Australian franchise print group Worldwide Online Printing’s annual Christmas card design competition includes a set of four humorous cards lampooning petrol prices, water restrictions and energy saving.

“Somehow, the Rudolph energy saver bulb card idea came into my head,” explained winner Josh Darrah, a designer employed by the University of Queensland, “and from that idea I developed a set of cards that were themed on how Christmas could be today.”

“I wanted to try and give the Christmas cards a hand-drawn and almost childish ‘colouring-in’ look – to make them less corporate.”

Darrah’s designs will be one of a collection of cards by the top 10 entries that will become Worldwide’s Christmas Card selection for 2008.

Part proceeds from every Christmas card digitally printed by Worldwide from its design competition range go to Camp Quality, the children’s charity giving laughter to kids with cancer.

The winning designs will soon be available on the Worldwide website (www.worldwide.com.au).

Darrah won a new MacBook Air, the thinnest notebook computer on the market, and was presented with his prize by Worldwide Queensland state manager, Giselle Gabbani.