"City in the air" the first prize winner

the runner-up

The Shanghai International Poster Competition concluded yesterday and the winning work -- "City in the Air" -- by An Jiayuan beat entries from all over the world.

"I thought the work was from some European designer." Shen Haopeng, one of judges, said, "We felt very surprised but really delighted when we found it was the work of a Chinese designer."

One of the runners-up, "I Shanghai Shanghai" was a series of posters from a Dutch designer, displaying people from all over the world hand in hand across the posters.

"It combined the global elements with local characters. " said Han Binghua, who headed the jury.

"Most of the works were creative, artistic and professional." Han said.

Another runner-up was a work entitled "1.3 billion smiles" by a Japanese designer.

Eight honor prizes, 130 qualifiers and 60 special awards were also awarded.

The poster competition on the theme of "Harmonious City" was held to promote World Expo 2010 Shanghai and matches the Expo theme of "Better City, Better Life." It was the largest poster contest ever held in Shanghai.

The competition also includes a pubic-participation section which allows the public to vote for their favorite poster. Log onto www.ipc.eastday.com if you are interested.