Entries are now being accepted for the 2008 NAHB National Green Building Awards. Each year, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) recognizes individuals, companies and organizations for excellence in residential green design and construction practices and for green building program and advocacy efforts.

The prestigious awards will be presented at a gala dinner as part of the 10th anniversary of the NAHB National Green Building Conference in New Orleans, 11-13 May 2008.

Building entries can be scored to the green home certification system of the applicant’s choice. Applications are due 30 January 2008, and all entrants must be NAHB members. Visit the site to learn more.

The Idea: Everyday we meet people, talk to people on the web, watch beautiful faces on ads and tv. At the end of the day we often resume that there was lots of communication but we don’t know anything about each other.

Toca Me wants you to allow them a view behind your nice face. Show them your thoughts and feelings, your fears or pleasures, what you are occupied with in your daily life from sadness to happiness, from global issues to personal thoughts.

The technique could range from photography to graphic design, from illustration to typography. You are all free - just use your preferred style for your interpretation of the topic. Deadline is 1st December 2007. Visit the site to learn more.

Don’t miss the 18 January 2008 entry deadline for Professionals and the 31 January 2008 deadline for Students. It’s your chance to win a Gold Cube in the 87th Annual Awards. Enter your Advertising, Design, Interactive, Photography and Illustration, even unpublished work in “Playground.” There are also breakout categories, ADC Hybrid and ADC Design Sphere and sponsored awards from Corbis and Yahoo!

Look for two new awards - the ADC Hybrid Award for innovative advertising communications and the ADC Design Sphere Award for a sustained design program for a single client. Visit the site to learn more.

Via: Dexigner

The 2007/2008 Leading Edge Student Design Competition will focus on the coastal environment of beautiful Santa Barbara. Students entering Challenge 1 will design an Environmental and History Center with display space in an historic barn and students entering Challenge 2 will design a 3- unit townhouse-style student residence. Both projects will be located in the West Campus area of the University of California at Santa Barbara.

The Competition is open to all undergraduate and graduate students of architecture, engineering, drafting, and environmental design at two-year colleges, technical schools, four- and five-year colleges and universities. Students may enter as individuals or teams. The competition may be treated as a class project or a separate independent study. A faculty member must supervise all participants.

Final registration date is 28 March 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

The Bolia Design Awards is open for any corporate or private designer, who has a passion for furniture and a desire to be a part of the development of New Scandinavian Design. The objective is to design a piece of furniture for living-, dining or bedroom. It must be a single product, i.e. a sofa, a swivel chair, a dining- or coffee table, a dining chair or a bed. Bolia will award the 2 best designs, as well as give the possibility for the designers to join the Bolia Design Team, on a free lance basis.

Bolia also give the opportunity for the awarded designs to be produced and sold in all Bolia.com stores, and internationally promoted through Bolia the catalogue, web site and PR measures. To participate please submit your design by 13 December 2007 (this is a mail-in contest, so be sure to enter early enough for your entry to reach Denmark by the 13th). Visit the site to learn more.

The Acrobat User Community is hosting on-going PDF contests to help expose what users are doing with Acrobat products. Contest winners will receive some valuable prizes and recognition. Anyone who enters could have their work featured in our online gallery. Enter now and you could win a Dell Precision M4300 laptop, Apple iPhone, 3Dconnexion navigators, Adobe software and more.

Just share your existing 3D PDF files or use the free trial version of Acrobat 3D to convert your existing 3D models into a 3D PDF. Or embed a CAD model into a PDF as part of a technical publication. Submit your file using Adobe’s entry form. Their judges will review the 3D PDF submissions and select winners.

Deadline is 31 January 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

The European Design Awards is the comprehensive annual awards organization acknowledging the best of graphic design, illustration and multimedia design in Europe.

The jury is composed of representatives from eleven prestigious communication design magazines from across Europe. These are: 2+3D, CAP & Design, +design, ©tapes, Eye, IDPURE, Items, KAK, novum, TYPO and Visual. (Lineagrafica is also a media partner).

The competition is open to European designers, and the 2008 submission period begins on 1 December 2007 and ends on 15 February 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

At Left: Photo by Natalie Raharilaza.

Amateur and professional photographers alike have a unique opportunity in the field to capture the realities of urban and rural life in developing countries, as well as global efforts to improve health and save lives. Through your eyes, others can see programs in action and the people they serve - youth, women, men, families, and communities.

Enter those photos today in Photoshare’s 5th annual photo contest. Entries are due 16 November. Visit the site to learn more about this organization, prizes, and how to enter.

Custom home builders, remodeling contractors, architects, developers, planners, kitchen and bath specialists, and other industry professionals are invited to enter custom homes completed after 1 January 2003. Only true custom homes, that is, homes designed and built for a specific client and a specific site, are eligible. Spec houses, luxury production houses, show homes, and houses built from stock or semi-custom plans are not eligible. Also, houses that have previously won a CUSTOM HOME Design Award are not eligible.

Entry form and fee deadline is 12 November 2007. Visit the site to learn more about categories and entry information.

The American Jewelry Design Council is accepting applications for its annual New Talent Contest. The winner is awarded a booth in the prestigious New Designer Gallery at the July Jewelers of America Show in New York City. The winner receives professional support from members of the AJDC on making the step to larger markets. The entire jewelry industry eagerly awaits the New York debut of the AJDC’s pick. The winner is the focus of extensive media attention. This high-profile exposure has helped propel the careers of past winners.

Applicants must be a designer/owner of a jewelry manufacturing business, produce in the United States and have never exhibited at a JA Show. Selection is based on originality, craftsmanship, innovation, marketability and cohesiveness. The names of all finalists are submitted to the JA selection committee for consideration as a candidate for the New Designer Gallery. Winner and finalists are honored at an awards ceremony during the show.

Deadline for submission is 15 January 2008. For more information and/or to download an application, visit ajdc.org.