To make the entry process as simple as possible, please review and prepare your answers in a word-processing program such as Microsoft Word. Then come back to the online system here. Click the Login button above and create an account. Cut and paste your descriptions in the designated areas provided. This will ensure the accuracy of your answers. Winners will be featured in the June 2012 issue of appliance DESIGN.

Note: You don't have to complete the entire form within time frame of a single login. You can hit "Save Form for Later" and return to complete at a later time, so long as completion of the entire form, including payment, is achieved before the deadline.

1. The industrial design competition is open to product manufacturers, industrial design firms, and product development firms worldwide. All products entered in the competition must have been placed into distribution between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2011. (That is the product became available for sale and delivery to its intended customer during that time period.) Note: If the product entered is an updated version of a previously existing product, it must reflect a design revision. Simply reintroducing an existing product in a new color does not qualify as a new design.
   
   
2. Products entered must fall within one of the categories below:
   • Business Machines (Includes products designed for professional or office use, such as copiers, fax machines, mailing machines, etc.)
   • Electronics (Includes consumer audio/visual electronics, mobile phones, personal computers, electronic toys, electronic games, electronic musical instruments, etc.)
   • Major Appliances and Commercial Vending (Includes home and commercial washers, dish, dryers, garbage, foodservice equipment and vending machines, etc.)
   • HVAC (Includes heating & cooling, stationary air treatment, cogeneration equipment, etc.)
   • Medical
   • Lab & Test Equipment
   • Outdoor & Leisure Appliances (Includes lawn & garden equipment, gas barbecue grills, fitness equipment, etc.)
   • Small Appliances (Includes small electric appliances, storeable countertop appliances, personal care devices, portable power tools, portable air/water treatment, and floor care, etc.)
   • Lighting (Includes commercial, residential, lamps, flashlights, LED illumination, etc.)
   • Water Processing Appliances (Includes water heaters, stationary water treatment, etc.)
3. Enter a specific product and model. Do not enter suites of products or product families. (Exception: A clothes washer and dryer designed as a matching pair should be entered as a single entry.)
   
   
4. Do not submit the following:
   • Non-powered products
   • Components or parts of a product or system
   • Vehicles
   • Industrial equipment (forklifts, presses, etc.)
5. appliance DESIGN reserves the right to determine acceptability of products submitted and decline those deemed inappropriate for the competition.
   
   

Submit a minimum of three, but no more than six, images of product with each entry. Each image should be in .jpg format, RGB color mode, and at least 300+ dpi resolution, suitable for publication. Try to keep individual images below 5 MB each. Images should show different aspects or angles of the product and not be just similar shots of the product in different colors. Example: Show a front view, side or angle view, and close up on control or critical feature.

Entrants can submit supplemental information to help explain the design, operation, and function of product. This information can include operation instructions, exploded view illustrations, CAD images, etc. It can also include screen shots of a touchscreen interface. All supplemental information should be submitted in the form of PDF.

Entrant can submit a short video showing the product in use. This is not mandatory, but may be useful for demonstrating the usability of the product and help the judges evaluate the human factors considerations that went into the product's design. If the primary user interaction relies upon a touchscreen or display, it would be helpful to show what the user sees on the screen for given operations. Videos must be in a standalone format that can be played in either Windows Media Player or Quick Time Player. The size of the video file should not exceed 10 megabytes.

The judging of entries will be performed by an independent panel of design experts that have no affiliation with appliance DESIGN magazine. Names of the judges will be released when the winners are featured in the June 2012 issue. The four criteria for judging will be aesthetics, human factors, innovation, and technical merits. Judgment will be based on the supplied images, text descriptions, and any supplemental materials. All decisions made by the jury are final.

As sponsor of the competition, appliance DESIGN magazine will feature the winners in the June 2011 issue, which includes print, online, and digital versions. By submitting an entry, the entrant agrees to have their product images and descriptions published in print and electronic media. In the case of design firms submitting entries of projects performed for clients, the entrant affirms that any necessary client permissions were obtained before entering.

Entry forms and images and payment should be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Eastern time, February 10, 2012.

Separate fee is required for each product entered. $150 (US) for each entry submitted by February 10, 2012.

This year, we will only be accepting submissions and payments online. If you experience any technical difficulty with online submission or payment, please contact Michele Raska at 248-786-1694 or raskam@bnpmedia.com.

For questions regarding the competition and product eligibility, please contact Appliance Design Editor Seth Fisher at fishers@bnpmedia.com.