Launch Pad™ is an extensive Australian events program that aims to directly develop the careers of Australian designers by exhibiting and promoting the Top 20 Launch Pad finalists’ prototype products, both nationally and internationally.
Products submitted must target the following categories: furniture, lighting and accessories. Entries close 3 May 2010 and all online entry forms and supporting material (including required disc of images) must be received no later than 5pm, Monday 3 May 2010 at the Indesign Group Sydney office.
Eligibility criteria
Launch Pad is a competition and mentoring program aimed at emerging professional designers.
To be eligible, the professional designer will have some of the following characteristics:
Judging
Applicants must demonstrate their submission is commercially viable and has potential longevity in the commercial marketplace.
Judges will consider whether the product is suitable for production (other than self production) and determine if there is sufficient market demand for the submitted prototype to warrant additional mentoring to further the product development.
The Judges will consider each submission on the following criteria:
Authenticity / Originality of design
Performance and user-friendliness
Ecological and economic impact
Innovation
Quality of prototype
Future potential
The organisers engage the Judges and the organisers reserve the right to support the Judges’ decisions as final. No communication will be accepted once the Judges' response has been made.
Any feedback given in the judging process may be used by the organisers and may be provided to the relevant entrant.
Judging is conducted anonymously, in two phases:
1. Shortlist — Approximately 50 prototypes are selected from hard copy/online entries.
2. Final live judging — Approximately 20 products from the shortlisted entries will be selected as finalists at a live judging event in Melbourne, June 2010.
All finalists are eligible to participate in the Launch Pad 2010 events program.
Launch Pad 2010 finalist exhibition in Melbourne
This is a structured mentoring event, where finalists pitch their prototype design to a group of industry experts for qualified feedback, suggestions and review. At this industry networking event, prizes and awards are also given out.
Conditions for application
Applicants may submit up to 2 entries for judging consideration, with the potential that both can be selected for the final exhibition.
Applicants agree to have their submitted prototype available in Melbourne for live judging in mid-June, and if successful in reaching the finalist selection, the product/s must be available to be showcased in the finalist exhibition in Melbourne (see ‘key dates’ listed below).
It is not a requirement of Launch Pad that prototypes be shown for the first time (i.e. your prototype may have been previously exhibited).
Prototype designs must be less than 24 months old from date of submission and readily available for live judging in Melbourne by June 2010.
Your product must not be subject to any current manufacturers’ agreements.
You must be an Australian or a New Zealand resident to be eligible to apply.
Transport costs will be covered within Australia only, between major capital cities.
Support material
Entrants are requested to supply 3 - 5 images of each prototype entered as high resolution files either jpeg or tiff format at 300dpi at least 5 MB each file.
Support material is to be prepared in the following way:
1 x CD/DVD containing folder titled by entrants name and prototype name OR
Uploaded onto our FTP server (see below for details)
If possible, please include 1 portrait of the designer/design team.
Closing date
Online application form must be submitted via the website and 1 x required CD/DVD/FTP of images must be received at Indesign publishing in Sydney by 5pm, Monday 3 May 2010. Late entries will not be considered.
Key dates
3 May 2010 - Launch Pad applications close
Mid May - Short-listing
Mid June - Live judging process
August - Finalists' exhibition in Melbourne
August - Angels in Design associated events for finalists
Please observe the following Launch Pad program terms and conditions:
1. Images and Copyright
Each submission must contain minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 high-resolution photographic images, supplied in jpeg format on CD or DVD as well as a portrait photograph of the designer or team if possible. The disc must be clearly identifiable (product, designer, contact details) and applicants give copyright release of all photography. Digital sketches or hand renders will not be accepted as photographic images.
The organiser reserves the right to publish or distribute part or all of any supplied information or images, as well as photograph any or all of the products submitted.
2. Transport Assistance
Launch Pad will be available to assist with prototype delivery from most capital cities in Australia to designated Launch Pad locations. The cooperation of finalists is requested to facilitate the delivery and pick-up of their prototype according to Launch Pad’s specific instructions.
It is the responsibility of finalists to deliver their prototype to the relevant transport dock subject to the organiser’s conditions. Delivery dates and dock locations, as well as any further instructions from Launch Pad, will be made available to all applicants in advance of the announcement of successfully shortlisted products.
Please note that while New Zealand residents are eligible to enter Launch Pad, financial assistance is not available for transport of selected prototypes to and from New Zealand. Transport assistance is available once the product reaches the designated Melbourne dock.
3. Packaging product for transport
Applicants whose products are successfully shortlisted agree that they are solely responsible for the packaging of their product. Applicants are reminded to package products with numerous counts of packing, unpacking and nationwide travel in mind.
All individual parts of prototypes must be correctly packaged and clearly labeled with product name, designers full name, address and a contact phone number. All packages must be clearly labeled LAUNCH PAD 2010 and as per specifications made clear to entrants throughout the program.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide proper and safe packaging to ensure the safety of the prototype, as the sponsor is not responsible for providing any additional packaging materials at any time.
Acceptable packaging includes wooden crates designed and tough, durable packaging ideally built for the product. It is not acceptable to secure products with bubble wrap or soft cardboard boxes. Please contact Launch Pad organisers for further clarification.
4. Return of submitted prototypes
Applicants who reach the shortlist but whose prototypes are not successful after the final stage of judging can accept, at their own risk, return transport prototype assistance from Launch Pad to major Australian cities. Similarly, applicants whose prototypes become successful finalists in the programs can choose to accept at their own risk, transport assistance offered by Launch Pad to the exhibition location and return transport to major Australian cities.
It is the organiser's intention that prototypes will be available for collection on due dates, although these dates may vary. Please contact Launch Pad organisers for most current information.
If transport is not available for unforeseen reasons, applicants accept that it is their individual responsibility to arrange the collection or freight of their submission, with all related charges being at the applicant’s own cost. If the applicant chooses not to use the available transport assistance offered by our transport sponsor, the applicant’s own transport schedule must coincide with the dates as stipulated by Launch Pad organisers.
5. Risk
Delivered prototypes are released to the organisers who will apply due care, but accept no responsibility for the prototype or individual parts of submissions. Whilst due care will be applied in all circumstances, the organisers and sponsors cannot be held liable for lost or damaged parts of submissions. It is the responsibility of the applicant to clearly and appropriately identify each part of their submission (name of product, designer and contact details).
No responsibility can be accepted for any unidentified parts of any submission, or if any part of your submission becomes unidentified at any stage. If any part of the prototype and/or supporting materials are unidentified or become lost, the organiser reserves the right to disqualify this part from the entry and the organiser accepts no responsibility for incomplete prototypes and/or misplaced parts.
6. Insurance
It remains the responsibility of successful Launch Pad applicants to insure their prototype for the duration of the program, and the organiser encourages this. The event organiser and individual sponsor partners can accept no responsibility for loss or damage of prototypes.
7. The organisers reserve the right to assess if applications have been correctly lodged
8. Products requiring lighting and/or suspension
All lighting products that are successfully short-listed are required by the organisers to be tagged and tested by a qualified electrician as arranged by the designer/applicant before being transported to Melbourne for the Live Judging. The organiser or sponsors will not be responsible for wiring the lighting product; it must come with a household plug. If the designer/applicant is not able to organise the required plugs and testing for the product, the applicant, if a successful finalist, agrees that the lighting product may have to be exhibited unlit.
If the lighting product requires suspension for it’s final exhibition display, it is advised that the designer/applicant provide an appropriate truss for suspension, or an alternative plan for the hanging of the product, as the exhibition venue may not be responsible for this.
9. Intellectual Property
If you wish to register your design through IP Australia, it is vital that your design has not been ‘published’ prior to your application (this includes being published on the internet).
In submitting your product or prototype for Launch Pad you understand that the organiser may publish your submitted images in print or online. Therefore you may wish to apply for design registration before the submissions deadline of the competition.
To register a design it must be new and distinctive. 'New' means the identical design (or one very similar) has not been publicly used in Australia nor has it been published in a document within or outside Australia.
For further information go to: www.ipaustralia.gov.au/designs/what_index.shtml
Submission address:
Please send disc of images to support your online entry to:
Grace Hall
Launch Pad 2010
Indesign Group
Level 1/50 Marshall Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Australia
For all Launch Pad enquiries please contact:
Launch Pad
(61 2) 9368 0150
(61 2) 9368 0289 (fax)
launchpad@indesign.com.au
launch-pad.com.au