Basalt officials are calling on talented artists in the Roaring Fork Valley to help create a defining sign to greet residents and visitors at one of the entrances to town.

The town government and Basalt Chamber of Commerce are holding a design competition to come up with a monument sign or art piece that will be placed in the roundabout at Basalt Avenue and Emma Road, near the Basalt Store.

Artists must live in the Roaring Fork Valley and they can only enter one design. The winner gets $2,500.

The call for entry for the competition will close Dec. 15. A nine-member jury will select the top three entries by Dec. 31 and forward them to the Town Council at the board's Jan. 14 meeting.

The winning entry must "capture the branding of Basalt as the 'confluence of rivers, recreation and culture,'" according to the call for entry. The budget is $25,000 for the sculpture and $5,000 for construction of the pedestal, according to the chamber of commerce.

The ribbon cutting and installation will be on June 1. The entries must be prepared using the café CallForEntry.org website. It can be found at http://www.callforentry.org. Additional details can be found at http://www.basaltchamber.org/chambermaster/events/signcontest/.