On January 30, we began receiving the first entries in our ‘Draw Outside of the Box‘ contest, in which creatives of all ages could compete for the opportunity to have their designs grace thousands of OTTO pizza boxes throughout Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.
Over the course of the contest, we received nearly 500 entries, and those entries received over 13,000 public votes during the competition. The 30 designs with the most votes in each of our age categories (K-12 and All Ages) moved on to the judging phase of the contest on March 30 where our esteemed panel of judges selected 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, and our friends at Artist & Craftsman Supply, who generously donated a $250 gift card for the K-12 winner’s school, and $100 gift cards for each of our first place winners.
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 designs.
Although there were so many worthy entries, our judges did have the difficult task of selecting three winning designs in each age category.
Drum roll please…
FIRST PLACE: K-12
Benjamin B
Age 16
St. John’s Prep School
Danvers, MA
Judges admired the level of detail in Benjamin’s deceptively simple design, as well as the use of color to bring the ‘slice’ to life. The intricacy, inventiveness, and sense of humor exhibited in Benjamin’s tiny doodles complement the playful nature of OTTO’s flavor combinations, promising an adventure for taste buds in a slice that’s far from ordinary.
A version of Benjamin’s K-12 winning design will be printed on thousands of ‘small’ pizza boxes and distributed to all OTTO locations throughout New England. Benjamin will also receive a pizza party, a $150 OTTO gift card, a $100 Artist & Craftsman Supply gift card, an OTTO t-shirt, and an OTTO cap. St. John’s Prep School where Benjamin attends, will receive a check for $1000 to support art education and a $250 Artist & Craftsman Supply gift card.
FIRST PLACE: ALL AGES
Amanda H
Age 37
Brookline, MA
Our judges loved the strong composition of this design, featuring an OTTO logo constructed from dough and sauce, and a supporting cast of OTTO lovable, slice-eating ingredients — including potato, pineapple, bacon, artichoke, and butternut squash, among others.
Amanda’s design reinforces OTTO’s commitment to carefully-sourced, high-quality, wholesome ingredients, including our very own OTTO-made dough — the foundation of every pie — and reminds us that every OTTO experience is its own kind of pizza party.
Amanda’s design will grace thousands of ‘large’ pizza poxes throughout New England. Amanda wins a pizza party, a $150 OTTO gift card, an OTTO t-shirt and hat, and a $100 gift card from Artist & Craftsman.
SECOND PLACE: K-12
Hana G
Age 15
Kennebunk High School
Kennebunk, ME
The judges admired the compositional simplicity and the seashore palette of Hana’s clean, delicate design, suggesting ripples of waves emanating from the OTTO logo. The victorious slice-stealing gull reminds us — stay vigilant, or someone’s gonna snag that last slice!
Hana wins a $75 OTTO gift card, and OTTO shirt, and an OTTO hat.
SECOND PLACE: ALL AGES
Nick T
Age 38
Peabody, MA
Nick’s playful pizza-loving monster design captures that feeling when the pizza arrives — all eyes (and some have as many as five!) are on the slice, the drool is flowing, and there’s not a frown in the house.
We loved the strong composition of the design, as well as the inventiveness and level of detail in each of the monsters.
Nick wins a $75 OTTO gift card, an OTTO shirt, and an OTTO hat.
THIRD PLACE: K-12
Wren R
Age 11
South Portland Middle School
South Portland, ME
A common theme in the contest submissions (both this year, and in years precious) is the persistence and cunning of Maine’s pizza-loving wildlife. Here, Wren has constructed a scene depicting a trio of masked bandits plotting the heist of unattended pizzas from the back of a bicycle. (Another recurring theme — do not leave your OTTO pizza unattended!)
Wren’s use of perspective and shading draws the viewer in to surveil the scene of this very delicious crime.
Wren wins a $30 OTTO gift card, an OTTO shirt, and an OTTO cap.
THIRD PLACE: ALL AGES
Jamie R
Age 36
Portland, ME
Jamie’s design was praised for its rich textures and food-color palette of lush greens, tomato reds, and golden yellow, in a playful extrapolation of the OTTO logo. It’s all about the slice — here an OTTO Margherita slice with basil.
A well-balanced, crisp, and playful design that convey’s OTTO’s commitment to quality and craft.
Jamie wins a $30 OTTO gift card, an OTTO shirt, and an OTTO cap.
SUBMISSIONS GALLERIES
For those who would like to explore the many wonderful designs submitted over the course of the contest, we have collected them into the below online galleries:
K-12 Finalists
All Ages Finalists
K-12: All Submissions
All Ages: All Submissions
Congratulations to all our talented artists and designers! Each of them have done a wonderful job connecting and communicating with our community through art and design. These creations have brought smiles to the faces of thousands from all over the world who followed and voted in the preliminary round of the contest. These designs embodied the joy of food, the communal nature of pizza, the spirit of OTTO, and the unique natural 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!
