(PRESS RELEASE) NEW YORK — The COUTURE Show recently announced a new inaugural design competition, the WTF?! Award. The organization is inviting current COUTURE exhibitors to enter an image of the worst piece of jewelry they’ve ever designed, and submissions will be voted on by the COUTURE community. The “winner” of this competition will be announced at COUTURE’s Opening Night Event on Thursday, May 30, on the Sunset Terrace.
“We’re really excited to introduce the WTF?! Award,” said Gannon Brousseau, COUTURE director and SVP of Emerald Expositions. “The idea for this competition was born out of conversations that several of our veteran COUTURE designers had during the Tucson gem shows. We loved the idea and thought it was a great way to infuse some humor into our event, as well as highlight how the creative process, even among established designers, can have its ups and downs.”
Along with asking for a picture of a “design disaster” in any stage of production, COUTURE is also asking its brands to complete the thought, “So what I was thinking was … .” Touting the competition as a “celebration of imperfection,” COUTURE is hopeful that this newly introduced component will effectively showcase the vibrancy and wit of its artists and brands.
Submissions for the WTF?! Award opened on Thursday, April 25, and are being accepted through May 15, at which point online voting will be open to the entire COUTURE community through May 29. At the Opening Night Event, the winner will be announced and will receive an intentionally gaudy “WTF?!” medallion that they will be encouraged to wear throughout the second day of the show. The medallion will be passed on to the winners in subsequent years.
COUTURE is being held May 30 to June 3 at the Wynn and Encore Las Vegas.