Deadline for IJL Editor’s Choice exhibitor competition is May 9
LONDON, April 2016 – This year the IJL Editor’s Choice competition includes two new categories – one for watches – ‘A Moment in Time’ for contemporary watch exhibitors, and the other – ‘German Style’ – in recognition of the quality and creativity of German craftsmanship, as part of the Market Focus for 2016.
All IJL exhibitors can enter now on the IJL website at www.jewellerylondon.com/editorschoice.
Highly competitive, Editor’s Choice recognises some of the most innovative and commercial jewellery and watch collections on show at IJL.
Exhibitors can nominate their collections for any of the seven categories, with judging taking place in May by Claire Adler, the high profile, luxury communications consultant and Financial Times contributor, and Event Director, Sam Willoughby.
Sam Willoughby explains the popularity and success of these awards: “The Editor’s Choice Awards are hotly contested and viewed as a valuable accolade by the industry. The categories encompass every sector of the show and the benefits of winning are really significant – prominent show exposure, great PR coverage both before and at IJL, and a prestigious award on the winners’ stands.”
Claire Adler added: “Judging the IJL Editor’s Choice annual jewellery design competition is a privilege. Many of the winners have gone on to scoop further industry recognition, something we are very proud of at IJL. At a challenging time for the jewellery industry, winning a competition is a great bonus for companies, helping them to capture the attention of both press and consumers. The entrants all live up to IJL’s name and are pretty international – we’ve had entrants from Oman, Ireland, Italy, France, Poland, Germany, Denmark, the US and Turkey. I hope we see even more entries in 2016!”
The seven categories are:
• German Style – NEW – A jewellery piece from a German exhibitor at IJL evoking impeccable German craftsmanship and design
• Watches – NEW – A Moment in Time – A contemporary watch likely to make an enduring mark on the UK’s expanding watch sector
• Most Innovative New Collection – Applicants are invited to submit 5 to 6 pieces from the same collection for consideration for this special award. The winning collection will be featured on the IJL Catwalk
• Commercial Vision – A piece or collection produced in volume that demonstrates thorough research of the target market and current trends -destined to become a best seller
• Visual Impact – A show stopping piece or collection that photographs well and will look good on the page
• Overall Originality – A truly unique piece or a collection which highlights the talents of the designer
• Technical Excellence – A piece or collection that is worked with technical innovation or a rarely used technique, resulting in a thought provoking piece
The 2015 winners all enjoyed the varied benefits of winning.
Dan Dower and Diane Hall of Dower & Hall, who won the IJL 2015 Editor’s Choice Commercial Vision award, commented: “We were thrilled to win this award, especially as we were also celebrating our 25th anniversary. It was a fantastic boost to our Cherish What’s Inside range, strengthening our tailorable jewellery offer and giving this collection valuable recognition and exposure. The sales team were delighted and found the awards prestige highly motivational.”
Fei Liu, who won the Editor’s Choice Visual Impact, agrees: “Winning Editor’s Choice is a huge honour and has motivated me to be even more innovative with my signature designs and produce contemporary designer jewellery that challenges the consumer to daring new heights of style. This win was also exhilarating for the team as it validated all our individual hard work and reinforced our strengths for the future.”
Winner Mirka Janeckova added: “Winning Editor’s Choice for the Most Innovative New Collection was my greatest achievement last year. I was already very happy to be selected as one of the KickStarters so this award made my first appearance at IJL extremely successful. I secured seven new stockists as well as a lot of press interest in my porcelain jewellery.”
The competition closes on Monday 9th May 2016. The winning pieces will be unveiled before the show and will also be recognised with a special awards presentation on the first day of the show on each winner’s stand.
IJL 2016 will run from 4 to 6 September 2016 at Olympia GRAND, London.
