A visitor looks at a World Expo 2010 poster on display at Shanghai Library yesterday. The top 145 posters from a design competition that received more than 2,200 works from 33 countries and regions will be exhibited through February 26.

Three?of the seven best posters competing in a contest to promote the 2010 World Expo were designed by foreign artists, organizers announced yesterday.

 

Designers from 33 countries and regions took part in the contest, which was set up by the city government last May. More than 2,200 posters were entered in the competition.

 

"My works come from an instant idea: if every one loves the city, it becomes better," said Dutch artist Floor Wesseling, one of two second-place winners.

 

In his works called "I Shanghai Shanghai," Shanghai is used as a verb equivalent to "love." People from different countries wear T-shirts printed with the Chinese characters for Shanghai to show their love for the city.

 

A poster called "1,300,000,000 Smiles" by a Japanese artist won the other second-place prize.

 

Local designer An Jianyuan took home the top prize for her work "City in the Sky."

 

The top 145 posters will go on display at the Shanghai Library through February 26.

 

(Shanghai Daily February 15, 2007)