Join the hottest furniture designers around when you enter the HotSeat 3 chair design competition, presented by OFS and Metropolis. Finalists will be awarded a trip to Santa Monica to present their designs at the OFS Santa Monica Showroom opening on 5 February 2009.

Design criteria? Incorporate wood in materials usage, environmentally conscious, technilogically relevant, sustainable, progressive, accessible and aesthetically pleasing. Deadinle is 26 December 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

I.D. is now accepting entries into the 2009 Annual Design Review. Winners will appear in the July/August 2009 issue of I.D. Beginning this year, the Annual Design Review will also feature a new category for Student Work, replacing the Student Design Review. Students should now enter the competition using the standard Annual Design Review entry form.

Since 1954, the Annual Design Review has recognized the best in product, furniture, graphic, and environment design, from the iconic to the obscure. Throughout the years, this annual showcase has chronicled the evolution of design, and highlighted its impact on our material and visual culture. Each year, the featured work is chosen by a jury of leading practitioners, who, along with I.D.’s editorial team, focus the abundance of submissions into a clear survey of the state of design. The resulting overview is published in the July/August issue of I.D. magazine - the Annual Design Review issue.

Deadline is 1 December 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

Photo: Belkin Cable Dome, Kenneth Mori, principal designer; Dale Honda, senior mechanical engineer, 2008 Design Distinction Award.

Turning the spotlight on environmentally responsible forestry, DESIGN 21: Social Design Network, an online platform founded by Felissimo and UNESCO to inspire and promote design for the greater good, is proud to announce a new set of environmentally conscious initiatives in the form of a competition and a challenge. Developed by DESIGN 21 to benefit The Nature Conversancy and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Wood, Paper, Checkmark is a competition for its international base of 13,000 members to formulate an awareness campaign for sustainable forestry. As a companion initiative, DESIGN 21 members FSC-US and The Nature Conservancy, are hosting Going with the Grain–a challenge to conceptualize an object using only one sheet of sustainable wood.

By running these two initiatives simultaneously, DESIGN 21 is hoping to utilize the creativity of both established and emerging designers to combat the large-scale eco-challenges of illegal logging and deforestation. As director of DESIGN 21, Haruko Smith, states, “DESIGN 21 is pleased to be able to offer this complementary package of a visual communications design and product design that will promote the use of sustainable wood, especially because the process itself will help to educate many people about the need to protect our valuable natural resources.”

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This design competition is open to full-time students in an accredited high school or post secondary woodworking or related program and part-time students in an accredited post secondary woodworking or related program that are transitioning into a career in woodworking or design. Categories include case goods, chairs, class project, open, production, reproduction and tables. Projects entered in the competition must be completed at the time of entry with the exception of the finish coating. Finalist designs will be on display at the AWFS (Association of Woodworking and Furnishings Suppliers) Fair.

Deadline is 1 May 2009. Also, AFWG is looking for interns for 2009 if you’re interested!

Both students and professionals in the field of design may enter for this competition, with no age limit. The challenge is to design a seat or a table in which innovative design/styling contributions are made, bearing in mind the technical specifications in the briefing you can download from the Web site. There are two prizes - one with a cash purse of 4,000 Euro and another with 2,000 Euro.

Deadline is 15 September 2008. Visit the site to learn more.

Sponsored by NICHE magazine, the annual NICHE Awards competition celebrates excellence and innovation in American and Canadian craft. Categories include Ceramics, Fiber, Glass, Metal, Wood, Jewelry, Home Furnishings, Judaica, Recycled, Teapots and many more. Two new categories have been added to the professional division for 2009: Art Quilts and Fashion Accessories.

Entries are now being accepted. Entry forms, program guidelines and other information on the NICHE Awards can be found by clicking on the links to the left. Entry deadline for professionals is August 30, 2008. Deadline for student entries is September 30, 2008. Visit the site to learn more.