Surtex call for designext entries

HTT Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 9/8/2010 3:46:13 PM

White Plains, N.Y. -- The 25th anniversary of the Surtex worldwide student design competition, "designext," is slated for the May 2011 edition of the show -- and the call for entries in open now through February 24.

"The designext competition is designed to encourage students to think ahead, to think future trends, to think l0 years down the road," said Penny Sikalis, Surtex manager and vice president of show producer GLM. "We expect to receive 100 to 150 entries from all around the globe."

This year's challenge specifically tasks students "to create a collection of original surface designs to be used in a commercial interior in the year 2020." Each student may submit between six and nine original designs that can be used on fabrics, wallcoverings, floor coverings and various furnishings within an interior setting.

"Many design teachers include the competition in their curricula for the coming school term," Sikalis pointed out.

Four winners will be hosted in New York during Surtex 2011, set for May 15- 17 at the Javits Center, and their projects will be displayed at the show. These winning entries will be seen by an estimated 6,000 or more attendees from more than 40 countries, according to GLM. One student will be announced as the grand prize winner as the culmination of the industry-judged competition.

The designext competition is open at no cost to students who are in their third or fourth year (junior or senior level) in a college or university and enrolled in a surface-design related curriculum. Details are posted on the Surtex website, www.Surtex.com. For further information on Surtex, contact Penny Sikalis at penny_sikalis@glmshows.com or (914) 421-3297.