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IDEA^SM 2007 Timeline

*Any edits to your entry between February 9, 2007 at 11:59 PM PST and February 16, 2007 at 11:59 PM PST will constitute a late entry and the extended deadline fee of $110 USD per entry must be paid by February 16, 2007 at 11:59 PM PST, or the entry will not be judged. Entry fees are non-refundable. Entries cannot be submitted after Feb. 16, 2007, 11:59 PM PST and will not be judged, returned or refunded. (Foreign late payments must be made with American Express, Visa or MasterCard or with a check or money order in US funds drawn on a US bank.) In the event of a dispute over timing of submission, the time used will be that time which is stamped on the digital submission in the online entry software.

Sponsor

The IDEASM 2007 Competition ("Contest") is presented by IDSA The Industrial Designers Society of America located at 45195 Business Court, Suite 250 / Dulles, VA 20166-6717 ("IDSA" or "Sponsor").

IDEASM 2007 is co-sponsored by BusinessWeek Magazine, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York NY 10020

Entry Cost

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for IDEA^SM 2007, the following criteria must be met:

Participant Qualifications

• Open to designs and designers worldwide.
• Open to students from NASAD and non-NASAD accredited schools and students from international industrial design programs. Student entries can only be submitted in the Student category, even if the design is in research, production or corporately funded.
• If you entered last year and didn't win, and if your product still meets all the other criteria you can resubmit.
• Employees of firms represented on the 2007 jury and student work from a school where a juror teaches may not participate in this year's competition. Check the list of jurors to see if you are eligible!
• Entrants may enter as often as they like, but each entry must be purchased and submitted separately, under a unique access code number.

Distribution qualifications

• Design must have been placed in distribution between February 9, 2005 and February 9, 2007. This means the product must be available for sale in its final form through normal retail channels during that period.
• Design Concept and Student entries must have been submitted to the client or school between February 9, 2005 and February 9, 2007.
• Design Concept entries must not be in production
• Research designs must have been submitted to the client or school between February 9, 2002 and February 9, 2007.

Judging Criteria

The IDEA^SM 2007 judging is based on the following criteria. These criteria are weighted equally by the judges as they deem appropriate for the category:

• Innovation: how is the design new and unique?
• Aesthetics: how does the appearance enhance the product?
• User: how does the design solution benefit the user?
• Environment: how is the project ecologically responsible?
• Business: How did the design improve the client's business?
• Design Research: What validation is given that the design solved the problem?
• (Research only): Rigor/relevance/reliability
• (Design Strategy only): Internal Factors & Methods, Implementation

Judging Process

The judging is blind: the designers, their names and the names of consulting firms may not appear anywhere in the entry kit. Failure to abide by this rule results in immediate disqualification. Names or logos of manufacturing companies/clients may appear if they are inherent to the product.

Jurors, their immediate families or the companies they are employed by may NOT enter work the year they are jurors.

Jurors do their initial scoring online in teams of two for their assigned categories. After this first round of scoring, the jurors meet in person for two days, during which time they review and score the information presented in the finalist's entry kits.

Each entry is scored on its own rating sheet based on how well it meets the criteria of design excellence: innovation, benefit to user, benefit to client, ecological responsibility, appropriate aesthetics, and design research.

All criteria receive equal weight in scoring and award selection as the jury deems appropriate for the category.

QuickTime or Windows Media Player videos of the designs in use (.avi or .wmv file formats), as well as photos, augment the entry form information the jurors review in scoring each entry.

IDEA^SM 2007 Categories

Designs for practically anything may be entered. The 51 subcategories range in scope from small desk accessories to giant mechanical equipment. The Design Concepts category makes it possible to enter designs that will never be produced. If your entry doesn't fit into the category you have selected it will be recategorized. Concepts must be entered in the Design Concepts category; students must enter in the Student category.

Business & Industrial Products
Commercial Equipment / Communication Equipment / Heavy Machinery / Professional Tools

Computer Equipment
Computers / Computer Input Devices / Computer Peripherals / Other Computer Devices

Consumer Products
Accessories / Appliances / Consumer Electronics / Consumer Tools / Housewares / Juvenile Products / Sporting & Fitness Products / Toys & Games

Design Concepts (Designs scheduled for production may NOT be entered in this category)
Business & Industrial Concepts / Concept Computers / Concept Furniture / Concept Vehicles / Consumer Product Concepts / Interaction Design Concepts / Medical & Scientific Concepts

Design Strategy (use the Design Strategy entry form)
Design Strategy & Management

Ecodesign (use the Ecodesign entry form)

Environments
Corporate, Public & Private Spaces / Environmental Graphics & Signage Systems / Museum Exhibits & Set Designs / Showrooms & Retail Merchandising / Trade Show Exhibits

Furniture
Contract Furniture / Fixtures / Lighting / Residential Furniture

Interaction Design (use the Interaction Design entry form; QuickTime or Windows Media Player video (avi or wmv) or website link required. Entries in this category have up to 10 MB for video and may submit up to 15 images)
Product Interface / Software / Web sites

Medical & Scientific Products
Clinical & Diagnostic Products / Industrial & Scientific Products / Surgical & Therapeutic Products / Home-Care & Self-Care Products

Packaging & Graphics
Packaging Graphics / Packaging Structures

Student Designs
Undergraduate Student Projects / Graduate Student Projects

Research (use the Research entry form)
Design Research Projects

Transportation
Automobiles / Motorcycles / Parts / Trucks & Commercial Transportation / Recreational Vehicles / Transportation Interiors / Trucks & Commercial Transportation

Submission Process

Once you’ve purchased and received your application access codes, go to Juried Arts Services to manage your applications. Follow the steps there to register with the site. Once you create a username and password, follow the instructions on the site to enter the IDEA^SM competition online.

Before you log in to upload your materials, be sure to review categories and sub-categories and choose the most appropriate for your entry. Have all of your information ready to submit, including:

• A complete list of design credits including each designers' contact information
• Entry form questions
• Up to ten (10) color or black and white images, in Web standard .jpg format (no larger than 72 dpi and 1 MB per photo, in RGB colorspace not CMYK). Images should include at least one glamour shot with a white background
• An optional QuickTime (.mov) or Windows Media Player video (avi or wmv) (not to exceed 5 MB).

Text will be entered directly onto the website. You will not need to upload any documents. Do not mail any materials to IDSA's office. All materials must be submitted online.

Disclaimer

All decisions of the Jury and Sponsors are final. IDSA makes no guarantees as to the number and type of IDEA^SM awards given each year. All submissions become the property of (IDSA) and part of its archives. By submitting an entry, you agree that IDSA and any other party authorized by it shall have permission to publish any material contained in the submission. Award entry material is on the public record and no content will be treated confidentially.

Award Notification

On or about April 6, 2007 the Jury will select award winners ("Selected Entrants"). All Selected Entrants will be required to respond (as directed) to the phone and/or e-mail notification within one week of attempted notification. Failure to respond in a timely manner to the notification may result in forfeiture of the award and, in such case, Sponsor may re-score entries and select a new entrant. Each Selected Entrant may also be sent an affidavit of eligibility / liability / publicity release ("Release"). Entrant agrees to allow IDSA, its sponsor(s), third-party vendors and agents to publish, display and use the submitted design, entrant's name, voice, photograph, logo, or other mark or likeness, as well as same of the designer(s), for advertising and promoting the competition and other related purposes in any media without additional permission or compensation (optional for TN residents.) Selected Entrants may also be required to provide other relevant information. Unless restricted by law, each selected entrant will be required to complete and return the Release within the time period specified therein. Entrants must agree to write a case study of their design for the Yearbook issue of IDSA’s Innovation® magazine in the event they win a Gold award.

Conditions

Contest is subject to these Official Rules.
By participating, entrants agree to be bound by these complete Official Rules, and, whether or not a member, the terms of ethics on the IDSA website. All decisions of Sponsor are final and binding; and entrants agree to waive any right to claim ambiguity in the Contest or these Official Rules, except where prohibited by law. By accepting an award, winner agrees to release Sponsor, its attorneys, affiliates, together with the respective directors, employees, officers, licensees, licensors and agents of each, including without limitation, their respective advertising and promotion entities and any person or entity associated with the production, judging, or administration of the Contest, (collectively, the Releasees) from any and all liability, loss or damage arising from or in connection with awarding, receipt and/or use or misuse of award or participation in any award-related activities. Sponsor reserves the right to use the Contest for publicity purposes in any media, and to use the name, likeness, entry materials and hometown name and/or award information of Selected Entrants as part of that publicity, without any compensation or prior review unless prohibited by law. Sponsor may cancel the contest for any reason, at its sole discretion. This Contest is void everywhere such contests are prohibited or restricted by law, and subject to applicable federal, state provincial and local laws. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entrant it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or violating these Official Rules. The Releasees shall not be liable for: (i) late, lost, delayed, misdirected, incomplete unreadable, inaccurate, garbled or unintelligible entries, or communications; (ii) broadband, cable, telephone system, telephone or computer hardware, software or other technical or computer malfunctions, lost connections, disconnections, delays or transmission errors; (iii) data corruption, theft, destruction, unauthorized access to or alteration of entry or other materials; (iv) any injuries, losses or damages of any kind caused by acceptance of the award or resulting from acceptance, possession or use of a award, or from participation in the Contest; or (v) any printing, typographical, administrative or technological errors in any materials associated with the Contest. Sponsors disclaim any liability for damage to any computer system resulting from participating in, or accessing or downloading information in connection with this Contest, and reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to cancel, modify or suspend the Contest should a virus, bug, computer problem, unauthorized intervention or other causes beyond Sponsors' control, corrupt the administration, security or proper play of the Contest. Sponsors may prohibit an entrant from participating in the Contest or winning award if, in its sole discretion, it determines such entrant is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest in any way by cheating, hacking, deception, or any other unfair playing practices of intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other players or Sponsors' representatives. Disputes regarding these Official Rules and/or this Contest will be governed by the internal laws of the State of Virginia. Any and all legal actions or claims arising in connection with this Contest must be brought in a court of competent jurisdiction within Virginia, and you agree to jurisdiction and venue in the courts of Virginia. Entrant acknowledges and agrees that IDSA reserves the right to amend, modify or terminate the competition at any time. CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE IDSA and BusinessWeek AND/OR CONTEST-RELATED WEB SITES OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION FROM PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTEST. SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, SPONSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK REMEDIES AND DAMAGES (INCLUDING ATTORNEY FEES) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

PRIVACY. All personal information collected by Sponsor will be used for administration of the Contest. In addition entrants specifically opt in to receive email correspondence from, or on behalf of IDSA, subject to IDSA's privacy policy. IDSA complies with Federal CAN-SPAM guidelines and entrants may subsequently opt-out of receiving further emails. Any questions regarding privacy matters should be directed to the address set out below. Please refer to Sponsors' privacy policy located at www.idsa.org for important information regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by Sponsor.

OFFICIAL RULES; WINNERS LIST. For a copy of these Official Rules, send your request in a self-addressed, stamped envelope (WA, VT and Canadian residents need not affix return postage) to: IDEA Official Rules, 45195 Business Court, Suite 250, Dulles, VA 20166-6717. Or send an email request to idea@idsa.org. Winners will be posted on IDSA's web site. Request must be received by December 31, 2007.

IDSA and IDEA are trademarks of the Industrial Designers Society of America.