For the last few months, LOGI was hard at work organizing an art competition. The goal was to challenge young artists to articulate how a discovery of oil and gas in Lebanon might impact their future or their country. By late January it was time to showcase the competition’s finalists and announce the winners. The timing couldn’t have been riper. Earlier in the month, the government passed long-delayed decrees to move Lebanon toward oil and gas exploration. The award ceremony became both a celebration of art and an opportunity for a public discussion on oil and gas.
The competition and ceremony was a smashing success. It helped establish a social media presence, increasing LOGI’s Facebook followers from 1,225 followers at the start of organizing the competition in September to 3,562 followers the day of the ceremony, and it showcased the talent of LOGI’s interns in organizing and pulling off a big event. Over 120 people came out to see the competition’s 35 finalists and to participate in a discussion on the recent developments in Lebanon's oil and gas, the role of civil society organizations, like LOGI, in its transparent management and the power of art in communication. The panel of speakers included Diana Kaissy, a LOGI advisory board and MENA coordinator for Publish What You Pay, Zeina Shaaban, co-founder of 247studios and a design strategist, and Omar Sadek co-founder of The Pierre Sadek Foundation.
In total, 100 artists submitted their work in two categories: (1) a digital art category accepting original photography, graphic design, and photo editing; (2) an organic art category entailing canvas painting, caricature, and sketching.
After a first round of voting on LOGI’s Facebook page, 35 submissions made it through the first round of selection. The final 35 were evaluated based on relevance to the topic, originality, art delivery, creativity, and overall impression by a panel of judges including experts in visual communication, digital advertising, and caricature.
LOGI is proud to have received so many submissions from talented, young, Lebanese artists and hopes the messages they depicted will inspire others to think about oil and gas. Transparent management of any oil and gas resources depends on a well-informed public.
The winners in both categories were announced at the end of the ceremony:
1st place $500: Lana Charara
2nd place $300: Lara Abi Saber
3rd place $200: Karelle Rizk
1st place $500: Bernard Nakhle
2nd place $300: Vincent Azar
3rd place $200: Nour Bassil
