SAN FRANCISCO, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Art.com Inc., the world's leading online specialty provider of wall art products and services, today named the winners of its premiere "America's Next Master Artist" social media contest. Grand-prize winners Julie Dillon of Cameron Park, Calif. and Keith Goodson of Sebring, Fla. were selected from among more than 1,000 other entrants to become "America's Next Master Artists" and have their original artwork featured on art.com's website. High-quality reproductions of their winning entries are available for sale on art.com.

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This is the first in a planned series of "America's Next Master Artist" contests sponsored by art.com. The premiere contest invited aspiring and emerging artists to submit one work of original art based on the theme, "Life in Motion," through the art.com fan page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/art.com. One grand-prize winner and four finalists were selected by popular vote, while another grand-prize winner and four finalists were selected by art.com's panel of art experts. In addition, ten "Honorable Mentions" were selected from a mix of panel and community votes.

"The goal of art.com's 'America's Next Master Artist' contest series is to offer today's great emerging artists the opportunity to share their talent with other art enthusiasts," said Gary Takemoto, senior vice president of merchandising at Art.com Inc. "We are pleased this first contest allowed more than 1,000 aspiring artists a unique platform to showcase their art and will give the 10 finalists and winners an opportunity to reach a national audience by featuring and selling their works on art.com."

One grand-prize winner and four finalists were selected through a public vote with nearly 15,000 votes cast through art.com's Facebook fan page between April 23 and May 7. Dillon's "Life in Motion" received the grand prize and "Next Master Artist" title by garnering the most public votes. Simultaneously, art.com's panel of art experts selected its top five entries, ultimately naming Goodson's "All Steamed Up" as an additional grand-prize winner. This piece received the highest scores for relevance to the "Life in Motion" theme, creativity, originality and quality of execution, and also earned Goodson the title of "Next Master Artist." A complete list of finalists and their winning works of art can be found online by visiting www.art.com/lifeinmotion.

"The 'America's Next Master Artist' contest series is part of art.com's continued focus on changing the way the world shops for art by making new or hard-to-find wall art more accessible," continued Takemoto. "Art.com customers and fans are passionate about wall art and interior design. Social media vehicles like Facebook have allowed us to engage more broadly with them, and we look forward to sponsoring additional social media contests, including the next version of 'America's Next Master Artist,' coming soon."

About Art.com Inc.

Art.com Inc. is a global leader in wall art and the world's leading online specialty provider of posters, prints, and framed art. Since 1998, Art.com Inc. has sold high-quality wall art online to more than 10 million customers - including home decorators, interior designers, businesses, art collectors, and art lovers - in over 120 countries worldwide. The privately-held company is headquartered in Emeryville, CA, with other facilities in Ohio, North Carolina and the Netherlands. Its decor experts are always on top of the latest wall decor and decorating trends, and make unique and hard-to-find wall art accessible to the everyday consumer. For more information, visit www.art.com and www.AllPosters.com. "art.com" and "AllPosters" are registered trademarks of Art.com Inc.

SOURCE Art.com Inc.