The Vermont Academy of Arts and Sciences is holding a competition to find a new logo.  The contest is open to all students and will offer a prize of $250 to the winner.

VAAS is an organization with a history of promoting arts and sciences in Vermont.  According to Sanjukta Ghosh, a VAAS board member and Castleton professor, their goal is to “promote academics among young people, highlight their achievements and celebrate their accomplishments.”

They pursue that goal through a variety of events and grant programs, including an annual Spring Student Symposium, at which students from across Vermont, including many from Castleton, can share ideas and present original research in front of their peers.  

Ghosh said presenting original work can help prepare students for their careers.

“It gives them confidence in their own work, gives confidence in their own research and gives them a chance to defend their ideas in public,” she said.  

VAAS also hosts an annual fall conference, where Vermonters who achieve great success in their field. This year’s honorees include award-winning novelists Julia Alvarez and Chris Bohjalian as well as Dr. A. Paul Krapcho, who developed a widely used cancer treatment that is much less harmful to patients. Along with these and more honorees it will include a keynote address by famed historian Howard Coffin, who will talk about Vermont’s role in the Civil War.

VAAS also works at the high school level by providing grants for research projects as well as donating cash prizes for the Vermont Science Fair and Vermont History Day.

Ghosh said the significance of these programs, as well as the proud history of Vermont should be considered by anyone planning to submit a design, although it need not be directly referenced in the log. She said it should be clean and easy to read in either black and white or color.  The logo should also have a resolution of 300 DPI and should work well on anything from large posters to flyers and official documents.

Ghosh said this competition offers a unique opportunity for any student to not only earn some money but also “to leave a lasting legacy.”

Ghosh said only three logos have been submitted, none of which have come from Castleton students.  Additional information on the organization can be found on their website, www.vaas.us.  Any submissions or questions should be sent to Sanjukta.Ghosh@castleton.edu or Ken.Leslie@jsc.edu.