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INSTORE Design Awards 2023

Enter the 2024 INSTORE Design Awards to earn kudos, media coverage, and possibly sales!

INSTOREMAG.COM/AWARDS

ENTER THE 2024 INSTORE Design Awards
With 9 New Categories!

$495 for 1st entry, $395 for each additional entry

DIAMOND JEWELRY
(UNDER $5,000)

DIAMOND JEWELRY
(OVER $5,000)

COLORED STONE JEWELRY
(UNDER $5,000)

COLORED STONE JEWELRY
(OVER $5,000)

PEARL
(UNDER $5,000)

PEARL
(OVER $5,000)

COLORED DIAMOND JEWELRY

GOLD JEWELRY
(UNDER $5,000)

GOLD JEWELRY
(OVER $5,000)

ENGAGEMENT & WEDDING
(UNDER $5,000)

ENGAGEMENT & WEDDING
(OVER $5,000)

PLATINUM

SILVER
(UNDER $1,000)

SILVER
(OVER $1,000)

RING
(OVER $5,000)

RING
(UNDER $5,000)

NECKLACE
(UNDER $5,000)

NECKLACE
(OVER $5,000)

EARRINGS
(UNDER $5,000)

EARRINGS
(OVER $5,000)

BRACELET
(UNDER $5,000)

BRACELET
(OVER $5,000)

MEN’S JEWELRY

BEST PRICE POINT
(UNDER $500)

FASHION JEWELRY

NEW FOR 2024:
BEST CELESTIAL DESIGN

NEW FOR 2024:
BEST HOOP EARRINGS

NEW FOR 2024:
BEST CHAIN LINKS

NEW FOR 2024:
BEST SNAKE DESIGN

NEW FOR 2024:
BEST INITIAL/MONOGRAM

NEW FOR 2024:
BEST UNISEX DESIGN

NEW FOR 2024:
BEST FANCY-CUT DIAMOND RINGS

NEW FOR 2024:
BEST GEMSTONE ENGAGEMENT RINGS

NEW FOR 2024:
BEST FLORAL DESIGNS

BEST ENAMEL

BEST HEART MOTIFS

BEST RAINBOW DESIGN

BEST STATEMENT PIECE

COUTURE’s Choice
Award for INSTORE!

GRAND PRIZE WINNERS

CINDY EDELSTEIN MEMORIAL
EMERGING DESIGNER AWARD

ELIGIBILITY

1) Businesses and individuals engaged in the design and manufacture of jewelry for retail distribution may enter the contest. Entrants who submit on behalf of a business must be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and must be properly authorized to enter on the business’s behalf. Individuals must likewise be 18 years of age or older to enter. Employees (and their immediate families and household members) of SmartWork Media, its parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, or any other companies sponsoring the contest are not eligible. Void where prohibited by law.

2) To be eligible for entry, the jewelry piece must be an original design, it must be commercially available, and it must meet the requirements for the category in which it is entered (see below for general and specific category requirements).

GENERAL CATEGORY REQUIREMENTS
  • Jewelry must be commercially available in order to qualify for entry (this includes one-of-a-kind pieces, which may be entered provided that they are commercially available).
  • No CAD drawings or prototypes may be entered. Finished jewelry only may be entered.
  • Entries must be in compliance with the FTC Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries.
  • Semi-mounts should be shown with center stone. Entrant must indicate in the description if the price is for the semi-mount only.
  • Diamond jewelry must comply with the Kimberley Process system of warranties.
    No piece that has won an INSTORE Design Award before may be entered.
  • Only jewelry created since January 2023 will be eligible for the contest.
 
SPECIFIC CATEGORY REQUIREMENTS
  • DIAMOND JEWELRY: Natural mined diamonds or lab-growns. Type and treatments must be disclosed.
  • COLORED DIAMOND JEWELRY: Natural mined or lab-growns. Type and treatments must be disclosed.
  • COLORED GEMSTONE JEWELRY: Natural mined or lab-growns. Type and treatments must be disclosed.
  • FANCY-CUT DIAMOND RINGS: Focal point diamonds should be fancy cuts such as ovals, hexagons, trillions, etc. (no round brilliants). Pavé accents of primary fancy-cut diamond(s) are fine. Diamonds may be natural mined or lab-growns. Type and treatments must be disclosed.
  • GEMSTONE ENGAGEMENT RINGS: Primary colored gem(s) should be natural mined or lab-grown colored stones. Diamond pavé accents of primary colored gemstone(s) are fine. Gem type(s) and treatments must be disclosed.
  • PLATINUM JEWELRY: Must be 100 percent platinum of 850 parts or higher.
  • GOLD JEWELRY: Must be 14K gold or higher. All tones qualify (i.e., yellow, white, rose, multi-tone). Entries should be primarily gold; other materials incorporated into the jewelry should not exceed 33 percent of the design.
  • SILVER JEWELRY: Must be sterling (.925) or fine silver (.999). Entries should be primarily silver; other materials incorporated into the jewelry should not exceed 33 percent of the design.
  • ENGAGEMENT/WEDDING RING JEWELRY: Engagement rings, wedding bands, anniversary bands, commitment rings, and three-ring wedding sets qualify for entry into this category.
  • PEARLS: Designate variety (cultured freshwater, cultured golden South Sea, natural conch, etc.) of pearl and any treatments.
  • FASHION JEWELRY: Jewelry designed with price point and trend appeal. Items should be made of base metals, have costume gems like crystals and/or semi-precious gems, or other non-precious materials. Gold-plated silver (vermeil) or oxidized silver accents are permitted but sterling silver-only and/or all gold-plated silver (vermeil) designs now must be entered into the Best Silver categories.
  • CINDY EDELSTEIN MEMORIAL EMERGING DESIGNER AWARD:. Any entrant whose fine jewelry business has been operational for fewer than 10 years and has a strong, clear, signature style is eligible to be chosen for this award. There is no category to select upon entry; INSTORE staff and judges will influence the final choice.
  • COUTURE’s CHOICE AWARD FOR INSTORE: Any entrant who has not been a COUTURE exhibitor since 2019 and is not exhibiting in 2024 is eligible to receive the COUTURE’s Choice Award for INSTORE. There is no category to select upon entry; COUTURE representatives will make their choice from the Voting Guide in the 2024 INSTORE April issue. Representatives from the COUTURE jewelry show, organized by Emerald X, will select one piece of jewelry that defines the COUTURE aesthetic: high-end, innovative designer fine jewelry featuring exceptional craftsmanship and representing the highest level of artistic expression.
 
IMAGE SUBMISSION

All images must be submitted with your entry.

  • SUBMIT IMAGES OF FINISHED JEWELRY ONLY ON WHITE BACKGROUND.
    No props, no models. No prototypes or CAD drawings.
       • Accepted file types include: JPG, TIF, and PNG.
       • RGB color profile preferred
       • Files should be 300 dpi for online and print reproduction
       • Image size should be 4 x 6 inches minimum.
  • IMAGES SHOULD BE SUPPLIED ON A WHITE BACKGROUND. We suggest you have professional photographs taken and proof all copy before submission. We cannot change images or copy after receipt.
  • IMAGE SHOULD CONTAIN ONLY ONE PIECE OF JEWELRY: The piece entered. Do not include lines or collections.
  • The image and copy you supply will be used in all INSTORE Design Awards online and print products.
 
WINNER SELECTION

The INSTORE Design Awards are different from most design competitions. We incorporate a blind-judging component—1st, 2nd, and 3rd places in each category are chosen by a handpicked group of top retailers and influencers. There’s also a separate voting guide and online voting that decides a “Retailer’s Choice” winner for each category. This allows retailers from across North America to see all of the top designs and put names to each one, leading to new retailer relationships.

Winners will be notified in April 2023 and may be required to submit their entered piece for physical inspection. Jewelry must be sent via insured, registered mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, or insured overnight courier. Failure to submit jewelry may result in disqualification. Any piece that, upon inspection, is determined at SmartWork Media’s sole discretion not to qualify for the category in which it was entered will be disqualified.

Grand Prize Winner(s) will be required to send their winning jewelry to INSTORE at their own expense to be photographed for the cover of the magazine (June issue).

 
EXPOSURE/PRIZES:

All entries:

  • Will be featured on INSTORE’s Voting Site during contest voting.
  • Will be featured in INSTORE’s print Voting Guide which will be incorporated into the April issue guaranteeing exposure and readership among the entire retail community for your company and jewelry. And…it’s timed perfectly to reach retailers for pre-Las Vegas planning.
  • The voting guide including all entries will also be posted online as a digital publication for the full year.
  • Will receive a “Vote for Us” marketing package to get retailers involved and to vote for your designs.
 

Plus, Winners and Finalists:

  • Will be featured in the June issue of INSTORE (distributed at Las Vegas Jewelry Week)
  • Will be showcased online at www.instoremag.com
  • Will be featured in a product e-blast promoting winners. Individual categories will be featured daily, leading up to Las Vegas Jewelry Week
  • Will receive an INSTORE Award logo to promote your accolade.
  • Will receive counter card in time to promote win during Las Vegas Jewelry Week and other trade shows.
  • Grand prize winner will be featured on the cover of the June issue of INSTORE.
  • Grand Prize Winner will receive a trophy promoting your award
 
GENERAL RULES

1) Entries that do not comply with any of these rules will be disqualified.

2) By entering the contest, you grant SmartWork Media the right and license to reproduce, publish, distribute, and display your entry materials (and portions thereof) in any of its SmartWork Media publications in all media and/or advertising, and you represent and warrant:

  • That the information provided in your entry form is accurate and complete;
  • That the work depicted in your entry is your own original creation, that SmartWork Media’s use and publication of your entry materials will not infringe upon or otherwise violate any trademark, copyright, trade secret, patent, or other intellectual property right, any right of publicity, privacy, or other personal right or any law, rule, or regulation;
  • That you have obtained all necessary license and releases from persons involved in creating your entry materials (including photographers) so that SmartWork Media will not incur any obligation or liability to them based upon its use or publication of your entry materials.

3) Entries must include an entry fee of $495 for first entry, $395 for additional entries (discounted rates may apply). The entry fee is nonrefundable, regardless of whether or not your entry is determined to be ineligible or disqualified, unless competition is cancelled or postponed by SmartWork Media.

4) SmartWork Media reserves the right to cancel or postpone all or portions of the competition for any or no reason. If you have submitted an entry for a cancelled or postponed portion of the competition, SmartWork Media will refund your entry fee for that entry within 30 days of the decision to cancel or postpone, and the licenses granted by you to SmartWork Media under these rules for the affected entries will terminate. In addition, SmartWork Media reserves the right to combine categories.

5) ENTRANTS MUST NOT PROMOTE THE ONLINE VOTING PORTION OF THE COMPETITION TO THE PUBLIC. They may only promote the competition to jewelry retailers. Any entrant found to have promoted the voting to the public may be disqualified.
6) Any company caught voting for their own entries may be disqualified.

By entering, you accept and agree to be bound by these rules and by the decisions of SmartWork Media regarding the same. SmartWork Media’s decisions are final on all matters regarding the Awards.

EARLY BIRD DEADLINE: JANUARY 12
FINAL DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 9