News Release

June 06, 2012 10:29 AM Eastern Time

Search Underway for America’s Prettiest Painted Places

Community Curb Appeal Competition

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--There are many cities, towns and neighborhoods across the U.S. that inspire residents and visitors alike with their beauty and charm. But which are the crème de la crème? We’ll soon have a better idea.

The Paint Quality Institute (PQI), a leading source of information on paints and coatings, is conducting an ambitious nationwide search to find the “Prettiest Painted Places in America”. The results will be made known this fall when PQI reveals the 12 contest winners.

Why conduct such a competition?

“We want to show people how beautiful exterior paint schemes can greatly contribute to the ‘curb appeal’ of entire communities,” says Debbie Zimmer, paint and color expert at PQI, “and we want to do it in a fun way.

“By identifying and recognizing the towns and neighborhoods that have the best painted appearance, we can give others an appreciation for the important role exterior paint can play in protecting and beautifying any home or building,” she says.

To elicit entries in the competition, PQI is contacting chambers of commerce, tourism departments, and historical districts in all 50 states. Since many smaller “places” may not be represented by such organizations, PQI is also widely publicizing its search.

Anyone can enter a community in the free competition by simply taking some pictures, uploading them on the PQI website at http://blog.paintquality.com/ppp/, and providing a brief description of the community being nominated. Entries will be accepted until August 31.

A panel of judges from major media outlets will then evaluate the entries and select 60 finalists in the competition, 10 from each of six geographic regions. After further research, including unannounced site visits, the judges will name the 12 Prettiest Painted Places in America in October.

What’s in it for the towns and communities that participate? In addition to bragging rights for the winners, every place that enters will be part of an extensive national publicity campaign conducted by the Paint Quality Institute.

For more information on the Prettiest Painted Places in America competition, visit http://blog.paintquality.com/ppp/.

About the Paint Quality Institute (SM)

The Paint Quality Institute (SM) was formed by Rohm and Haas Company (now a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”)) in 1989 to educate people on the advantages of using quality interior and exterior paints and coatings. The Paint Quality Institute's goal is to provide information on the virtues of quality paint as well as color trends and decorating with paint through a variety of vehicles, including television appearances, newspaper and magazine articles, and instructional literature. Please be sure to visit the Paint Quality Institute at www.paintquality.com.

About Dow

Dow (NYSE: DOW) combines the power of science and technology to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2011, Dow had annual sales of $60 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 197 sites in 36 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.