MIAMI SUNSET HIGH SCHOOL ARTIST AWARDED TUITION SCHOLARSHIP FOR MIAMI INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ART & DESIGN

Miami, Fl April 8, 2008 – Miami Sunset High School senior, Marcus Mills of Miami was the local level winner of The Art Institutes and Americans for the Arts “Life is Better with Art in it” Poster Design Competition. Marcus Mills will receive a $3,000 tuition scholarship to attend Miami International University of Art & Design.

As the Miami winner, Mills’ design will be entered into the national stage of the competition, in which he will compete against other local winners from across North America for tuition scholarships. The grand prize winner of the national competition will be awarded a tuition scholarship worth $25,000 to study at one of The Art Institutes schools.

The competition was open to graduating high school seniors interested in pursuing an education in graphic design. Students submitted an original poster design, a current high school transcript and a statement describing their design process, and why they want to attend one of The Art Institutes schools. From April 14 – May 2, an industry panel of judges selected by The Art Institutes will assess each student's poster design based on the specified criteria by visiting the posters and designers’ statements at www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=PDC005 beginning April 14.

The poster designs of the top 12 winners’ in the national competition will be used in a promotional calendar, to be distributed to high schools across North America.

Miami International University of Art & Design is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 40 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, visual arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals, www.mymiu.edu.

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a record of more than 45 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.