Marietta, Ga.— One of the most exciting carpet design competitions is back for its third consecutive year. Durkan, the hospitality brand of The Mohawk Group, and NEWH (The Network of the Hospitality Industry) are now accepting entries for D*scover, an annual contest that recognizes the talents of professional and student designers on the rise. Participants will compete for an opportunity to have their innovative hospitality carpet designs on display May 15-17, 2012, at the HD Expo and Conference in Las Vegas. “Revealing the D*scover contest winning designs has quickly become one of the most anticipated events to take place at the HD Expo,” said Barbara Marcy, director of creative design at Durkan. “Industry influencers from all over the world look forward to meeting these up-and-coming artists and seeing their creativity firsthand. Each year, we are delighted to cultivate a new generation of design talent and showcase their abilities.”
Durkan will award two grand prize winners, one design professional and one student. Both winners will have their designs promoted and added to the Durkan product catalog, as well as receive a trip to the 2012 HD Expo, where they will be honored at a special reception hosted by Durkan. In addition, the student winner will receive a $2,000 Durkan funded scholarship to NEWH, and the professional winner will be awarded a $2,000 cash prize.
To participate in the 2012 D*scover competition, each contestant must design and submit four print carpet patterns characteristic of hospitality spaces:
- Large corridor
- Large ballroom
- Large or medium pre-function/Meeting room carpet
- Border, fill or carpet tile (24” x 24”) design
Entries will be evaluated by a prestigious panel of industry professionals, which includes:
Helen Reed, current NEWH president and owner of H.L. Reed Design, Inc.
Julia Davis-Marks, incoming NEWH president, president of DesignOverStock and creative director of Fiori Artes.
Trisha Poole, NEWH vice president of marketing and president of Design Poole, Inc.
Barbara Marcy, director of creative design at Durkan.
The panel will collectively consider the concept, presentation and market feasibility of each D*scover submission. The D*scover contest is open to all NEWH members. There is no fee for student membership.
“The name of the competition says it all,” added Marcy. “This is an incredible opportunity for new designers to be discovered and make their mark on the hospitality design industry.”
Visit www.durkan.com/dscover for complete D*scover rules and entry forms. The deadline to submit entries is Feb. 17, 2012.