your map if you would like. However, if you’re using images you get online, a lot of that is protected by copyright laws, and we could theoretically get in trouble for displaying it on our website. For that reason, all of the illustrations should be your own.
Q. When you say that my map can be created on a computer, are you talking about a certain program?
A. There are multiple programs that can be used to design maps, but we were specifically thinking of software like Adobe Photoshop or GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program). GIMP is free online (www.gimp.org), but it can be pretty tricky to use at first. If you want to try it, you will probably need to spend a few hours with the tutorials (www.gimp.org/tutorials).
Q. Can an illustrated map use words?
A. Yes! In fact, most illustrated maps DO use words.
See Entries from 2021See Entries from 2020See Entries from 2019See Entries from 2018See Entries from 2017See Entries from 2016
Questions? Email K-12 Outreach Coordinator, Renee Keul, at renee.keul@maine.edu.
