$5,000 on offer for top sign design

Council is offering $5,000 in prize money as part of a competition launched today to design the city's new gateway signs.

Council set aside $150,000 in its budget for the new signage, and Councillors voted to hold a public competition to source prospective designs.

Entries will be accepted until close of business January 31, with designs to be in a "stencil" format which can be enlarged and cut into COR-TEN steel plates.

Councillor and 'Our Economy' Key Direction Working Group Chair, Branko Licul, said the use of heavy steel would complement signage erected at other centres in the Far West.

"Tibooburra and Silverton have achieved great results using plate steel, and we think it would be great to have a uniform approach to signage in our outback region," said Cr Licul.

"The signs will have a great rustic look, they'll be able to withstand the elements, and we'll be able to have them manufactured locally."

Cr Licul said entrants could submit a single design, or a complete set of five different designs.

"We're open to the prospect of having one uniform design across all five major road entrances to the city, or having a different design for each," he said.

"However, if we were to go with different signs on each road we'd have to ensure there's a high level of cohesion in the set of five designs - we don't want our set of signs looking too disparate."

Designs may be up to nine metres wide and must reflect the city’s culture and heritage.

All entries will be assessed via blind judging by a panel of five judges to be appointed in the coming months.

Entry forms along with competition terms and conditions can be found at http://bit.ly/BHSignComp