Budding Young Artists Invited to Compete in 17th Annual Pier 1 Imports/UNICEF Greeting Ca...( 'Making Spirits Bright' Theme Will I...),Health

'Making Spirits Bright' Theme Will Inspire Children to Help Kids Worldwide

NEW YORK, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In what has become a beloved annual tradition, U.S. children are being asked to submit creative drawings for the 2008 Pier 1 Imports/UNICEF Greeting Card Contest to benefit children worldwide. One winner will be chosen from thousands of entries and their winning artwork will be reproduced as an official UNICEF holiday greeting card, sold exclusively at Pier 1 Imports stores across the country during the 2008 holiday season. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sale of this as well as all UNICEF cards sold at Pier 1 go to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

Children ages 14 and under are eligible to enter the contest, which will begin on March 1, 2008, the start of National Art Month. Entry forms are available in all Pier 1 Imports stores nationwide while supplies last, online at http://www.pier1.com and http://www.unicefusa.org, or by calling Pier 1's Customer Relations Department at 1-800-245-4595. All entries must be hand-drawn and received by Pier 1 Imports' Corporate Headquarters by April 12, 2008. The children's artwork will be judged on artistic quality and creative interpretation of the theme "Making Spirits Bright."

The card contest started in 1992 as a way to help raise awareness among U.S. school children about UNICEF's important work and has inspired kids from coast to coast to use their creative talents in a meaningful way. This year's contest marks 23 years of a partnership between the specialty home furnishings retailer and the international children's organization. Pier 1 started selling UNICEF greeting cards in 1985 and is now the world's largest retailer of UNICEF greeting cards, having raised over $26 million for UNICEF.

The grand-prize winner will also win a trip to New York for him or herself and two
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