THE CASE AWARDS GUIDELINES


GENERAL GUIDELINES
    • The CASE Awards competition is open to all retail members of Jewelers of America.
    • All entrants must complete an official entry form and meet all submission requirements and deadlines.
    • All entries must be designed, produced and completed no more than 12 months prior to the final submission date of the national competition, or no more than 12 months prior to winning a state or regional partner jewelry association design competition.
    • Pieces entered as a result of winning state or regional partner jewelry design competitions must be submitted to the national competition in exactly the same form as when they won the state or regional competition. Pieces altered in any way will not be accepted.
    • Entrants should fully describe all materials used in the final construction of the entry piece, including all metals, gem materials and/or alternative materials.
    • In support of Jewelers of America’s Code of Professional Practices, all entrants are strongly encouraged to follow all applicable laws, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Guidelines for quality and trademark stamping. Further, entrants must disclose on the entry form all applicable enhancement and treatment information for any gemstones used in their designs.

    COMPETITION CATEGORIES
      New! Palladium Jewelry
      • Where 95% palladium alloy is the principle precious metal design element and the most visual component
      New! Entry Platinum Jewelry
      • Bridal semi-mounts retailing for under $2,500 or any other type of platinum jewelry retailing under $3,500; where platinum is the principle design element and the most visual component
      Women’s Jewelry under $2,000 retail value
      • the total cost of materials, excluding labor, must be under $1,000
      Women’s Jewelry $2,000 to $5,000 retail value
      • the total cost of materials, excluding labor, must be between $1,000 and $3,000
      Women’s Jewelry over $5,000 retail value
      • the total cost of materials, excluding labor, must be over $3,000
      Men’s Jewelry
      • all price ranges
      Silver Jewelry
      • any type, style or retail price; where silver is the principle design element and the most visual component
      Alternative-Materials Jewelry
      • any type, style or retail price; where non-traditional and/or alternative materials are the principle design elements and the most visual components

        ELIGIBILITY
          • Individuals submitting pieces must be employed in a JA Retail Member store prior to the final submission deadline.
          • Only one entry per category per designer is permitted.
          • Pieces must be original designs created and crafted by the person (or persons) whose name appears in the “Designer Name(s)” section of the entry form.
          • Pieces created by more than one designer are allowed, as long as all persons contributing to the creation of the piece are listed on the entry form.
          • Pieces previously entered in other design competitions (excluding state or regional partner jewelry association competitions) may not be entered if the previous competition date was less than one year from the submission deadline date of The CASE Awards.
          • Should a piece previously entered into any other design competition (excluding state or regional partner jewelry association competitions) be submitted for entry into The CASE Awards, full details of all previous competition participation must be disclosed in the appropriate section on the entry form.
          • Coordinating sets displaying a unified design theme (i.e. necklace and earrings, matching wedding bands) are allowed as long as all pieces were designed and created as a set.
          • Jewelers of America reserves the right to re-assign an entrant’s selected design category if another category is deemed more appropriate based on the characteristics of the piece submitted.

          METHODS OF ENTRY
          State and Regional Partner Jewelry Association Winners’ Entry
          • Winners from state and regional jewelry associations, where the association has a current signed partnership agreement (Agreement of Mutual Commitment) with Jewelers of America, will receive automatic entry into final judging of The CASE Awards. The individual entrant must meet all eligibility and procedural requirements outlined in this document.
          • Jewelers of America will accept one first place winner from each of the six competition categories from eligible state or regional partner jewelry association competitions, for a total maximum of six entries per partner association.

          “At-Large” Entry
          • Members of Jewelers of America who do not participate in state and regional partner jewelry association design competitions,* may submit “at-large” entries.
          • At-large entrants must meet all eligibility and procedural requirements outlined in this document.
          • All at-large entries will go through a preliminary judging process approximately 10 days prior to the opening date of the JA New York Winter Show. A panel of experienced industry judges will conduct the preliminary judging.
          • Preliminary judging will reduce each pool of at-large entries to a minimum of two and a maximum of 10 finalists in each of the six competition categories. These finalists will go on to final judging at the JA New York Winter Show.
          *Members of Jewelers of America are strongly encouraged to support state and regional partner jewelry associations by participating in their design competitions. Participation in such competitions strengthens the value of state and regional events and further enhances the reputation and visibility of each participant.

          Competition Deadlines
            • Friday, January 13th, 2012: Complete and return the official entry form to JA.
            • Tuesday, January 17th to Thursday, January 19th, 2012: Jewelry must arrive at JA’s headquarters within these dates. No jewelry will be accepted before or after this time period.
            • The competition is held at the JA New York Winter Show, January 22-24, 2012

            ENTRY FEES
            Fees may be paid with check (payable to Jewelers of America) or credit card (MasterCard, Visa or American Express) and must be included with the submission of the official entry form.
            • State and regional jewelry association competition winner entry fee - $25.00
            • At-large entry fee - $45.00

            AWARDS & RECOGNITION
              • Jewelers of America will name first- and second-place CASE Award winners for each of the competition categories. A panel of experienced industry judges will determine winners.
              • The “Buyers’ Choice” CASE Award winner will be determined for each of the eight competition categories, based on voting open to all attendees of the JA New York Winter Show.
              • The “Buyers’ Choice – Best of Show” CASE Award winner will be awarded to the piece that receives the highest number of “Buyers’ Choice” votes from JA New York Winter Show attendees.

              Winners Will Receive:
                • A customized CASE Awards trophy or plaque from Jewelers of America
                • Professional, high-resolution images of the winning piece, for use in store marketing and promotion
                • Winners will be featured in major trade media via promotion by Jewelers of America, featuring photos and descriptions of winning pieces
                • Promotion at Jewelers of America’s website, www.jewelers.org
                • First-place winners and Best of Show will receive individual press releases for use with local media
                • Second-Place and Buyer’s Choice winners will receive a press release template for use in their promotion of the award.

                Publicity
                Competition winners are announced after to the close of the JA New York Winter Show. Winning pieces are photographed while in New York. Press releases announcing winners are sent to all major national and international trade media and to all Jewelers of America state and regional partner jewelry associations. Placement of releases is at the sole discretion of individual editors and media outlets. Jewelers of America cannot guarantee that press releases will be published.

                JUDGING CRITERIA
                All pieces will be evaluated on the basis of:
                1. Overall design
                2. Marketability
                3. Practicality/Wearability
                4. Quality of manufacture
                These criteria are given equal weight, and winning pieces will successfully balance these four elements.

                • A category must have a minimum of three entries to be featured in the competition; categories with five entries or less will only receive a first-place award.
                • Jewelers of America may withhold the judging of particular design categories, if the pieces submitted do not meet the high standards of criteria for the CASE Awards.

                Jewelers of America and competition judges reserve the right to disqualify any piece that does not meet the standards and criteria as described in the competition guidelines and on the official competition entry form.

                SHIPPING & SECURITY
                Individual entrants are responsible for insuring all pieces that are shipped to Jewelers of America and verifying that pieces arrive prior to the competition deadline. Jewelers of America will return all pieces within 10 business days of the close of the JA New York Winter Show, and will ship all pieces fully insured for the stated “cost of goods” dollar amount on the official competition entry form. No pieces can be returned directly to any individual during the JA New York Winter Show.

                Jewelers of America assumes all responsibility for the safety and security of each entry once it is received at our headquarters. Jewelers of America’s total financial responsibility is limited to the stated “cost of goods” dollar amount on the official entry form. Pieces will be secured in a vault while in the office, displayed in a secure showcase on the show floor, stored overnight in a guarded vault at the show site when appropriate and fully insured during transport between the show site and the Jewelers of America’s office.

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