Andreu World, a leading furniture design company based in Spain, is announcing its 9th Andreu World International Design Competition. The deadline for entries is September 14, 2009.

Andreu World has been actively promoting originality and innovation in furniture design for over 50 years. The competition started in 2001 and is now an international stage for discovering, promoting, and recognizing new trends for 21st century design.

The Andreu World competition is open to design students and professionals in the industry. There are no age restrictions for entrants; so younger designers will have a chance in displaying their designs along with the seasoned professionals. Entries are judged according to innovation, technology, quality, design, and manufacturing processes.

The first prize winner receives 4000 Euros ($5,345). Second place prize is 2000 Euros ($2,673) with up to three honorable mentions for runners-up. A panel of recognized design professionals decides rankings of submitted entries.

Contestants are required to send in a 1:5 scale model of their prototype along with the design plans, sketches, CD, or anything else that is relevant to their project. A Sworn Statement of Intellectual Property Conveyance is also required. For the rules of the contest, visit the official website.

In 2008, Andreu World was accepted into the Leading Brands of Spain Forum. The Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Spanish Institute of Foreign Trade, and the Patents and Brands Office of Spain formed the organization. The forum’s purpose is to promote and develop leading Spanish brands in order to compete in markets nationally and internationally.

Use the power of Rhinoceros to design a piece of furniture that addresses relaxation! RELAX furniture design contest is sponsored by Rhinoceros, and Participation is open to anyone. Download a trial version of the Rhinoceros software to begin your entry.

Only one entry per person is allowed, no teams, schools, or companies are permitted to enter. Winner receives a full retail copy of Rhinoceros 4.0 for Windows and a Hypershot HD if they render their design using Hypershot. This contest is no limited to Windows users, as Mac OS X 10.5 users can download the beta trial to enter.

All submissions must be received by 30 March 2009. Visit the site to learn more.

Good news! The I.D. 2009 Annual Design Review has extended its deadline to 31 December. College your best consumer products, graphics, furniture, environments and more and you could see them featured in I.D.’s best-selling Annual Design Review issue!

New this year: A Student Work category for all student design work, undergraduate or graduate, in interactive, industrial and graphic design, fashion, architecture and interiors. One lucky student winner will receive $1,000 and a subscription to I.D. Visit the site to learn more.

ID is calling for entries for their 2009 Annual Design Review. Consumer products, equipment, and furniture must have been released to the market during the 2008 calendar year. Graphic, interactive, and packaging designs must have been published or distributed within this period. Environmental submissions must have been realized during this period. Concepts must have been completed during this period. Student work must be the result of a classroom/academic assignment and must have been completed during the 2007-2008 academic year. Students must include a photocopy of an official student I.D. from that year. Any submission that does not meet these criteria will be disqualified.

Entry fee is $100 for each submission, except in the Student Work category. For the Student Work category, the fee is $25 for each submission. Late entries (postmarked after December 1, 2008) must include a $25 late fee ($15 late fee for student entries). Entries postmarked after December 15, 2008, will be accepted only on a case-by-case basis. There is a $10 fee for all returned checks or declined credit cards. Visit the site to learn more.

In this conceptual design competition, The Design Institution welcome all designers around the world to create products that reflect new ideas for the beach, sea, terrace or swimming pool spaces, involving aspects such as comfort, pleasure, recreation, cleaning, environment protection, etc. The focus is on furniture, accessory or any other item to be used within a beach, sea, swimming pool or terrace spaces.

The competition participant may create a generic design, that is, applicable almost to every context, or, if desired, consider a more specific context, such as: type of beach (sand, stones, among others), whether (warm, hot, rainy, snowy, among others), type of sea (with or without waves, transparent water, cold or hot water, among others), location of pool or terrace (natural environment, indoors or outdoors, etc.) type of pool (indoors or outdoors, covered/heated swimming pool, etc.).

This competition is for design students and for professionals from all design branches, and the contest can be entered as an individual or as a group. First prize is $3,000 USD. Deadline is 2 March 2009. Visit the site to register and to learn more.

The Going with the Grain Challenge is to design an original and compelling object that can be made from a single sheet of FSC-certified plywood measuring 4-feet x 8-feet x 1-inch. Entries should be functional designs that reveal the beauty of the wood.

Eligible entries are limited to one sheet of plywood. All are welcome to enter, including furniture designers and manufacturers, architects and industrial designers. But, you must be a member of Design 21: Social Design Network to enter this contest. This Challenge is co-hosted by The Nature Conservancy and FSC-US who are working together to increase consumer awareness of and demand for FSC products.

Application for this competition closes 26 January 2009. Learn more about free membership at Design 21 and other guidelines at Design Green Now.