Tenth International Design Contest Trieste Contemporanea

Theme of the 2012 Competition
In a saturated consumer market where design is everywhere (and nowhere) there are objects from the recent past whose traces are being lost. They are anonymous or everyday objects, on a small scale or mass production. The aim is to build a large memory atlas dedicated to the anonymous design of the countries of Central Eastern Europe, therefore in this year’s competition, participants are asked to identify an object from the collective memory, which demonstrates design skill, it can be simple or complex as long as it is meaningful. The object could be a household tool or alternatively professional equipment or small objects for building. Once the participants have singled out their object they must photograph it on a white backdrop, outline in writing a brief history, comment on the motivations behind the choice and then proceed onto a reuse and redefinition project, which could take shape in a ready-made project or simply a change of function.

Criteria For Participation
The competition is open to all designers born in CEI Member States (Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Macedonia, Moldavia, Montenegro, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Hungary) as well as Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania and Turkey. The potential groups should only comprise participants born in the countries listed above.

Every participant should submit:
– 3 photographs of the object on a white backdrop (JPG or PDF format, minimum resolution 300 dpi);
– a text outlining the story of the object (maximum 800 characters);
– a text accounting for its selection and explaining the new project (maximum 800 characters);
– the new project presented for the competition that must be original and composted of no more than 3 plates in jpg or pdf format, minimum resolution 300 dpi (freehand design, cad, rendering, etc…)

The project should contain all the necessary elements to execute the object.

Terms of Participation and Deadline 
Participation in the competition is free. Prospective participants should register using the online form on the webpage www.triestecontemporanea.it. The online application form should be filled out in full in English or Italian and the submitted project must comply with the specified terms. The groups wishing to participate should fill out the form with the name of the head of the group and list the names and countries of birth of the other group members.

The application and attached project – complete with the material described in ART. 3 together with an ID document – must be presented by midnight (Italian time) of the 31st May 2012. All the requested materials should be included directly in the application form. Projects submitted to the committee via alternative application systems will not be accepted. Designers selected by the jury will be notified after the jury have completed their task, estimated by the end of September, and they will be able to submit any final pieces useful to the integration of their project (prototypes, images or videos of real or digital prototypes, etc) in line with deadlines and terms, which will be communicated with those selected directly.

Confidentiality and Rights of Use
All material submitted will be treated as strictly confidential and under no circumstances handed over to third parties, namely anybody external to the judging commission, before the close of the competition. The same confidentiality should be upheld by the selected competitors until the official publication of the results from the organizing body. The Committee reserves the right to publish in an online catalogue the documentation of the competition and the projects of the selected participants and winners. If a contestant wishes to protect their work by applying for copyright or a patent registration, they may do so before displaying their work in the competition.

Examining Comission and Evaluation Criteria
The jury will be headed by Gillo Dorfles and comprise international experts and representatives from CEI and the Trieste Contemporanea. It will convene in the month of June 2012 and will evaluate the projects in the competition according to the following criteria:
1. Originality and depth of research in the study of the memory object;
2. Creation and innovation of the reuse proposal;
3. Completion and clarity in presentation of the work submitted.

Selected Projects and Prizes
– SELECTED PROJECTS: the jury will select a number of works which will be shown in an exhibition in Trieste and published in the online catalogue provided.
– BEBA PRIZE for the youngest designer among those selected: 1000 Euros.
– CEI PRIZE for the best designer from one of the CEI countries not an EU member: 3000 Euros.
– GILLO DORFLES PRIZE – TRIESTE CONTEMPORANEA DESIGN 2010 for the best project: 4000 Euros.

Realization of the Selected Projects
In the eventuality that Trieste Contemporanea wishes to realize the three winning projects of the respective prizes, it will inform the winners immediately. They will in turn be invited to assist in the execution of their work. The final objects will remain the property of Trieste Contemporanea.

Publication of the Competition Results
The competition results will be accessible online at www.triestecontemporanea.it from the month of July 2012. The catalogue will be published online together with the opening of the final exhibition. The results of the exhibition will also be made public by the Committee through the international media and press.

Participation Hors Concours
The organizers reserve the right to invite a number of designers to take on the 2012 theme hors concours and to exhibit in the scheduled exhibitions.

Exhibition of the Selected and Winning Projects
All the selected and winning projects as well as those presented by the designers invited hors concours, will be exhibited in Trieste within December 2012 by the Trieste Contemporanea Committee, which reserves the right to supply other exhibiting venues in Italy and abroad.

Awards Ceremony
The award ceremony will take place in Trieste at the opening of the scheduled final exhibition. The winning designers will be invited to collect their prize in Trieste with expenses covered by the organizing Committee.

More Information > www.triestecontemporanea.it