O-Cel-O sponge scrubbers with fun designs (a brand of the 3M Co.), internationally acclaimed fashion and product designer Cynthia Rowley, and Parsons School of Design have selected the winner of the Second Annual "Fun By Design" Scholarship contest held at Parsons School of Design this July.

Intense competition broke out among the students as they competed for the coveted "Fun By Design" first prize: the chance to see their work manufactured and sold nationwide at retail. In a ceremony including friends, family and many of the students' high school teachers, Cynthia Rowley awarded the first place honors to Filana Turner, a rising junior from Brooklyn High School of the Arts.

Talented students with a demonstrated interest in design, but without the financial means to attend the course, were selected from high schools throughout the five boroughs after a rigorous application process. Led by Parsons' Professor Robert Rabinovitz, the students spent five weeks studying design fundamentals in an intensive college-level design course. Each of the students received a scholarship covering tuition, materials, round-trip transport worth $2,000 and college credit for the course.

In addition to their studies, the students' final project offered the chance for one of them to see their design work sold at retail. On July 31, Cynthia Rowley and Parsons faculty, including Charles Nix, chair of the Digital Design department, and Robert Rabinovitz, judged the final entries for the course's "Fun By Design" contest. The winner's design will be manufactured by 3M on a limited edition run of O-Cel-O sponge scrubbers and sold at mass grocers nationwide in 2004.

"The level of sophistication and creativity that went into all of the students' entries are just what we hope to see for the next generation of American designers," commented Cynthia Rowley. She continued, "Filana's design shows a high level of creativity and artistic ability, and it will definitely put the fun back into the everyday functionality of home-cleaning tools!"

Filana's design, "Desserts," showcases sweet treats -- including cakes, cookies, ice cream cones and (in a nod to low-cal sweets) cherries. The desserts are placed randomly on a whimsical background of brightly colored stripes of varying shapes and sizes.

Another student, Parsons' senior Zak Kamandy, was awarded a similar "Fun Designs" prize last fall with his winning design, "Forks & Knives." Zak's design is available nationwide this week on O-Cel-O sponges with fun designs. The innovative pattern is imprinted onto the scrubbing side of the newest O-Cel-O sponge via patented 3M technology. Zak's "Forks & Knives" design pays homage to the everyday utensils that we take for granted, the very same utensils that often hide out at the bottom of the sink under the soapsuds during washing.

"We are so impressed with the high level of creativity demonstrated by the students. Their hard work has made the O-Cel-O/Parsons collaboration a stellar success," said Carol Solberg, brand manager, O-Cel-O products, 3M Home Care Division. "We are pleased to see the newest 'Forks & Knives' O-Cel-O sponge on store shelves now, and look forward to Filana's 'Desserts' sponge in 2004."

The O-Cel-O sponge scrubbers with fun designs retail for $1, and are on sale at mass and grocery stores that stock the O-Cel-O sponge scrubbers with fun designs.

Parsons School of Design is one of the largest degree-granting colleges of art and design in the nation. Currently enrolled are 2,400 undergraduate students, 380 graduate students, and 2,500 non-degree students from all 50 of the United States and from 60 countries. Parsons' main campuses are in New York City's Greenwich Village and Midtown Manhattan. In addition, Parsons has affiliate schools in France, Japan, South Korea and the Dominican Republic. Undergraduate degrees are offered in architectural design, communication design, design and management, fashion design, fine arts, illustration, integrated design curriculum, interior design, photography, product design. Graduate degrees are granted in architecture, design and technology, lighting design, painting, sculpture, and the history of decorative arts. For more information on Parsons, call (212) 229-8910 or go to the Web site at www.parsons.edu.

About 3M -- A Global, Diversified Technology Company

Every day, 3M people find new ways to make amazing things happen. Wherever they are, whatever they do, the company's customers know they can rely on 3M to help make their lives better. 3M's brands include icons such as Scotch, Post-it, Scotchgard, Thinsulate, Scotch-Brite, Filtrete, Dyneon and O-Cel-O. Serving customers in more than 200 countries around the world, the company's 70,000 people use their expertise, technologies and global strength to lead in major markets including consumer and office; display and graphics; electronics and telecommunications; safety, security and protection services; health care; industrial and transportation. For more information, including the latest product and technology news, visit www.3M.com.

Scotch, Post-it, Scotchgard, Thinsulate, Scotch-Brite, Filtrete, Dyneon and O-Cel-O are trademarks of 3M Co.

DeVries Public RelationsMonica Schaffer, 212-891 0465mschaffer@devries-pr.comor3MColleen Horn Harris, 651-733-1566cahornharris1@mmm.com