Innovation + Design 2021 Competition Now Accepting Entries

April 21, 2021  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry   

This is a juried furniture industry sponsored competition intended for professional maker/designers and the next generation of serious woodworking students who are anticipating a career in the custom wood and related home furnishings industries. This contest is open to North American professional maker/designers and students. Finalists’ projects will be displayed Sept. 19-24, 2021 at The Loft at Congdon Yards, 400 W. English Rd. in High Point. Winners will be announced at a “Meet the Designer” ceremony held at The Loft on Sept. 21 from 7-8:30 p.m.

“The Innovation + Design 2021 competition and exhibition is an excellent opportunity for designers, makers, artisans and students to express broader creativity, thoughtfulness, and inventiveness with executable designs in functional home furnishings,” stated John Conrad, executive director of ISFD. “In addition to the display at The Loft, The Innovation + Design exhibition of the finalists’ products will also be shown to the public at Theater Art Galleries (TAG) in High Point from October through December 2021 and viewed by well over 500,000 industry and local people. Cash prizes of $250-$1000 will be awarded for professional and student levels in seating, occasional tables, occasional storage, lighting, accessories, and dining room furniture categories. Plus, as an added bonus, winners will gain access to The Generator,” Conrad added.  The submission fee is $50 per piece, and applicants can submit two projects per category for consideration.

The Generator, located in Congdon Yards, was developed in partnership with SCM Woodworking Technology to make industrial-grade woodworking machinery accessible to all furniture designers and makers. It enables designers and makers to advance their most daring design ideas into prototype and production. “We are really excited about this opportunity for the winners. They will greatly benefit from their free time experience in this state-of-the-art facility,” Conrad concluded.

The judges consist of a panel of five industry veterans who will review and select a final 25-30 entries. Once selected, the finalists will ship their entries to the High Point ISFD warehouse underwritten by Phillips Collection. At the warehouse, these projects will be shot by over 25 area photographers participating in the Innovation + Design’s photographic competition. The photographer’s large-scale photos will be displayed along with the finalists’ projects in the Innovation + Design exhibition at the Theater Art Galleries.