The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the Academy announced the national winners of the 2008 Sport Art Competition.

Kadir Nelson, of San Diego, Calif., is the winner in the graphic category for his oil on canvas painting titled “Anatomy of Team Handball.” Nelson is also recognized internationally for his illustrations and paintings. His most recent exhibition includes original art from the book, We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball.

The winner in the sculpture category is Edward Eyth, from Pacific Grove, Calif., for his sculpture titled “Balance.” The sculpture, cold cast in bronze, depicts a gymnast on a balance beam. Eyth is an internationally known artist whose sculpture “Olympic Spirit” was selected for inclusion in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Landscape Sculpture Design Exhibition.

U.S. artists were allowed to submit sculpture or graphic works with the theme “Sport and Olympism” for consideration in the national phase of the competition which ended February 1, 2008.

The works by Eyth and Nelson will be submitted to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) this month for consideration in the next phase of the competition. Winners at the international level in each category will receive cash prize awards between $10,000 - $30,000 and the works will be displayed during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The USOC national contest in music performance invites artists to submit original songs relating to the Olympic Games. The deadline for submitting entries is 1 April 2008. Winners of the national phase will advance to the international competition, conducted by the International Olympic Committee.

The USOC Sport and Music Contest is open to performers (singers and instrumentalists) of all ages who are U.S. citizens. Individuals and groups of up to 12 singers and/or instrumentalists may submit one original song for judging. Any song submitted to the contest must be original and entirely free of third-party rights. Winners of the international competition will be invited to perform the winning songs at the August 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.