JOIN PIC OAKLAND 2014 PHOTO CONTEST TODAY!

It all started with April Quinn, the fabulous owner of Gondola Servizio reaching out to Shift Local, Lake Chalet and This Is Oakland’s Melissa Davis + Kristen Loken.  She told us that she wanted to run a photo contest leading up to a book signing event for This is Oakland.  As we mentioned in our last post, we wanted to run another contest for our supporters so after months of collaboration, we are excited to announce that our photo contest, Pic Oakland 2014 is now live (Contest runs from8/10/14 to 8/31/14) !

PRIZES & EXHIBITION

Share with us why you PICk Oakland to live, Work, Eat, Play, or Shop and win amazing prizes that we will be announcing in the next few days.

Our vision for PIC Oakland is a photo contest accessible to everyone who simply loves to take pictures. This is your opportunity to share what makes The Town so special. If you’re one of the top 10 finalists, your photo will also be featured in our upcoming Exhibition.

The PIC Oakland Exhibition is made possible thanks to  Bay Area Custom Prints and Panorama Framing who will be providing the prints and framing respectively. Their generous donations will allow us to feature the top 10 finalists photos in 6 Oakland-based galleries – stay tuned for announcements on which 6 galleries are participating.

ONLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON

Our photo contest is designed to be as simple as possible (we’ll accept any picture as long as it was taken on Oakland soil or from another city looking at Oakland) so that the real challenge is picking your best photo since we’ll only accept 1 entry per person.

JUDGES & PEOPLE’S PICK

Winners will be chosen by our talented judges and also by the people’s choice.  So make sure you vote for your favorite photo once a day.  As a bonus, we will be giving away prizes to those who vote.

BENEFITING PRO ARTS

As we mentioned in a previous post, Gondoloa Servizio and Shift Local will be donating $1 (up to $500) per photo entry to Pro Arts.  Pro Arts is an Oakland-based regional organization that encourages change in and through the arts to invigorate our communities. Celebrating their 40th Anniversary in 2014, they provide creative platforms for artists, youth and public audiences to engage in the visual arts, connect with artists, and support arts education. Annually they produce over 20 exhibitions, exhibit over 600 artists, conduct over 700 arts classes for youth, and reach an audience over 72,000.

THIS IS OAKLAND BOOK SIGNING & PIC OAKLAND RECEPTION

Shift Local, Lake Chalet and Gondola Servizio  will also be hosting a This Is Oakland Book Signing and Pic Oakland Reception on September 4 from 5:30pm – 8:00pm.  This Is Oakland is

“a photo-driven travel/guide book that informs, entertains, and inspires. The book profiles 90 of the most interesting places to visit in Oakland- from cafes to boutiques- and the innovators who own them.

This book is of course for anyone who lives in or is visiting Oakland or the San Francisco Bay Area and wants to know where to go for food, drink, shopping or just plain fun. Perhaps more importantly, though, this book is for anyone, across the country, who is inspired by creative thought and the pioneering spirit. Oakland’s restaurants are trend-setting, and its shops are getting national attention. People who want to know what’s next are looking to Oakland.”

There will be lite fare, wine and gondola tours for our guests! During the event, the panel of judges will determine the Judge’s PICk winner and attendees will place their vote for the People’s PICk winner.  There will be limited tickets so make sure you follow us on Facebook and/or subscribe to our blog to find out about how you can RSVP.

Looking forward to seeing all of your pictures!