Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
ICFA Opens for Design Excellence Entries
June 4,
2015 by in Casual Furniture, Industry 
Entries are now being accepted for the 2015 Design Excellence Awards, the design recognition for home furnishings and accessories produced for outdoor living.
The competition is open to all companies exhibiting at the 2015 Casual Market Chicago, as well as outdoor fabric suppliers, who are not required to be exhibitors. The entry fee is $100 per product for members of the International Casual Furnishings Association, which coordinates the competition. Non-members may enter for $500 per product.
The entry deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, June 19.
Entries are sought in 11 categories: dining or bar table, dining or bar chair, chaise lounge, lounge seating – cushion, lounge seating – non-cushion, shade product, outdoor lighting product, heating/firepit, outdoor carpeting/rugs/flooring, fabric and complementary casual product.
Competition rules and entry guidelines can be found online.
The Design Excellence category judging will take place on Thursday, August 27. All category winners will be announced after the judging, with awards to be presented on Tuesday, September 15, in company showrooms at the Merchandise Mart.
All participants will enjoy added promotion of their Design Excellence product entries on an online “microsite” created by the ICFA. There is no additional fee to be included in the online microsite.
Companies submitting entries are urged to attend the ICFA Awards Gala at 6:30 p.m. Friday, September 18, at the Chicago Field Museum. During this event, the Lillian B. Winchester “Best of Show” Award will be presented from among the 11 category winners.