Some of Michael Wyshock's video will be projected for this event.

Alys Beach, Florida – A unique new event called “Digital Graffiti” is being hosted by Alys Beach this Labor Day Weekend to celebrate some of the world’s most talented digital artists.

The deadline for entries was July 11th, and event organizers say that they were overwhelmed by the response.

“We were flooded with nearly 150 entries from all around the world,” said Kelli Arnold, the town’s Events Coordinator. “Not only did we receive amazing submissions from local artists, but also from digital artists in New York, Los Angeles, Israel, Austria, Canada, Germany, London, India, France, Italy and even China.”

Sometimes referred to as “Photon Bombing” or “Guerilla Projection,” underground artists around the globe have started using the latest technologies to project their unique works of art onto skyscrapers and other urban structures, as a means of artistic expression. But no outdoor event has ever been organized before to celebrate these talented artists.

“We invited artists to project their works onto our town’s famous white walls,” said Arnold. “Alys Beach will literally become their blank canvas.”

To help attract artists to the Emerald Coast, Alys Beach announced $6,500 in cash prizes, including a $2,500 “Best of Show” award, and a $1,000 “Best Local Artist” award sponsored by www.30A.com. A special $1,000 prize will also be awarded to the best entry with a “green” or environmental theme.

But after receiving many more entries than expected, Arnold said that the biggest challenge now is to find more projectors.

“As you can imagine, it requires a lot of technology to host a unique event like this,” said Arnold. “Several local businesses have already offered to loan us their office projectors for that evening, but we need even more projectors to display as many entries as possible.”

The festival will be hosted by several celebrity and industry judges, including Alan Hunter, MTV's very first “VJ” and Co-Founder of the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival; Terry Slaughter, President of the award-winning Slaughter Group, a strategic design and branding firm based in Birmingham, Alabama; Brett Phares, a professor of interactive media at Marist College in New York; and Warren Heaton, an award-winning digital artist, whose film, video and interactive media projects include such clients as Adobe, Microsoft, and Walt Disney Imagineering.

The festival will be held on Saturday, August 30th (Labor Day Weekend), from 8pm until 11pm. In the event of inclement weather, the event will be held on Sunday, August 31st.

For more information about Digital Graffiti at Alys Beach, please visit www.alysbeach.com/DG. Individuals or businesses willing to loan a projector for this one-evening event are encouraged to call 1-866-481-8387 or email events@alysbeach.com.