Call For Entries: 2018 Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition | by Kristin Coleman

Confindustria Ceramica (the Italian Association of Ceramics) and the Italian Trade Agency are pleased to announce the official call for entries for the 2018 Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition. Celebrating its 25th year, the annual awards program recognizes the work of top North American architects and designers who create imaginative spaces that take advantage of the excellent technical and aesthetic qualities of Italian ceramic and porcelain tile. Each year, an international jury of design experts selects three winning projects, as well as honorable  mentions, in the residential, institutional, and commercial sectors. Projects displaying the highest level of functionality, creativity, sustainability and aesthetic appeal will be rewarded with an amazing prize package including a cash prize and trips to the world’s premier tile exhibitions in Atlanta and Italy. In addition to built projects, for the first time Ceramics of Italy is looking for imaginative concepts from students utilizing Italian tile.

To qualify for entry, built projects in the residential, institutional and commercial categories must be designed by North America-based architects and designers, built or renovated between January 2013 and January 2017, and feature a significant amount of Italian ceramic/porcelain tile.

Both international and domestic projects of all scales and styles will be equally considered. To be eligible to submit to the student category, entrants must be enrolled at an accredited university in North America. Individual or group submissions are accepted through renderings, floor plans and sketches. For all categories, the competition welcomes any type of project within the residential, institutional and commercial realm – from multi-family housing to hospitality projects to outdoor spaces and façades. The jury’s official criteria includes: overall design of the project; aesthetic and technical quality of tile installation; degree to which the tile enhances the setting; and the project’s sustainable attributes.

Last year’s winners included: Bromley Caldari Architects for their modern and versatile Fire Island guesthouse; a leading marketing company’s New York City world headquarters designed by Jennifer Carpenter Architect; and Renzo Piano Building Workshop’s neuroscience institute at Columbia University.

Winners will be notified in March and officially announced at the Ceramics of Italy International Press Conference at Coverings, North America’s premier tile and stone tradeshow, taking place in Atlanta, GA from May 8-11, 2018. The prize package for winners of the built project categories includes $3,000, accommodations and travel to Coverings to present the project, a dedicated advertisement in a leading design publication, plus a 5-day CEU-accredited trip to Bologna, Italy to attend Cersaie, the world’s largest exhibition of ceramic tile and bathroom furnishings, with a delegation of top architects, designers and journalists from North America. In addition to special appointments on the show floor, the delegation will also enjoy the world-renowned cuisine of Bologna (a culinary hub of Italy), cultural tours in the region, and a chance to see tile production firsthand. An additional $1,000 will be awarded to the contractor/distributor team involved in each winning project. The winning student entry will receive a trip to Atlanta to present the project at Coverings in front of a large audience of journalists, manufacturers and tile industry professionals.

The competition guidelines, online application and an archive of beautiful winning projects from past years can be found on the Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition website, www.tilecompetition.com. There is no fee to enter and multiple submissions are accepted. Deadline for entries: February 15, 2018.