LONG BEACH.- –In its third consecutive year, MOLAA Awards 08: An Invitational Juried Art Competition & Exhibition is one of the museum’s most exciting programs. It invites mid-career and emerging Latin American artists from Mexico, Central and South America and the Spanish speaking Caribbean, to participate in a competition with prize money totaling $40,000. The competition was created to raise the profile of Latin American art in the United States, to encourage the recognition of Latin American artists by North American audiences and to introduce new trends in contemporary Latin American art.

This spirited competition brings forth museum quality works of art representing the best of Latin America. All participating works will be on exhibit in the museum’s Main Gallery, September 20 to October 17, 2008. This year’s competition presents a wide range of art created in diverse media and techniques by over 80 Latin American artists. The participating artists have been selected by MOLAA Curator, Idurre Alonso, and subsequently reviewed and invited by the MOLAA Awards Selection Committee. The MOLAA Awards are selected by a panel of distinguished judges from the field of Contemporary and Latin American art. This year’s judges are Selma Holo, Catha Paquette and Jose Tasende. They will award the following prizes: Best of Show ($20,000); Two Dimensional Art ($5,000); Three Dimensional Art ($5,000); Photography/Video Art ($5,000) Works on Paper ($5,000).

The five prize-winning works of art will become part of MOLAA’s Permanent Collection. All other MOLAA Awards 08 entries will be up for bid during Auction 08, where all proceeds from the sales benefit MOLAA’s ongoing exhibitions and educational programs. The MOLAA Awards 08 winners will be announced during the Round Table Discussion, Collecting and Evaluating Latin American Art in the 21st Century which will be held on October 18, 2008, before the ticketed Auction Gala.