Global animation competition gets underway

More global activities have been announced to celebrate the recent release of the newly remastered Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon 50th Anniversary Edition.

In Australia, the iconic band will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the classic album with a once-in-a-lifetime listening event timed with the viewing of an extraordinary and rare total solar eclipse. On Thursday April 20th, the shadow of the moon will graze the tip of Western Australia, as it travels over one of the world’s most beautiful areas – the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ningaloo (Nyinggulu) Marine Park in Exmouth. The town will be the best land-based place on Earth to experience the 2023 total solar eclipse. Overseen by the group’s long time Creative Consultant and Hipgnosis co-founder, Aubrey “Po” Powell, Pink Floyd is offering eight Australian fans the exclusive opportunity to visit a special scenic location within the region to hear The Dark Side Of The Moon in full – with Roger Waters iconic closing lines “But the sun is eclipsed by the moon…” from the album’s soaring epic final song “Eclipse” timed to align with the moment of total eclipse.

To enter, fans must submit a video of 30 seconds or less explaining why they should be given the listening experience of a lifetime.

The 50th anniversary release of the iconic album will continue to be celebrated as Pink Floyd invite a new generation of animators to enter a competition, curated by Aubrey “Po” Powell of Hipgnosis, to create music videos for any of the 10 songs on the iconic 1973 album. The band would like to give all animators an opportunity to present a fresh take on these timeless aural works. Animators can enter up to 10 videos, one per song on the album. A winner will be selected from a panel of experts which will include Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason, renowned directors Terry Gilliam, Anton Corbijn, Sarah Smith, Kyle Alba, Daisy Jacobs, illustrator and Floyd collaborator Gerald Scarfe and UK Chairman of design company Pentagram, Harry Pearce. The total prize fund is £235,000 with the overall winner walking away with a prize of £100,000. The deadline for submissions is November 30th.

The new deluxe box set includes CD and gatefold vinyl of the new 2023 remastered studio album and Blu-ray + DVD audio featuring the original 5.1 mix and remastered stereo versions. The set also includes additional new Blu-ray disc of Atmos mix plus CD and LP of The Dark Side Of The Moon – Live At Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974.

The CD and first ever vinyl issue of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon – Live At Wembley Empire Pool, London, 1974 is also available independently. It was originally recorded in November 1974 as part of the band’s winter tour and this is the first time it will be available as a stand-alone album, with artwork featuring an original 1973 line-drawn cover by George Hardie.

As previously announced, the book Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon: 50th Anniversary is available separately by Thames & Hudson. Curated by photographer Jill Furmanovsky and art directed by Hipgnosis co-founder Aubrey Powell, this LP-sized volume showcases rare and previously unseen photographs taken during The Dark Side Of The Moon Tours of 1972-1975 and was created with the involvement of the band members.