As the home to numerous national and international cultural activities in Turkey, Kütahya Dumlupınar University Faculty of Fine Arts Department of Visual Communication Design and the Turkish Transplant Foundation organized the first International Organ Transplantation Poster Competition in 2015. Traditionally held every two years, the subsequent competition took place in 2017. Designers and artists from all over the world draw attention to the subject through their artworks. The competition subject was also the first of its kind in the world. Following the event, project art catalogs were printed and distributed to foreign participants in science events abroad, including in Madrid and Geneva, within the scope of the International Transplant Network coordinated by the Turkish Transplant Foundation. They were also delivered to all art- and design-related organizations in Turkey. Additionally, the top 100 poster designs were shared on social media platforms. The designs and project itself earned significant recognition on an international platform and within the organ transplantation community. Designed and implemented for humanity, the idea highlighted and increased awareness of Turkey’s health and art/design scene. Furthermore, this social responsibility-themed competition and exhibition organized by the cooperation of a university and a foundation on the international platform may inspire institutions, organizations, foundations and NGOs.

Exhibitions and art catalogs of both projects further proved the strength of poster design communication on the international platform. You may find the news, information and art catalogs of past two projects at (http://www.posterland.org/).

Both projects concluded that “organ donation is now a global matter”, social awareness should be enhanced across the world, and that it is crucial to regularly hold such events. This year, in cooperation with the “Turkish Transplant Foundation,” we are organizing the third “Posterland.org International Poster Competition” on “International Organ Transplantations.” We held the first in 2015 and the second in 2017, and we expect this third event to be their follow-up.

Additionally, if the necessary permissions are granted, the competition award ceremony shall either take place on November 14–16, 2019 in Dubai during the 15th Organ Donation Congress or on September 15–18 2019 in Copenhagen at the Congress of the European Society for Organ Transplantation. Here, the top 100 designs will be exhibited at a congress venue.

Organ donation is a person’s donating some or all of his/her organs while alive or deceased to save the life of others. As the best or only cure for about one million people suffering from chronic organ failure, it is known as one of the most important developments in medical science since 20th century. Every year only 10 % of these patients can have a transplant and about as many patients lose their lives due to unavailability of adequate number of organs.
While certain measures are being taken at the national level in various countries to eliminate organ shortage caused by limited number of donations, it is also definitely true that collaboration and projects for increasing public awareness at the international level are crucial to resolve the organ shortage crisis. Such a need for international collaboration was the motivating force behind our giving a start to the 1st International "Organ Donation" Poster Contest in 2015 which attracted great interest of the participant professionals and the outputs of the project left a long lasting mark on the international combat against organ shortage. We hope that the 2nd Contest that will be organized this year with the purpose of traditionalizing this action for public awareness and increasing the level of organ donation awareness worldwide will be a strong glimmer of hope for the patients awaiting a life saving transplant.
Every donation is a new life …