After 28 years of honoring North American architects & designers for their creative use of Italian tile, the Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition is accepting submissions for its 2021 edition and has extended the deadline to April 1 at 11:59pm EST.
With past winners like Perkins & Will, Renzo Piano Building Workshop and Gensler – Confindustria Ceramica & the Italian Trade Agency are excited to launch this year’s edition and introduce two new categories for single- and multi-family residential spaces.
Projects in the four built categories – Residential (Single-Family), Residential (Multi-Family), Commercial and Institutional – must be designed by architects and designers based in North America and completed between January 2016 and March 2021. Projects may be domestic or international, and must feature a significant amount of Italian ceramic or porcelain tile produced by Ceramics of Italy member companies.
All styles and scales of projects will be considered, from office buildings and spas to kitchen renovations and residential developments. The jury’s official criteria includes: the overall design of the project; the aesthetic and technical quality of the tile installation; the degree to which tile enhances the setting; and the project’s sustainable attributes.
The jury will once again review submissions from North American design and architecture students who create imaginative spaces using Italian tile. Individuals or groups of students are invited to submit their projects in the form of renderings, floor plans and sketches. Students must be enrolled in an accredited North American university to be eligible.
This year, the competition will also uphold its public voting component, which will help determine the second annual People’s Choice Award. Using Submittable, Ceramics of Italy will invite the public to vote on their favourite project submissions. The project that receives the most votes will be recognized as the winner of the People’s Choice Award.
Winners will be notified in April and officially announced during Coverings taking place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida from July 7-9, 2021. All of the winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the show to present their projects in front of a large audience of media, manufacturers, and tile industry professionals during the Ceramics of Italy Press Conference. Built project winners will also receive 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 design media.
The deadline to enter is April 1 at 11:59pm EST . More information on prizes & eligibility can be at tilecompetition.com.
