In the midst of Manhatten 8 designers will come together in an epic clash of stress, drama and talent to compete for the title of Sketchmaster at the inaugural Sketchbattle Pro New York thanks to the support of Jalopnik and Gizmodo Media. There are fewer than 20 tickets left so get them fast at Jalopnik’s website or ours.
The doors open at 7pm and the competition kicks off at 7:30pm at Jalopnik’s office at 114 5th Avenue. Tickets are just a $10 donation and 100% of the money collected is supporting “the Bard Prison Initiative, which helps incarcerated people get college degrees to turn their lives around. (They had the debate team that took down Harvard’s a few years ago, and that’s a cause anyone should support.)”
The event also features support from longtime partner Covestro, which makes awesome materials that allows the fantastic cars and trucks you can see at the New York Auto Show. In addition to the $2,500 cash prize to the winner, they also get a title belt from Mobsteel and a unique watch from Brazen Sports (get your watch discount here).
The 8 sketchers will battle live in front of the audience in two rounds of competition. In the first round they will be asked to sketch a modern take on the Smoky and the Bandit Trans Am in 30 minutes. After sketching the judges will narrow the field by eliminating half the contestants and the remaining 4 will compete in the championship round by creating a concept for a 2030 Duesenberg powered by electric motors. At the end the winner will be chosen. All this happens in the middle of Jalopnik’s office and features libations and music.
Judging the competition will be Jason Torchinsky, Senior Editor of Jalopnik. Jason has almost as many old and odd cars as I do which makes him the perfect judge of good taste. Running: 1973 VW Beetle, 2006 Scion xB, 1990 Nissan Pao • Not-so-running: 1973 Reliant Scimitar, 1977 Dodge Tioga RV.
Jason will be joined by someone off the design team at Rivian, “the Plymouth, Michigan-based company <that> bought a former Mitsubishi factory in Normal, Illinois last year but has kept itself largely under wraps—until now <LA Auto Show 2018>”
Finally, Chief Judge (and tie-breaker) at this year’s New York event will be Jordan Beckley, Project Manager / Global Digital Design Instructor for Ford Motor Company and an adjunct professor of 3D visualization and rendering at the College for Creative Studies. He is an advocate for Virtual Reality and new technology advancing the design process.

Middlecott Sketchbattle Experiment 15
That is all the new news today, hope to see you tonight and make sure to stop by and introduce yourself, would love to meet the other car enthusiasts in New York.
TICKETS CAN ALSO BE FOUND HERE
The Middlecott Sketchbattle Experiment™ is presented by
AACS and Middlecott Design.
AACS (Advanced Automotive Consulting Services, LLC) is a business development consultancy working in all aspects of the automotive industry. AACS specializes in helping automotive suppliers with their difficult objectives like introducing new technologies, expanding business onto new continents or breaking down walls to bring in new customers. We are experts in customer engagement!
MIDDLECOTT Design is an international design organization based in Detroit, Michigan. As Detroit’s premier design consultancy, MIDDLECOTT will supercharge your brand through its award-winning formula of high-octane design.