The search for designs to be painted on 16 giant oil storage tanks in South Portland kicked off Tuesday with an official call for entries.

Maine Center for Creativity, a non-profit group promoting creative industries in Maine, formally announced its design contest at an event before dozens of volunteers and supporters at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute on Portland's waterfront.

The winning tank design will be painted by a professional painting firm on 16 of the 30 tanks at the Sprague Energy Corp. tank farm near the Fore River.

The spot is highly visible to people entering the area on Route 1 as well as from planes landing at and taking off from the nearby Portland International Jetport.

Officials at the contest kickoff Tuesday said the painted tanks would be a symbol of Maine's arts community and creative businesses, and would help draw attention to them.

The contest winner will be awarded $27,500, plus additional money for travel and other costs. The deadline for entries is June 25. For complete rules and entry forms go to www.artallaround.com. The tank designs are expected to be finished around the middle of 2011.