BEIJING Olympics organizers launched a worldwide competition yesterday seeking the design of the medals for the 2008 Games.

The search will end March 26, 2006, with the winning design expected to be unveiled in the middle of this year.

"Design proposals are expected to interpret the themes and values of the Olympic movement with Chinese style, culture and spirit," Zhang Ming, a senior official with the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games said.

A panel made up of committee officials and experts will evaluate all the entries after the campaign ends.

"Eight designs shall make a shortlist with each winning a prize money 20,000 yuan (about US$2,500)," Zhang said.

"The judging panel will then pick three out of the eight shortlisted candidates and they will scoop a further 30,000 yuan apiece," she added.

As required by the committee, a complete proposal will include the images of both the obverse and the reverse of the medal, the medal ribbon, the medal presentation box and diploma.

In line with the IOC practice, the obverse of the medal of the Olympic Games uses the uniform image featuring the winged depiction of the Goddess of Victory and the panorama of Greece's Panathinaiko Stadium.

The wording on the obverse of the medal is XXIX OLYMPIAD BEIJING 2008.

Editor: Wing