You know you're a bead star-now it's time to let the world know! How? Enter Interweave's sixth annual Bead Star jewelry competition.

NEW THIS YEAR:

• Beadweaving projects will now be accepted (and are encouraged)!
• The Bead Star contest will now be conducted by judges selected by the staff of Beadwork and Jewelry Stringing magazines.
• We will now charge an entry fee to cover the expenses of administering this competition

PRIZES

One grand-prize winner will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Bead Fest Philadelphia, our most popular Bead Fest event, which will be held August 23 to 25, 2013.

More than $4,000 in Cash Prizes!
5 First Place Awards: $500 each
5 Second Place Awards: $250 each
5 Third Place Awards: 1 one-year subscription to Beadwork or Jewelry Stringing magazine

Plus, the Emerging Artists Category (Open only to entrants who have never had their jewelry published in a magazine or book, including online magazines and books. Entries submitted in this category can be made with any material or technique.)

First Place Award: $150 each
Second Place Award: $75 each
Third Place Award: 1 one-year subscription to Beadwork or Jewelry Stringing magazine

All winners will be published in Beadwork AND Jewelry Stringing magazines. They will also receive recognition at Bead Fest Philadelphia.

CATEGORIES

The Bead Star contest consists of the following 6 categories. Entrants may submit as many designs as they wish in each category; however, the same design cannot be submitted in more than one category. All designs must be the original work of the entrant and must be handmade jewelry (bracelets, necklaces, or earrings) that meets the criteria for each category (see below). Remember, you may now use seed beads and beadweaving techniques to create your entries for any category!

Crystals: Designs created using predominantly* crystals 

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

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

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

Gemstones: Designs created using predominantly* stones of any type. We will consider coral a stone.

Emerging Artists: Open only to entrants who have never had their jewelry published in a magazine or book, including online magazines and books. Entries submitted in this category can be made with any material or technique.

*By predominantly, we mean that when you look at the project, it should be obvious that the category material plays a starring role in the design. Beadwork and Jewelry Stringing editors reserve the right to reclassify or disqualify projects not meeting these guidelines.

ELIGIBILITY

All designs must be new, original, and not available for sale and must not have won any previous contests. Entrants 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. We accept entries from outside of the U.S. as long as fees are paid in U.S. Dollars. Employees, vendors, agents of Publisher, and Bead Star sponsors and related companies and their immediate families are not eligible. Competition open to both US and INTERNATIONAL residents .

PREPARING YOUR ENTRY

You may enter work in any and all categories; there is no limit to the number of entries you may submit. However, the same design cannot be submitted in more than one category. All entries must be submitted online. The digital images must be saved as a JPEG in RGB color mode (not CMYK).

FEES AND PAYMENT

All early bird entries (submitted on or before March 28, 2013) are $15 for the first entry and $5 for each additional entry. All regular entries (submitted after March 28, 2013, but on or before May 24, 2013) are $20 for the first entry and $5 for each additional entry. The entry fee must be paid by credit card or check .

MATERIALS

We will not be responsible for the loss, damage or return of any entries submitted to the competition.

DEADLINE
Early bird entries must be submitted online by 11:59 pm EST on March 28, 2013. Entries for the regular deadline must be submitted online by May 24, 2013.

JUDGING
Winners will be chosen for their originality, creativity, and quality by judges selected by the editorial staff of Beadwork and Jewelry Stringing magazines. All decisions of the judges shall be made in their sole and absolute discretion and will be final.All properly prepared entries will be viewed and judged. The jurors reserve the right to recategorize entries.

NOTIFICATION
All entrants will be notified of their status via the email address provided by the entrant by June 7, 2013. First-, second-, and third-place prizes will be awarded to eligible winners as described in these contest rules by July 31, 2013. Winners must send their winning pieces to arrive at the Interweave office no later than June 26, 2013. The contest winners will be published in the October/November 2013 issue of Beadwork magazine, and select winners will be published in the Winter 2014 issue of Jewelry Stringing magazine. Winners will also be publically announced and displayed at Bead Fest Philadelphia, August 23 to 25, 2013. All entries will be returned by September 16, 2013.

PRIVACY PROMISE
Occasionally we make portions of our customer list available to other companies so they may contact you about products and services that may interest you. If you prefer we withhold your name, send a note with your name, address and the competition name to: List Manager, F+W Media, Inc., 10151 Carver Road, Suite 200, Blue Ash, Ohio 45242

Questions??
Contact us BeadStarCompetition@fwmedia.com

Click here to view the Official Rules