The Odegard Award for Excellence in Rug Design acknowledges outstanding achievement in the field of original student rug design. The competition was created to show student designers how combining modern designs with traditional hand knotting techniques can increase awareness and respect for the legacy of textile and carpet weaving. Applicants are encouraged to offer designs with inspiration that exemplifies and reflects the spirit of this mission by unifying marketability and visionary aesthetic with traditional weaving methods. Applicants are judged on the merits of artistic execution, originality of their design vision, and use of natural materials. Following the work Stephanie Odegard has been personally involved in for over two decades; this competition demonstrates to a new generation of designers that it is possible to create luxury design through traditional industries while sustaining the artisans and local communities responsible for their production.

This competition encourages students from a variety of disciplines (see ELIGIBILITY requirements) to submit innovative design proposals.

In addition to cash prizes and expense-paid U.S. travel to attend the Award Ceremony for the three finalists:

• The first prize winner will receive a 6’ x 9’ carpet hand woven from his or her design, and Odegard will include the winning design in its current carpet line for a period of at least three years, with royalties of 5% of net sales accruing to the author.
• The winner will be CONSIDERED for a two week residency in the Open Studios program at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City.
• The first prize entrant will also be given the option of a two-month paid internship at one of Odegard’s U.S. showrooms.
• At its sole discretion, Odegard may also offer any other entrant the option of entering into an agreement to market such entrant’s design in Odegard’s line of products. Such agreement will provide the author with a 5% royalty on any sales for the duration of such agreement.
  
  (see PRIZES)

• Your submission should be designed as a 6’ x 9’ sized carpet, rendered in 12” x 18” format. The final size of the rug image, and thus the submission, should be 12” x 18”. All the submission page should contain is the rug image. Entries are viewed and judged while placed vertically on their 12” side.
• Artwork can be in any two-dimensional medium, but no computer renderings will be accepted. No three-dimensional artwork will be considered.
• You can submit your original artwork, painted canvases, fabric creations and photographs, as long as the final size of the design is 12" x 18". Keep in mind that we will not return any artwork. It would be better - but not a requisite - that you mount your paper submission to a board or foam core. The size of the submission cannot exceed 12” x 18”.
• All Odegard rugs are made using natural raw materials with chemical and vegetal dyes. Please keep this in mind when designing and if applicable specify the use of hemp, wool and/or silk in your design, in any combination you deem suitable on the optional Additional Information form (see Format for Submissions in the SUBMISSION section).
• The carpet will be produced using hand weaving and hand knotting techniques. All fibers used will be hand carded and spun and dyed by hand. There is no range of weaving techniques that you are to incorporate into your design.
• You can work in any color. There is no limit to the number of colors that you are allowed to use in your design.
• You can give different coloring options to your final design, but please submit each color way as a separate submission.
• You can submit additional information (on the optional Additional Information form) and supporting drawings and weavings in the same package as your design. Please include this in the envelope taped to the back of your submission (see Format for Submissions in the SUBMISSION section).
• We will consider up to three submittals for each author, provided separate enrollment forms accompany each submission (see Format for Submissions in the SUBMISSION section).
• Odegard encourages entrants to include a small sample of pile structure. This is not a requirement. Samples can be woven on a loom or on a simple frame or they can be mocked up over an open canvas like those used for needlepoint. A 3'" or 4" square is sufficient. Please see some possible traditional knotting diagrams below.
  
  KNOTTING DIAGRAMS
  
  

• Submissions will be verified for eligibility requirements upon receipt at Odegard. Entries deemed ineligible will be removed from consideration.
• Submissions deemed eligible will be stored at Odegard until the deadline for entries.
• Odegard will mark eligible submissions with a registration number on the submission (and on the optional one page, Additional Information, from which identity of author will be removed).
• Each juror will examine every submission, and indicate the numbers of their preferred designs on a form, of which the winner will be declared at the awards ceremony.
• Executives of Odegard will observe jury meetings and reasonably attempt to implement the competition’s regulations.
• Jurors will rate the entries according to their own personal judgment, but in addition will be asked to also take into account the following criteria:
  - Quality and clarity of presentation materials
  - Originality and sensitivity of the proposal
  - Feasibility and suitability
  - Marketability, especially as it pertains to the to-the-trade Western markets.
• A final judging session will be convened with all judges present to review the entirety of the retained entries. The entry receiving the most votes will be considered the winning entry. In case of a tie, a second round of judging will be held on the merits of the tied entries only. In the case that one of the jury members cannot attend this session, then he or she will receive digital scans of all the retained entries to allow for the voting to continue within the Design Competition’s timelines.
• The jury, by a majority vote, has the sole authority and responsibility to recommend winners at the end of the competition. The jury’s decisions are confidential and final.
• Each juror will have the option to select, at his or her own discretion, a particular design(s) that in the juror’s opinion warrants a special honorary mention. Such award(s) will be an additional Odegard Award(s) which will bear that juror’s name.
  
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By participating in the Competition, you agree to the unconditional acceptance of the rules and regulations set forth by this Design Competition.

OWNERSHIP AND COPYRIGHT
In order to be eligible for submission, each competitor must warrant that it owns the copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property rights in the design, except as to material owned by others whom the competitor discloses in its submission.

All drawings, photographs, photocopies, and other physical materials submitted to the competition become the property of Odegard, and may be retained for possible exhibition and publication. Each Competitor will retain full copyright of all his or her materials unless otherwise assigned (see “Exhibition and Publication” below). If competitors are making use of copyrighted materials in their entry, they must identify them clearly as such, and provide all copyright references accompanying their submission forms.

EXHIBITION & PUBLICATION
Odegard retains the right to reproduce any and all parts of the submissions for the purpose of publication, and to exhibit the competition results in any media whatsoever.

Odegard intends to exhibit a selection of competition entries - including all award-winners - in a number of locations, including on its website. Odegard will make every effort to properly credit the appropriate competitors.

PRIZES
For the purposes of this competition:

• Prizes and awards will be distributed on the date indicated on the SCHEDULE (see below).
• All winners are invited to attend this Award Ceremony. Winners who are not present at the Award Ceremony will be mailed their Award and corresponding prize, if any, within one week after the date of the Award Ceremony.
• ' Cash Prize' is defined as a check drawn on a U.S. bank and made out to the name of the winner as it appears on the SUBMITTER line on the Entry Form.
• ' Free travel' is defined as a round-trip, economy fare on a commercial carrier, within the continental U.S. only. Odegard will arrange for reservations and payment for such a trip. All travel is at the risk of the prizewinner, and Odegard accepts no responsibility for injuries, loss, damages of any kind.

Production of the winning design: Odegard will, at its sole cost and expense, produce the winning design in at least one 6’ x 9’ hand woven wool carpet, using a manufacturer of its choice. Odegard reserves the right to adapt the manufacturing of the winning design to materials and techniques it will determine at its sole discretion and will also consider implementing techniques reflected in design

Marketing of the winning design: Odegard will promote the rug based on the winning design in its regular marketing materials in a manner deemed appropriate by Odegard in consideration of its overall marketing plan, and accept orders for such carpet in its usual sizes and qualities. No other promotion of the winning design is hereby represented.

Royalties: Odegard will internally track any sale by Odegard of the winning design. Odegard will, from time to time produce a record of any sales of the winning design and mail it to the author of such design. Royalties will becomputed on the basis of a completed sale, calculated on the actual net price of the sale, and will not be paid less frequently than once a quarter. If Odegard sells a carpet at a discounted price, then the royalty will be computed against such discounted price.

Paid Internship: Odegard will offer the winner of a Paid Internship prize the opportunity to work in an Odegard showroom or studio of Odegard’s choice during the regular working hours of that location. The winner of the prize will be directed to conform to all Company rules and regulations in effect at the time of the internship. The salary or other compensation offered to the winner will be at Odegard’s sole discretion, and the winner is under no obligation to accept the internship if he/she is not in agreement of the terms and conditions of such offer.

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