The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC) today announced the launch of a virtual exhibition of all 5,201 submissions received for the World Trade Center Memorial Competition. The exhibition highlights the global outpouring of expression in the largest design competition in history. Teams from 63 nations and 49 states participated in the Competition.

Governor George E. Pataki said, "This exhibition will provide an opportunity for the public to share in the expressions of loss and life which were created through the competition submissions. The attacks at the World Trade Center had an enormous impact on so many people from all over the world so it's important that this exhibit will allow visitors everywhere to view the submissions for themselves."

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said, "So much time and effort went into the 5,201 proposals submitted for World Trade Center Memorial Competition that they deserve to be on exhibit. The proposals show an enormous amount of creativity and illustrate the multitude of ways we as human beings have handled the challenge placed in front of us, to remember, understand and learn from the events of September 11, 2001. This exhibit also says something about New York City becoming a real center for design excellence, as evidenced by the tremendous outpouring of interest which helped to push the innovative design by Michael Arad and Peter Walker that was eventually selected."

The exhibition is hosted at www.WTCSiteMemorial.org and allows viewers to see all 5,201 entries. The submissions are searchable by the name of submitters and the nation or state that they reside in. The exhibition also allows visitors to browse through the submissions by entry numbers originally given when the submissions were received.

John C. Whitehead, Chairman of the LMDC, said, "This is an amazing collection of heartfelt contributions from around the globe, ranging from the simplest drawings to very complex designs. Everyone who submitted is a winner. Reviewing the unending number of thoughtful approaches to the memorial, a viewer is struck by the overwhelming task the hard-working and dedicated jury faced in selecting the final design among so many outstanding entries."

LMDC President Kevin M. Rampe said, "The overwhelming response to the Memorial Competition was extraordinary and a true testament to the global impact of the attacks and the world's unwavering commitment to honor the thousands of innocent victims. We are pleased to launch a virtual exhibition that allows each individual idea submitted to be acknowledged and viewed by visitors around the world."

The Lower Manhattan Development Corporation launched the international World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition in April 2003. Guidelines for the competition were developed based on the memorial mission statement and program. The mission statement guides the creation and evolution of the memorial, while the program provides specific elements to be included within the memorial, without dictating how they should be incorporated or inhibiting creativity. The guiding documents were developed by two separate volunteer committees, comprised of family members, residents, survivors, first responders, arts and architecture professionals and community leaders. The documents were shaped by thousands of public comments generated at public meetings in every borough, Long Island, Connecticut and New Jersey, as well as comments received from around the world through letters and the LMDC's website.

In what became the largest design competition in history, 5,201 submissions were received from 63 nations and 49 states. All 5,201 proposals were evaluated by a 13-member memorial jury comprised of individuals representing various points of view, including world renowned artists and architects, a family member, a Lower Manhattan resident and business owner, representatives of the Governor and Mayor, and other prominent arts and cultural professionals. The jury evaluated proposals in a two stage process based on how well each design expressed the mission statement and program, as set forth in the competition guidelines.

The competition and exhibition are made possible by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation, which is funded by a Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.