The Capital Grille to Hold Second Annual Art Competition

Proceeds to Benefit National Charity; Winner to Travel to Napa Valley
August 31, 2010, Orlando FL – Calling all artists and wine enthusiasts. The Capital Grille the nationally renowned fine-dining restaurant known for its dry aged, hand-carved steaks, fresh seafood and award-winning wine list today announced that they will once again celebrate the unique convergence of the worlds of fine wine and fine art by inviting artists everywhere to enter their second annual Artist Series competition.

From September 7 through October 8, submissions of original artwork will be considered in a search for a label for The Capital Grille’s exclusive Artist Wine Series. This limited production Cabernet Sauvignon is made by acclaimed winemaker Thomas Peffer of Atalon Vineyards, who has been crafting world-class wines in Napa Valley for over 25 years. With the help of the restaurant’s own Master Sommelier, George Miliotes, Peffer has blended a distinctive Cabernet originating from vineyards located atop the two mountain ranges that form Napa Valley’s borders, the Vaca range to the East and the Mayacamas to the West.

"We are committed to providing a distinctive, accessible and personal wine experience," said Miliotes, one of only 170 Master Sommeliers in the world. "We created" The Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon to give our guests at The Capital Grille an incomparable opportunity to experience a magnificent vintage with deeply aromatic, mineral fragrances, deep notes of cassis, cherry and soft rounded tannins and the complexity and balance expected of a fine Cabernet."

The Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon will be available exclusively at all 41 locations of The Capital Grille, and will complement The Capital Grille’s award-winning wine program, which is routinely recognized by Wine Spectator magazine. Featuring more than 350 Old and New World selections housed in floor-to-ceiling, temperature-controlled wine kiosks, The Capital Grille also offers a Captain’s List of 125 collector wines. Guests also have the opportunity to lease a wine locker, personalized with an inscribed brass nameplate.

The Capital Grille will donate a portion of the proceeds from each bottle sold to Share Our Strength, in support of its mission to end childhood hunger in America. Sales from last year’s Artist Series wine resulted in over $180,000 donated to the charity.

The Capital Grille will also offer a Grand Prize to the winning artist. In addition to the prestige and publicity of having artwork displayed on these limited edition bottles of wine, the winning artist will receive a case of the wine and an all-expenses paid, four day/three night trip to Napa Valley to enjoy personalized tours of some of the world’s top wineries. For more information on how to enter, visit www.thecapitalgrille.com beginning September 7.

Press contact: Heather Dratler, 212.871.3020 ext. 110 or hdratler@jgordonassociates.com

Call for Entries: Youth Wildlife Art Contest

Information below is also available on the 2010 George Montgomery/NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest homepage

Entry Deadline: November 1, 2010

The National Rifle Association is now accepting entries for its 2010 George Montgomery/NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest. The contest is open to students in grades 1 through 12 (including home-schooled children). NRA membership is not required. 


Winners in each grade category will receive 750. Second-place finishers will receive $500, and the third-place award will be $250. A prize of $1000 will also be awarded for Best In Show.
Entries may be submitted in one of four categories, based on school grade. Category I includes grades 1 through 3. Category II is for grades 4 through 6. Category III covers grades 7 through 9, and Category IV includes grades 10 through 12. Entries may portray any North American game bird or animal that may be legally hunted or trapped. Endangered species and non-game animals, such as eagles and snakes, are not eligible subjects. Call 703-267-1531 or email artcontest@nrahq.org if you need to confirm whether a certain animal or bird is eligible, or see this list of North American game animals and birds.

Contestants are limited to one entry each. Entries may be in a medium of the artist's choice (oil, water color, pastels, pencil, pen and ink, charcoal, etc.). Submissions should be on good quality bond or drawing paper, or illustration board. Preferred sizes for the image are 8½"x11" or 11"x14"; matting is optional. Entries should not be framed. Composition must be original. Photographs may be used for reference, but artwork determined to have been traced or copied from an existing photograph or work of art will be disqualified.

Entries must arrive at NRA by November 1, 2010, and must be accompanied by an entry form or brief statement signed by the student’s parent, guardian, or teacher attesting to the originality of the work and verifying the artist’s grade level as of November 1, 2010. In addition, the artist’s name, age, home address, phone number, and grade must be printed on the back of the entry or on a note attached to the back of the entry. Entries will be judged on effort, creativity, anatomical accuracy, and composition.

Send entries to: George Montgomery/NRA Youth Wildlife Art Contest, 11250 Waples Mill Road, Fairfax, VA 22030. Entries will be returned only if accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. NRA assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged artwork, and reserves all rights to reproduce entries. The immediate families of NRA staff members are not eligible to enter.

Questions may be directed to 703-267-1531 or artcontest@nrahq.org.

See the NRA Blog for news about the Youth Wildlife Art Contest.