Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Enter the Sketch-a-Space design competition 2011

To highlight this October’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month, our Project Spectrum team joined up again with our friends at Easter Seals to host the second annual Sketch-a-Space competition. This year’s competition is meant to draw attention to the employment needs of individuals with autism.


The contest is easy to enter: use SketchUp to design a space that represents your dream job, career interests or plans for future employment. First prize is $3,000. Sketch-a-Space is open to anyone and split into 4 categories:

  • Youth with Autism: individuals with autism age 13-17 
  • Adult with Autism: individuals with autism age 18 and over 
  • Youth: individuals without autism age 13-17 
  • Adult: individuals without autism age 18 and over 

Why are we focused on employment? When individuals with autism have access to the supports they need and engage in work that capitalizes on their strengths, the result is meaningful employment.

Last year’s Sketch-A-Space winner, JP Saikali, is the perfect example. JP started using SketchUp when he was in middle school. Now, he knows he wants his future career to be related to Computer Systems and Network Administration – a degree he’s working toward at Wentworth Institute of Technology.

JP's Ultimate Game Room

Not only that, JP made good on his winning design, The Ultimate Game Room. He used his prize money to make his design a reality creating a game room in his basement, complete with a new flat screen TV and sound system.

Now, it’s your turn. Enter today; you could be our next winner and one step closer to realizing your employment dreams.

Posted by Gopal Shah, SketchUp marketing

4 comments:

  1. Can anyone help, really confused about what's required.
    The competition rules state that:

    Design a space that represents your dream job, career interests or plans for future employment.

    But then elsewhere it says:

    The narrative must describe how the use of SketchUp and producing 3D models such as the one entered contributes to becoming gainfully employed (e.g. use it as part of a portfolio for entrance into post-secondary education, place it on a website used to attract contracted work)

    Narrative description of how you would use this model and SketchUp for employment (limited to 500 words)

    Your written description of your space will help the jury (as well as visitors to the Competition website) understand your thought process and your design. Take this opportunity to explain your ideas and decisions, so that viewers will know that your choices were made purposefully and for specific reasons.

    The entry page only has one box with this description:

    Please write a short description of your career aspirations or interests, and how using or learning about Google SketchUp helps you achieve these goals.

    Is this for the narrative anout how SU makes you more emplyable, for the written description to help viewers.

    Thanks!

    There's no-one to contact on the official site.

    ReplyDelete
  2. GustavusTheGreat - thanks for asking for clarification. I work with the Easter Seals Team on this competition and am happy to answer and questions.

    The one box on the entry page is where you are to enter your narrative about your career aspirations and use of SketchUp. It is limited to 500 words.

    We look forward to seeing your entry! Feel free to post additional questions/comments here and we will be sure to address your queries.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi there,

    Many thanks for your reply. I will use the box on the entry page to write about my career aspirations or interests, and how using or learning about Google SketchUp helps you achieve these goals


    Just one more question if I may. I have dedicated a page on my website to my competition entry where I post blog updates, work in progress images and thoughts/inspirations etc. I think this is relevant to the competition and it's aims so If I post a link to it in my submission, I won't get penalised for this, will I?

    Many thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
  4. GustavustheGreat - you certainly won't be penalized for including a link. However, I can't guarantee that the judeges will visit your site to review the content you post. Be sure to include all relevant infomration within the actual entry form for Sketch-A-Space.

    ReplyDelete

You are welcome to contribute comments, but they should be relevant to the conversation. We reserve the right to remove off-topic remarks in the interest of keeping the conversation focused and engaging. Shameless self-promotion is well, shameless, and will get canned.