Design it, Submit it, Win it and Ride it!

REI, a national retailer providing quality outdoor gear and clothing, and Arbor, a collective of artists, designers and friends who snowboard, skateboard and surf, kick-start the snow season with a “call for artists” to submit designs for the REI and Arbor 2010 snowboard design contest.

This free contest is open to artists of all skill levels, and contest rules are posted at www.rei.com/arbor-contest. One winning design will be picked and featured in Arbor’s 2010 - 2011 snowboard lineup and sold exclusively at REI. The winning designer will also receive a snowboard featuring their design and a $1,000 REI gift card. Four runners-up will each receive a $500 gift card. “REI and Arbor’s values both focus around being earth friendly, while ensuring people have fun playing outdoors,” says Tom Vogl, vice president of REI Marketing. “We’re thrilled to provide an online forum for the outdoor community to discover artistic talents and get each other fired up about getting on the snow.” Entries will be accepted from Nov. 2, 2009, through Dec. 31, 2009. As soon as artists have submitted their artwork, people may vote for their favorites by clicking on a “thumbs-up” or “thumbs-down” icon www.rei.com/arbor-contest. On Jan. 10, 2010, the top five artists who receive the most votes will go to the final round, where Arbor and REI judges will choose one grand-prize winner based on creativity, artistic translation of the artwork into snowboard graphics, and quality. The winner and runners-up will be announced on Jan. 15, 2010. “Over the years we have turned to the art community to help keep Arbor’s eco-centric message relevant within the snowboard community,” says Bob Carlson, Arbor co-founder. “This contest will allow us to expand these efforts and open up our process to aspiring artists around the country.” Carlson adds, “With the winning design, we will create a snowboard that combines an amazing level of design, performance, and style with the work of an up-and-coming artist and Arbor’s eco-technologies.” Arbor remains focused on finding solutions for a more sustainable future through a blend of art, technology, and eco-materials. The company’s creatively rich line of quality snowboards, skateboards and apparel can be found on www.rei.com.

About Arbor Collective

Arbor was founded in 1995 on the assertion that solutions to many of today’s most difficult snow, skate, and apparel design challenges exist in the natural world. For 14 years, Arbor has built on the belief of replacing environmentally harmful materials with ecologically based, natural alternatives. Arbor’s goal is to create a higher level of function and relevance in the most responsible way possible. The end result must be improved style and performance, with significantly reduced impact on the environment. “We all need clean air to skate, clean water to surf, and snow to ride…”

About the REI Co-op