Bead Star
Being a winner makes you a STAR!

Official contest rules

You know you're a bead star—now it's time to let the world know! How? Enter Interweave's annual Bead Star competition. Winning entries will be published in Bead Star magazine, the first-ever beading publication comprised entirely of prize-winning designs selected by beaders worldwide! Besides fame, winners will also receive exciting prizes donated by our generous sponsors, including an all-expenses paid trip for two to Bead Fest in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in March 2011. What are you waiting for—let your inner bead star shine!

SUMMARY
Entrants are asked to submit a photograph of their design by midnight EST on April 30, 2010. All designs must be original and must be jewelry (bracelets, necklaces, or earrings) created using basic techniques, such as simple stringing, crimping, basic knotting (not macramé), and wireworking (simple loops, wrapped loops, wrapped-loop bails, jump rings) techniques, not beadweaving techniques (netting, peyote, brick, and square stitches, for example). The editors of Bead Star, Beadwork, Stringing, and Step by Step Wire Jewelrymagazines will select the top 20 finalists in each of 9 categories (listed below). The entries submitted by the top 20 finalists in each of 9 categories will be posted on the Bead Star website (www.beadstar.com) and at Beading Daily, beadingdaily.com, Interweave's free community for bead lovers (200,000 members strong and growing!). From May 19–June 9, 2010, beaders will be given an opportunity to vote for their favorites, and the 5 entries in each category that receive the most votes will be named as first place, second place, third place, and two honorable-mention winners. The grand-prize sponsor will choose one of the 9 first-place winners as the grand-prize winner. All entrants will be notified of their status via e-mail by June 18, 2010. All winners are required to submit their actual project with step-by-step instructions and complete materials, tools, and resources lists to Bead Star magazine by July 2, 2010. Winning designs will be published in Bead Star magazine, a special issue that will be available on newsstands worldwide at the end of December 2010. And, with the permission of winning entrants, all winning designs will be auctioned, with proceeds benefiting the American Heart Association's women's heart health initiatives.

See below for additional contest rules.

ELIGIBILITY
All designs must be new, original, and not available for sale and must not have won any previous contests. Participants must create and complete the finished design on their own, without outside assistance. The Bead Star competition is open to adults over the age of 18 on the day they submit their entry who reside in the 50 United States or Canada. Employees, vendors, agents of Interweave Press, and Bead Star sponsors and related companies and their immediate families are not eligible.

CATEGORIES
The Bead Star contest consists of 9 categories; however, Interweave Press reserves the right to add a category or categories if sponsors become available. Participants may submit 1 design per category. Categories include:

CRYSTALS: Designs created using predominantly* crystal beads.

SEED BEADS: Designs created using predominantly* seed beads. Keep in mind the seed beads must be strung or wired—beadwoven projects will not be accepted.

GLASS: Designs created using predominantly* pressed-glass, fire-polished glass, sea glass, lampworked glass, and/or any other type of glass bead.

PEARLS: Designs created using predominantly* pearls of any shape, color, type, etc. Faux pearls (including Swarovski pearls) and mother-of-pearl can be used in your entry.

STONES: Designs created using predominantly* stones of any type.

METALS: Designs created using predominantly* metal beads, components, and/or wire. Metal can be of any type or mixed.

PLASTICS: Designs created using predominantly* plastics. We will consider polymer clay a plastic, however your design instructions should not include how to make the polymer clay components.

UNDER $25: Designs created at a total cost of $25 or less. Copies of receipts must be provided with your entry. Total cost should be calculated as the sum of the cost of each material used, not including the cost of the beading wire, or thread, or cord, etc. For example, if you use one clasp from a $5 package of 5 clasps, your cost for the clasp is $1.

DESIGNS WITH HEART: Designs created with a heart bead, heart beads, or beads made into a heart motif. The heart(s) must be the focal element(s) of the design.

*By predominantly, we mean that when you look at the project, it should be obvious that it is made mostly with the category material.

HOW TO SUBMIT
Designs must be e-mailed to beadstar@interweave.com and received by midnight EST on April 30, 2010. PLEASE SEND ONE (1) E-MAIL PER ENTRY. (If you are submitting five designs, send five e-mails, one for each design.) E-mails must include:
1.) Your full name and contact information, including street address, phone number, and e-mail address.
2.) The title of your entry.
3.) The name of the category into which you are entering your design.
4.) One (1) good photograph per entry. It is critical that your photograph be the best quality possible, don't skimp here. You are judged solely upon your photograph. Make sure the entire project is clearly visible. The photograph file must be named the same as the entry's title. The photograph must be a JPEG file sized at 640x480 at 72 dpi, and the file size must not be more than 500KB each. For best results, photograph your piece(s) against a white/light background without props. Remember, finalists will be selected and winners will be chosen based on these photographs—it is to your advantage to submit the best possible images of your submission(s).

5.) The name of the local bead shop you frequent most, if applicable.

PHOTOGRAPHY RIGHTS
By submitting the photograph(s) to Interweave Press, you are giving your assurance that the  photograph(s) are available for use by Interweave Press for all of the purposes described in these contest rules. If someone other than you has taken the photograph(s) or controls the rights to the photograph(s), you are responsible for clearing these rights before submitting the photograph(s) to Interweave Press.

WINNERS
A first-place, second-place, and third-place winner and two honorable mentions will be selected in each category. One grand-prize winner will be selected by the grand-prize sponsor from the first-place category winners.

Prizes will also be awarded to the first-place, second-place, and third-place winners and two honorable mentions in each category.  Prize descriptions will be posted at www.beadstar.com and beadingdaily.com/beadstar as they become available.

The grand prize consists of an all-expense paid trip to Bead Fest in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in March 2011, for the grand-prize winner and one companion, including airfare within the continental United States, hotel accommodations, ground transportation, and meal allowance. The grand-prize winner will also receive a $1,500 gift certificate, to be awarded at Bead Fest. Only one grand prize is awarded.

All prizes, except the grand prize, will be awarded to eligible winners as described in these contest rules by December 15, 2010. The grand-prize trip to Bead Fest in Santa Fe, New Mexico, will take place in March 2011, and at this show the $1,500 grand-prize gift certificate will be awarded.

All entrants will be notified of their status via e-mail by June 18, 2010. Winners will have until 5:00 p.m. EST on July 2, 2010, to submit their actual project, plus a detailed materials list, tools list, instructions, and resources list, written to the guidelines available at beadingdaily.com/beadstar.

The first-place, second-place, and third-place winners and two honorable mentions in each category and the grand-prize winning entry will be publically announced in Bead Star magazine, available on newsstands around December 28, 2010. Winners will be given the opportunity to donate their projects to an auction benefitting the American Heart Association's women's heart health initiatives. If winners do elect to participate in the auction, their project will be designated as an auction item in Bead Star magazine.

GENERAL RULES
Entrants reserve the copyright in all entry materials subject to the rights granted to Interweave Press under these contest rules. Entry materials will be returned to entrants, except those donated for auction, and Interweave Press shall have no responsibility or liability for loss or damage to entry materials.

Interweave Press disclaims any responsibility or liability due to the nonreceipt of entries owing to circumstances beyond its control, including but not limited to late delivery or nondelivery due to defects in the operation of the Internet and/or the hardware and software used by the entrant or by Interweave Press.

Finalists will be chosen for their originality, creativity, and quality by judges selected by Interweave Press from the editorial staff of Bead Star, Beadwork, Stringing, and Step by Step Wire Jewelry magazines. The grand-prize winner will be chosen for its originality, creativity, and quality by judges selected by the grand-prize sponsor. All decisions of the judges shall be made in their sole and absolute discretion and will be final.

Winners in each category will be chosen on the basis of votes for each entry as received at the Bead Star website, to which beadingdaily.com will feature a link, during the voting period. Interweave Press cannot control, and disclaims any responsibility or liability, for online voting and is responsible only for using its best efforts to collect and count the votes actually received.

Entrants must satisfy all eligibility requirements before finalists and winners are selected, winning entries are published, and/or the grand prize is awarded. If an entry is selected as a finalist or as a winner by the voting conducted at the Bead Starwebsite, or if an entry is selected as the grand-prize winner by the grand-prize sponsor, but the entrant is not eligible, and/or if the entry does not conform to the contest rules, then the entrant and the entry will be disqualified and the next-ranked entrant will be selected.

A winner will be announced in each category as first place, second place, third place, or two honorable mentions. Winners will be notified by e-mail at the address(es) provided by the entrant. The winning entrants will be announced by name and place of residence in Bead Star magazine and may be featured on the sponsors' online photo galleries.

All personal information collected by Interweave Press from entrants will be kept in confidence and used for purposes of judging only except that the name, likeness, and city of residence of finalists and winners may be announced, advertised, promoted, and publicized by Interweave Press and the contest sponsors.

By entering the Bead Star competition, each entrant is granting to Interweave Press the perpetual, exclusive, and royalty-free right to (a) use the photographs and other entry materials submitted by the entrant without photo credit(s) for the photographer(s) who took the photographs, (b) photograph and reproduce the entry in the various print and electronic publications of Interweave Press and the advertising, publicity, promotional and marketing materials of Interweave Press in any and all media, and (c) use the name, image, likeness, and biographical data of the finalists and winners in connection with all of the foregoing uses. Each entrant is also granting to the contest sponsors the right to use his or her name, image, and likeness along with the project photographs and other entry materials submitted by the entrant for a limited time to be determined by Interweave Press and the contest sponsors.

By entering the Bead Star competition, the entrant is assuring Interweave Press that he or she  possesses the right to submit all entry materials for use by Interweave Press as described in these contest rules without the consent or approval of any third party, and Interweave Press is entitled to rely on the entrant's right to do so.

As a condition of eligibility, the winning entrants may be required to sign and return an agreement in a form satisfactory to Interweave Press by which each entrant formally consents to the use of his or her entry materials including photographs, name, image, likeness, and biographical data as described above. If requested to do so, the failure to sign and return the form will disqualify the entrant.

Entrants are solely responsible for payment of taxes that may be imposed by reason of the prizes awarded to them.

The contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law.