Energy drinks are taking over the coolers in Quick Marts and 7-11s. Each different brand tries to come up with an edgy or cool color scheme or design to catch your attention and make you purchase it instead of your favorite soda or bottled water.

Red Bull was one of the first energy drinks to become hugely popular. In order to keep their share of the beverage market, they’ve come up with a few different advertising schemes including the cartoon commercials that closed with the tag line “Red Bull gives you wings.” Since then, they’ve hosted their annual Flugtag events around the nation. Teams create a “flying machine” and launch it and inevitably crash land into a local body of water. I had friends who watched the flying/flopping creations in Nashville last year.

Less familiar to most Red Bull drinkers and everyone in general is the company’s contest to create works of art using empty cans of the mood lifter. Over the past three years, creative minds have come up with some amazingly elaborate pieces. Check them out here at their site. You can see all the top entries there and bios of the brilliant minds who put them together.

It’s not too late to enter the contest for 2008, but you’ll have to hurry. The deadline is April 6.

More cool art here and other functional items from recycled stuff here.

Tags: art, recycle, cans, aluminum, Red Bull, Flugtag

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