On September 18 of 2017, we began receiving the first entries in our ‘Draw Outside of the Box‘ contest, in which young designers from kindergarten through 8th grade could compete for the opportunity to have their design grace thousands of OTTO pizza boxes throughout Maine and Massachusetts.

264 entries, thousands of votes, 31 finalists, and 6 judges later, we have our winners.

We want to take a moment to thank each of the amazing artists who competed, our judges who took time out of their busy schedules to select the winning designs, Artist & Craftsman Supply, who generously donated additional prizes for the winner’s school and for 1st-3rd place finalists, and Colony Foods, who are graciously donating the plates and production work required to print the winning design.

All of us (including everyone at OTTO, our panel of judges, and our customers) were completely blown away by the talent on display in each of the wonderful entries. We all look forward to seeing each young artist nourish their talent and creativity, and share their art with their communities, and with the world.

Although there were so many worthy entries, our esteemed panel of judges did have the difficult task of selecting the three winning designs out of 31 finalists.

Drum roll please…

FIRST PLACE
Mali J
King Middle School
Portland, ME

Our New York City-based judge, the Clio-winning and Grammy-nominated designer James Spindler, was “really impressed” by this “future graphic design star”.

Spindler applauded the design’s “great use of two colors, and an entirely original and highly graphic type treatment and layout.”

Clif Stoltze, founder and creative director of Boston-based Stoltze Design Group, echoed Spindler’s sentiments, stating, “I appreciate the symmetrical incorporation of the type into the sliced pizza, as well as the representation of all the flavors Portland/OTTO offers.”

Our 2013 contest winner, Ella Trout, stated, “It’s very mature, especially for such a young artist! You can tell that a lot of thought and careful work has been put into this design, and I love how each slice of the pie represents something about Maine.”

OTTO’s designers are currently working on preparing Mali’s design for print. A version of this winning design will soon be printed on thousands of pizza boxes and distributed to all OTTO locations throughout New England. Mali will also receive a pizza party, a $100 OTTO gift card, a $100 Artist & Craftsman Supply gift card, an OTTO t-shirt, and an OTTO cap. King Middle School, where Mali attends, will receive a check for $1000 to support art education and a $250 Artist & Craftsman Supply gift card.

Way to go, Mali! We’re so excited to see this design on our boxes!

 

SECOND PLACE
Mattea L-S
King Middle School

Returning judge Scott Nash, Portland-based illustrator of over 50 beloved children’s books, states, “Mattea’s madala symbolically conjures the aroma and taste of OTTO’s pizza. Garlic, smokey bacon, herbs, and a little char.”

Nash was impressed that, while offered the use of four colors, Mattea’s design is black and white, “which is very much a part of OTTO’s graphic identity.”

Clif Stoltze applauded the “gorgeous execution” of this “well-crafted entry.”

Ella Trout states, “I love this one because of the obvious skill this young artist possesses.” She cited Mattea’s design’s “captivating design qualities.” “You can’t help but look at it…It has a funkiness that is shared with OTTO.”

Mattea wins a pizza party, a $50 OTTO gift card, an OTTO t-shirt and hat, and a prize pack from Artist & Craftsman.  Congrats, Mattea!

 

THIRD PLACE
Lilah G
King Middle School
Portland, ME

Multiple judges applauded the strong sense of composition and typography in Lilah’s design.

James states, “It recalls one of the most famous Constructivists (Rodchenko!) and OTTO is a great guiding light.”

Ella concurred, adding, “I really like this one for a lot of reasons: It’s strong from a composition/design sense, and I thought the lettering coming from the lighthouse was really cool and creative. It also continues the ‘classic Maine things’ theme.”

Lilah wins a pizza party, a $25 OTTO gift card, an OTTO t-shirt and hat, and a prize pack from Artist & Craftsman Supply! Nice job, Lilah!

It is worth pointing out — if you didn’t notice, ALL THREE WINNERS came from KING MIDDLE SCHOOL! Lest anyone shout “Collusion!” we must point out that, along with a few other schools, King rose to the challenge, with entire classrooms engaging in the contest, resulting in relatively high number of entries. We also believe that King’s ‘hat trick’ here speaks to the school’s uniqueness and its national reputation as a pioneer in education. Great job, King!

HONORABLE MENTIONS
We can’t express how much we truly loved each and every one of the wonderful designs that were submitted.  Our judges and our customers agree. We wanted to highlight a few more finalists that caught the eye of our judges.

Jeremy G
Green Acres Elementary School
North Haven, CT
Scott Nash: “When judging, I view each of the designs multiple times. This one made me chuckle each time. Jeremy’s design is exuberant, expressive, and unusually well-composed. It also makes full use of four colors by overlapping red and yellow to create a vibrant inferno which by all rights should be hell for a lobster chef, but appears instead to be a sort of pizza paradise.”

Martin Sorger, MA-based veteran designer and creative strategist, echoed Nash’s sentiments: “It’s vibrant and fun. The little lobster chef is a great character. Puts a smile on your face.”

Hannah S
King Middle School
Portland, ME

Clif Stoltze: “Simple idea, very well executed.”

Martin Sorger applauded Hannah’s “beautifully stylized water and clouds.”

 

 

 

 

Anavi C
Wells Junior High School
Wells, ME

Martin Sorger: “Bold and simple, but playful and eye-catching.”

 

 

 

 

 

Hazel J
King Middle School
Portland, ME

James Spindler: “I love the very imaginative use of an iconic Maine lobster trap. It’s a great narrative — very fun!”

 

 

 

 

Cecelia Lewen
Gorham Arts Alliance
Gorham, ME
Scott Nash: “This design expresses the pure joy (and for some, the nostalgia) we share for pizza.”

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to all our talented artists and designers — winners, honorable mentions, finalists, and entrants! Each of you have done a wonderful job connecting and communicating with your communities through art and design. Through your art, you brought smiles to the faces of thousands from all over the world who followed and voted in the preliminary round of the contests. Your designs embodied the joys of food, the communal nature of pizza, the spirit of OTTO, and the unique beauty of New England.

We are confident that these artists will continue to make vital artistic contributions to their communities (and the world) for many years to come!