FAQ
DATES
When is the submission deadline?
After our regular deadline of April 10 we will accept late entries up to April 24 with late fee pricing.
When will the winners be announced?
We’re aiming for July 9-13, 2012 as our live announcement week. You should sign up for email updates, follow us on Twitter, and visit our Facebook page to stay in the loop.
When is the Awards Event?
The Core77 Design Awards Event will be held in the fall in New York City and more details will be available as they come to hand.
ENTERING
How do I start?
Register, and receive a free limited-edition 2012 awards poster (while stocks last). Take a look through the site, check out our Category descriptions and the jury for each, understand How to Enter, and get to know our Fees, Rules and Deadlines. We also recommend our Video Making Tips section. Download the Sample Entry Form for the categories you’re interested to enter (the questions vary between categories). Then you’ll know if your project is eligible, what information to write and assets to organize ahead of time, and the entry/upload process will be a snap.
Who can enter the Awards Program?
Professionals and students from around the world can each enter into any category in the program. Note, however, the DIY category does not carry a pro/student distinction and Speculative is only open to professionals since we get that most student work is speculative.
Does the work have to be real to be entered into the Professional category?
Yes.
Does the work need to have been done in 2011?
Yes. Your project must have been released in 2011 whether this means launched on the market, published (if a Writing entry), or, if it’s a student entry or a professional Speculative category, it must have been completed/presented in 2011.
Can I enter a project that has already won a different design competition?
As long as the project was released, launched or completed in 2011 (see above), you can enter it into this year’s Core77 Design Awards.
Can I enter a collection of designs as a single entry or are they separate submissions?
You can absolutely enter a collection or series as a single entry as long as they were all released/done within 2011 (see above).
How do I know which category to enter? What if my work fits into more than one?
We understand that design disciplines are blurring more and more, so we’ve kept the basic price low to enable you to afford entering into more than one category. Still not sure which? Send us an email. Note that you will need to go through the submission process – submit the entry form (questions may vary from category to category) and upload the assets – for each category entered. Payment for the entries will be taken at the very end. Multiple entries are eligible for a 15% discount off the total fee.
I’m unfamiliar with the submission category “DIY.” What is this and how does it differ from student and professional levels?
While there are various takes on this genre, Core77 Design Awards defines this category as: Any personal project that is self-directed, self-produced and self-funded. DIY implies you came up with the idea and saw it to fruition yourself using do-it-yourself know-how, whether it’s the modification of an existing system or artifact or the creation of something new. The spirit of DIY is also about sharing the process, and we can accept projects that are plans or instructions showing others how to make the object by themselves. (Note: special reduced entry fee and no Professional or Student distinctions.)
Examples include: hacks, mods, upcycles, recycles, crafts, digital fabs, etc. Also see our 2011 DIY honorees.
For more background on DIY and DIY culture you could visit Wikipedia’s description.
Is there an Architecture category?
Not this year. However, speculative architectural designs can be entered into the Speculative Objects/Concepts category and interior architecture or exhibition designs can be entered in the Interiors/Exhibitions category.
Can I submit work that I created as a student even though I have graduated?
Absolutely. If the work was done while you were a student, then, well, it’s student work. If, however, you conceived of the idea as a student but then redesigned and launched it after graduation, you’re a Pro.
Can I enter professional work that has not been published or entered the market?
No. Work must have been “launched” or “released” in the year 2011. If the project is speculative/conceptual (ie eligible for the Speculative category), then we waive the rule, of course. But it needs to have been done in 2011.
Can I enter work that was done pro-bono, or self-initiated or speculative?
Yes. We honor all these kinds of design effort. We offer a reduced entry fee for all pro-bono projects (work done for no fee whether for a for-profit or a non-profit client). It just needs to have been released/done in the 2011 calendar year.
Can I submit work by snail mail?
No, all submissions must be made through the Core77 Design Awards website, and any work submitted by snail mail will not be eligible.
Can I enter work if I am the client?
Absolutely. We want to see the stuff you’re proud of. But we’d recommend hitting up your consultants or in-house design team for the best images and team credits etc. And the optional video testimonial? Yes, you can be in it.
About that video testimonial: Doesn’t that violate the presumption of anonymity? What if the jurors recognize the designer?
A great question. One of the problems with design awards is that all-too-often jurors are already familiar with the work and are quite knowledgeable about its authorship. In these (frequent) moments, jurors either recuse themselves or just keep quiet, desperately waiting till the session is over so they can spill the beans. We require that designers not state their names or company names in their testimonial videos. The bottom line is we trust our jurors. We trust that they will judge excellent work to be excellent, regardless of where or who it came from. We are not so naïve to presume that these videos won’t introduce personalities into the mix. But maybe it’s time we put a face, and a voice, to the intentions of the people who create the design products we evaluate, instead of judging them by their anonymous embodiments. At least we think it’s worth a shot. Not for you? No problem. The video is not required.
How important is the video? Will my entry be less appealing if I don’t provide a video testimonial?
Our insight is that designers are typically excellent at “showing and telling,” talking to clients, making pitches and arguing for the validity of their work. So the video would be a great thing to have. Keep it low-production and brutally frank. Or just have fun with it. But no, not including a video won’t hurt you. Again, we trust our jury to judge work on its merit and not on its bells and whistles.
Will these videos be published, or are they solely for the jury to watch?
Winners, Runners-Up and Notables will have their videos published as a compelling part of their entry. You don’t need to worry though; if it’s good enough to help you win, it’s probably something you’re going to want to share. See our Video Making Tips section to see examples of how low-tech, fun and illuminating they can be.
Will you edit my video at all?
No. But if your video starts with “Hi, my name is James Dyson” and ends with a company logo and URL, it will not be admissible. Let’s ease into this transparency business. (James, please don’t let this discourage you. We want to see your stuff!)
You should also pay attention to the accepted file formats and sizes for the video component. Visit Video Making Tips for the full lowdown.
What about documentation? Our research project will need much more than 250 words.
You will notice an optional “Support PDF” in the upload section of the Entry Form (optional for all categories except Writing & Commentary where it is the required format for the writing entry). Here you have the option of uploading a PDF document. Important: Your total file maximum for all your assets is 20MB. That means your images and supporting document together cannot exceed 20MB in size. No zip files.
How many images should be uploaded?
There is provision for up to 4 images, but only 1 image is mandatory. Of course, you will want to make the post of the 4 available slots to show off aspects of your design to the jury. If you are a Writing & Commentary entrant (or even a Strategy & Research entrant), you will rely less on imagery to tell the story behind your design and more on the Support PDF.
What is the the maximum dimension allowed for each image?
The printed judging materials will be on standard 8.5” x 11” sheets of paper so it may be in your best interest to size images accordingly. All images must be JPEG format and prepared in RGB. The maximum image dimension is 3000 pixels tall or wide (whichever measurement is greater). The maximum individual file size is 15MB. No Zip, Stuffit or compressed files are acceptable.
What is the the maximum dimension allowed for the Support PDF?
The maximum individual file size is 15MB.
Where and how do I submit my work for the Writing & Commentary category?
Good question since there are specific formatting and uploading instructions for Writing & Commentary entrants. The total word limit per entry is 3000 words. This does not include footnotes. The work is to be formatted as a single PDF. You must submit your text as a single PDF; the text should be double-spaced and have page numbers. More than one piece of writing may be included in the PDF if the pieces are connected as a series, paying attention to the overall word limit of 3000. The PDF will get uploaded in the Support PDF step of the entry form.
Do I have to upload an image if I’m entering the Writing & Commentary category?
All entries, regardless of which category, must include at least 1 image as per the entry system. So, you could upload anything from an image that relates to your piece of writing. Maybe it’s a photo of the view from your desk.
What are the supported file types?
IMAGES
All images must be JPEG format and prepared in RGB.
Maximum image dimension is 3000 pixels tall or wide (whichever measurement is greater).
Maximum individual file size is 15MB. No Zip, Stuffit or compressed files.
VIDEOS
Must be at or under 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Maximum file size is 200MB.
.avi .dv .mov .qt .mpg .mpg2 .mpeg2 .mpeg4 .mp4 .m4v .3gp .3g2 .asf .wmv .flv.
Unsupported Files:
Flip4Mac WMV in QuickTime Container, Multiple sample descriptions for a single stream, Live HTTP Streaming manifest/playlist, Multichannel PCM audio with a bit depth smaller than 8, Multichannel audio with more than 8 channels, LPCM audio in SMPTE 302M stream
Unsupported Codecs:
Apple Intermediate, HDV 720p60, ProRes 4444, Go2Meeting3/4, ER AAC LD
OPTIONAL SUPPORT PDF
Must be in PDF format with max size of 15MB.
FEES AND PAYMENT
Can I pay for two or more different kinds of projects?
Yes. You can register as a professional and enter work that you completed as a student (say, if you have recently graduated but your submission was completed in school) in addition to work done as a professional or a DIYer. You will pay according to the type of submission, not registration. Don’t forget about the 15% discount off of your entry fee if you submit multiple projects!
Why is DIY $50? Why not free?
Pixels are almost free, but the labor involved in organizing those pixels is another matter. The bigger reason is that while in the spirit of DIY we have dropped the price down to fifty bucks, we believe that the entries will be of a higher quality if their creators have some skin in the game. Better for the jury, better for our readers and ultimately, better for you.
What can you offer Writing & Commentary entrants whose writing pieces sometimes earn less than the entry fee?
Writing & Commentary entrants may qualify for special consideration pricing, to be determined on a case by case basis; contact us for details.
Is there a late fee?
Yes, entries entered after the Regular deadline of April 10 will incur a 20% late fee. All late entries must be submitted by April 24. See our Deadlines, Fees & Rules page for details.
What methods of payment are accepted?
This Awards program accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discovery credit cards, and PayPal.
Will I receive a receipt?
Yes. And if it doesn’t say that we are truly appreciative of your support for this program, please know it now. It has taken us a long time to create a unique recipe for an awards program that made sense for us and for our community. We listened to your feedback from our inaugural program last year, and we hope that this year will be better than ever! We want the Core77 Awards program will become an integral part of how we can help you share your creativity and best work with the rest of the world.
