Official Rules



Goal

The Veneer Tech Craftsman's Challenge™ competition recognizes excellence in woodwork that features natural veneer and wood product applications. This competition is not about who used the most veneer or who had the biggest project. Our judges will aim to reward those who use veneer products in the best way while achieving the project’s stated goals. The judges are impartial, third-party representatives from the media, woodworking education, design, or manufacturing fields.

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Awards

Awards may be made in the following categories at the judges' discretion:

1. Architectural Woodworking - Residential and commercial interiors and fixtures
2. Cabinetry - Residential and commercial kitchen, bath, living and other room cabinetry
3. Furniture - Residential and commercial furnishings
4. Marquetry - Inlaid decorative work in furniture and cabinetry
5. Specialty Items - Veneer paintings, wearables, boxes, sculpture etc.
6. Student Design - Grade school, university and technical programs

One Grand Prize winning entry will be selected from all eligible entries. In addition to valuable publicity, the Grand Prize winning craftsperson/designer/builder/manufacturer, their distributor /supplier, and their distributor/supplier sales representative will receive cash awards as follows:

• One $3000 award to the designer, craftsperson or manufacturer of the Grand Prize winning entry

• One $2000 award to the distributor who supplied veneer or edgebanding materials utilized to create the Grand Prize winning entry

• One $1000 award to one sales representative of the distributor who supplied veneer and wood product materials utilized to create the Grand Prize winning entry

All other selected category winners each will be awarded one $1000 cash award. Plus, one $1000 bonus will be awarded to the Grand Prize winner if entry was submitted by March 31, 2018.

Special awards or honorable mentions may be given at the discretion of the judges. For 2018, any entrant who has not previously entered in any Veneer Tech Craftman’s Challenge competition will be eligible for a New Entrant award of $1000. This is in addition to any category award the new entrant may receive.

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Eligibility / qualifications /
deadlines for submissions

Eligible winners of the cash prizes awarded for the Grand Prize winning entry are: the craftsperson, designer, builder, or manufacturer; the distributor/supplier; and the distributor/supplier sales representative. Student design entries must have been completed while enrolled in a school program. Entries may be submitted on behalf of those eligible to win by any industry professional associated with the project.

ALL ENTRIES MUST HAVE BEEN PRODUCED WITHIN THE PAST FIVE YEARS (JANUARY 2013-June 2018) AND NOT PREVIOUSLY ENTERED IN A CRAFTSMAN'S CHALLENGE COMPETITION.

All projects must have been produced using natural veneer and wood product application. Use of any amount of veneer wood products in the project will qualify the entry. It is not required that Veneer Technologies be the source of materials used to create the entry.

Entries may be posted on www.veneertech.com and/or appear in print, and winners can receive valuable publicity in industry publications and websites.

Veneer Technologies Incorporated(“Veneer Tech”) and sponsors of the Craftsman’s Challenge reserve the right to use photography submitted with entries without compensation, for use in any lawful purpose including but not limited to publicity, illustration, advertising, and Web content, and shall not be responsible for any copyright or design infringement.

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY June 1, 2018, 11:59:59 P.M. EST TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR AWARDS.

Awards will be officially announced at IWF Atlanta, August 23, 2018.

All award winners will be notified in advance.

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How to enter

Here's how to enter the Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge™ competition:

1. Get an entry form from your veneer products distributor or distributor sales representative. Or click here and enter online.

2. No entry fee is required to submit projects for consideration. Costs for preparing and submitting the entry are the responsibility of the entrant.

3. Up to three (3) projects may be entered by one entrant. Each project entry requires a separate completed entry form.

4. Submit up to five photos of your project for each entry. Good quality digital shots are best. All images should be clearly identified by file name or on the back of the print. Digital shots should be approximately 5" x 7" at 300 PPI (Pixels Per Inch; 1500 x 2100 pixels) in JPEG format. (Using a digital camera, you will probably want to use the largest/highest setting and saving in JPEG (JPG) format.) For best results, photograph your projects at an angle using a plain or neutral background with plenty of adequate lighting. If emailing your entry photos, send lower resolution JPEG files or compress each JPEG file as necessary so not to exceed a total 5 megabytes limit per entry. (REPEAT: Only submit up to five (5) photos per entry, all of which together do not exceed 5 MB.) Digital shots being submitted other than by email must be submitted on flash drive or CD. 5" x 7" photo prints and hard copies of forms mailed in are acceptable. Materials submitted will not be returned.

5. Remember to state the goals of your project, include the dimensions and species used, and provide mention of how wood veneer product application helped you achieve those goals.

There are two pointers I would like to share with entrants. First, invest in the quality of the photographs you submit. Pay particular attention to what you want the judges to focus on during the review process. Not having the actual item to inspect, we rely heavily on the level of detail portrayed in the photographs. Show your ‘best side.’ Second, work on your listed goals and execution statements. The judges read each submittal and are definitely influenced by what is stated as the goals and how they were met. Enlist the help of a seasoned writer and remember the shorter, the better.

–Michael Bell, 2012 Craftsman’s Challenge judge - Allegheny Millwork - AWI board member

Click here to enter The Veneer Tech Craftsman's Challenge™ online
Mail your entries to: Veneer Technologies, Inc. Attn.: Craftsman's Challenge P. O. Box 1145 Newport, NC 28570		or ship to: Veneer Technologies, Inc. Attn.: Craftsman's Challenge 3337 W. Railroad Blvd. Newport, NC 28570
If you have any questions about competition entry please contact: Alan Hubbard    ahubbard@veneertech.com 800-593-5601 252-223-5600

Employees of Veneer Technologies, Veneer Technologies’ affiliated companies or of Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge competition co-sponsors are not eligible to enter the Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge. Entry materials become the property of Veneer Technologies and the entrant further verifies that entrant has the legal authority to grant permission for the entries to be used for publicity purposes. All entries are subject to the rules as stated in this Call For Entries. Decisions of the judges on all matters of qualifications, categories and awards are final.

Winners and their third parties may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility and publicity release within 10 days of attempted notification, and failure to provide this required documentation will result in cancellation of the entry and forfeiture of the prizes. An alternate winner would then be chosen.

Cash prizes are payable by check in U.S. Dollars. Any foreign currency transfer or conversion fees are the responsibility of the payee. Cash winners must complete and return a W-9 Taxpayer Identification Certification form prior to receiving proceeds.