Palladium Alliance International Jewelry Design Contest

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN THIS CONTEST. VALID IN THE 50 UNITED STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ONLY.

ENTRY IN THIS CONTEST CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THESE OFFICIAL RULES.

Binding Agreement: In order to enter the Palladium Alliance International Jewelry Design Contest (“the Contest”), you must agree to all of the official rules contained herein (the “Rules”). Therefore, please read these Rules prior to entry to ensure you understand and agree. You may not submit an entry to the Contest and are not eligible to receive the prizes described in these Rules unless you agree to these Rules. These Rules form a binding legal agreement between you and Palladium Alliance International, Inc. (“the Sponsor”) with respect to the Contest.
Agreement to Rules: By entering this Contest, you agree to all of the Rules. All decisions regarding the Contest will be made by the Sponsor at its sole discretion, and are final.
Eligibility: The Contest is open to all jewelry designers and retailers of in-house custom jewelry, 18 years of age or older at the time of entry and located in the United States and the District of Columbia. Not valid where prohibited. Employees, officers or directors of the Sponsor, the Sponsor’s subsidiaries, its agencies or members of their immediate families are not eligible to enter or win. The term “immediate family” includes spouses, siblings, parents, children, grandparents, and grandchildren, whether as “in-laws,” or by current or past marriage(s), remarriage(s), adoption, co-habitation or other family extension, and any other persons residing at the same household whether or not related.
Qualifying Materials: All entries must feature only genuine gemstones (if gemstones are included) and 95% palladium alloy as the only precious metal design element. Commercial findings, such as heads, may be included, but entries may not include any prefabricated ornamental elements.
Judging Criteria: Entries will be evaluated based on how well each design highlights the key qualities of palladium: its natural whiteness, durability and light weight. The judges’ goal is to identify “statement pieces” that are creative, fashion-forward and exemplify the metal’s attributes best. A panel of industry experts will review the initial concepts to determine which designs (up to 100) meet this standard. Only then will the designers be asked to render their entries in palladium for quality review. Finished pieces will be evaluated for the quality of the overall design, craftsmanship, practicality/wearability, and marketability. Sponsor and Contest judges reserve the right to disqualify any piece that does not meet the standards and criteria as described in the Rules.

If a judge has a professional affiliation with any Contest entrant, that judge will recuse himself or herself from evaluating that entry. The entry will not be affected either positively or negatively in the judging process.
Process: Entry must include a photo, drawing or CAD rendering of an original jewelry design created specifically for the Contest. Submitted concepts will undergo a three-step judging process:
- Step one: Preliminary judging will reduce the pool of entries to a maximum of 100 finalists based on each design’s creativity, fashion-forward viewpoint and how well it exemplifies palladium’s attributes.
- Step two: Finalists will be notified to develop their concepts into finished pieces and submit them for final judging. (By submitting an entry in the Contest, the participant accepts responsibility for creating a finished piece.)
- Step three: All finished pieces will be reviewed for quality by a panel of industry experts. Any entries that are deemed poorly made, unwearable, impractical, unmarketable or inappropriate for any reason will be eliminated at the sole discretion of the Sponsor. The remaining submissions (up to a total of 100) will be declared winners, with the top three designs awarded third, second and Grand prize. NOTE: Entry in the Contest grants the Sponsor the right to hold each winning piece throughout 2013 for possible use in advertising and celebrity dressings.
Entry Specifications: All entrants must complete an Official Entry form and meet all submission requirements and deadlines.
- Up to ten entries per designer/retailer are permitted.
- Pieces must be original designs created and crafted by the person (or persons) whose name appears in the “Designer Name(s)” section of the entry form. If an entry was produced by a member of a retail store, it must have been produced while the entrant was employed, and is still employed, by the retailer. Ownership of the design will be presumed to belong to the retailer or shared between the designer and the retailer. However, any issues related to intellectual property ownership are dictated by the conditions of employment existing between the designer and his or her employer, and supersede any action by the Sponsor or Contest.
- Pieces created by more than one designer are allowed, as long as all persons contributing to the creation of the piece are listed on the entry form.
- The Sponsor is seeking designs created specifically for the PAI Jewelry Design Contest. Pieces previously entered in other design competitions may not be entered in the PAI Contest.
- Coordinating sets displaying a unified design theme (i.e. necklace and earrings, matching wedding bands) are allowed. Each piece of a set, however, will be counted as an individual entry (up to 10 entries per participant) and will be judged on its individual merits.
Submission Directions:
- Complete Official Entry (found at the end of these Official Rules).
- Submit a high resolution digital image (at least 4 x 6 inches at 300dpi), a detailed drawing or a CAD rendering of the design you are submitting for consideration.
- Include a description of the piece (up to 100 words) and estimated retail value.
- Initial where indicated on the Official Entry that you have read and understand the Contest Rules and that all information provided to the Sponsor is accurate and true.
Digital Submission Directions:
- Fill out the Official Entry (found at the end of these Official Rules).
- Upload your image online on the submissions page. Use your name or company name to name the file and compress it using Zip or another compression application.
- Please contact marketing@luxurypalladium.com for additional guidance or questions during this process.
Competition Deadlines:
- Tuesday, May 29, 2012: Contest begins.
- Friday, September 21, 2012: Photos/drawings/CAD-rendered concepts due from entrants.
- Friday, October 5, 2012: Judges select up to 100 finalists; notify finalists to begin work on finished pieces.
- Monday, December 17, 2012: Finished pieces due for quality review.
- Monday, January 14, 2013: Sponsor announces up to 100 winners, including Grand Prize, second and third place.
- February 28, 2013: Checks are issued by the Sponsor, reimbursing the cost of the 950 palladium alloy used in all winning pieces (up to 5 ounces per piece).
Prizes: Up to 100 winners that pass quality control testing will receive:
- A refund check equal to the cost of the 950 palladium alloy up to five (5) ounces used in their winning piece. (Refund value will be determined by the weight of the 950 palladium alloy in the piece and the going rate for 950 palladium alloy as fixed on the London pm exchange on January 14, 2013.)
- Professional, high-resolution images of the winning piece, for use in store marketing and promotion.
- Inclusion in the stylist Showroom throughout 2013 for possible use in celebrity dressings at major events such as the Golden Globes, Emmy Awards and Oscars.
- Display at a Showroom cocktail event for stylists for use in celebrity dressings throughout 2013.
- Display on the PAI Facebook page throughout 2013, with link to designers’/retailers’ websites for information about where the piece can be purchased.
- Display on the PAI website throughout 2013, with link to designers’/retailers’ websites for information about where the piece can be purchased.
- Consideration for use in PAI advertising.
- Consideration for use as prizes in PAI sweepstakes throughout 2013.
In addition to the prizes awarded to the top finishers (up to 100), the third place winner’s name and piece will be featured in one (1) PAI advertising campaign print ad in a top fashion magazine, such as InStyle, W, Elle, Marie Claire or Cosmopolitan magazines.

In addition to the prizes awarded to the top finishers (up to 100), the second place winner’s name and piece will be featured in two (2) PAI advertising campaign print ads in a top fashion magazine, such as InStyle, W, Elle, Marie Claire or Cosmopolitan magazines.
In addition to the prizes awarded to the top finishers (up to 100), the Grand Prize winner will:
- Have his or her name and piece featured in three (3) PAI advertising campaign print ads in a top fashion magazine, such as InStyle, W, Elle, Marie Claire or Cosmopolitan magazines.
- Receive a contract to create a line of palladium jewelry whereby the Sponsor may provide up to thirty (30) ounces of 950 palladium alloy to facilitate manufacturing of the designs.
Prize(s) that may be awarded to eligible winner(s) are not transferable, redeemable for cash or exchangeable for any other prize.
Shipping & Security: Individual entrants are responsible for insuring all pieces that are shipped to the Contest and for verifying that pieces arrive prior to the competition deadline. The Contest Sponsor will return all non-winning pieces within 10 business days of the close of judging, January 11, 2013. Winning pieces will be returned by January 15, 2014. Pieces will be fully insured by the Sponsor for the stated “cost of goods” dollar amount on the Official Entry. No pieces will be returned directly to any individual during the Contest.

In any event, the Sponsor’s total liability is limited to the reasonable stated “cost of goods” dollar amount on the official entry form. Pieces will be secured in a vault while in the office, displayed in a secure showcase during celebrity stylist events, stored overnight in a guarded vault when appropriate and fully insured during transport between advertising shoots, celebrity dressings, etc.
Rights: By submitting your concept, you are warranting that it is original to you and that you are the owner of all rights and title to the intellectual property, including any design, copyright, trademark, service mark or patent. Include your name, year and copyright for your submission. You agree that the Sponsor may use your intellectual property for advertising and celebrity dressing purposes throughout 2013. Entry in the Contest constitutes acceptance of the Sponsor’s right to hold your piece throughout 2013 should it be designated a winner. You further understand that you can create and sell exact duplicates of your winning piece at any time, but the original piece will be available for the Sponsor’s use throughout 2013. You also agree to allow the Sponsor to use your name, or your organization's name, identification, and likeness to use, promote or publicize your winning design in any manner, without limitation, and without further compensation. You agree to indemnify the Sponsor, including legal costs, against any challenges to the ownership, use of, or rights of the jewelry design you submitted in the Contest.
Choice of Law and Recourse to Judicial Procedures: These Rules shall be governed by, subject to, and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Montana and the United States of America, excluding all conflict of law rules. If any provision(s) of these Rules are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions hereof will remain in full force and effect. To the extent permitted by law, the rights to litigate, seek injunctive relief or make any other recourse to judicial or any other procedure in case of disputes or claims resulting from or in connection with this Contest are hereby excluded, and all participants expressly waive any and all such rights.
Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entrant at any time for any reason, and to modify the Contest Rules at any time at its sole discretion.
Additional Conditions and Terms: As a condition for entry, you agree to release, waive, indemnify, and otherwise hold harmless the Sponsor and all persons associated with it from any liability associated with your entry and this Contest to the fullest extent of appropriate state or local laws.
1. All taxes are the responsibility of the winner.
2. You agree to comply with all government laws and regulations.
3. ANY ATTEMPT BY AN INDIVIDUAL TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEBSITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
4. The Sponsor is not responsible for errors of any kind, technical hardware or software failures of any kind, including any injury or damage to any person's computer, related to or resulting from participating in or experiencing any materials in connection with the promotion, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmission that may limit your ability to participate in the promotion.
5. The Sponsor reserves the right to cancel or modify the contest if fraud, misconduct or technical failures harm the integrity of the program; or if a computer virus, bug, or other technical problem corrupts the administration or security of the program as determined by the Sponsor, in its sole discretion. In the event of termination, a notice will be posted online. If insufficient entries are received, or if no entry submitted meets minimum reasonable criteria for a prize, in the Sponsor’s sole and final discretion, a Grand Prize winner may not be selected. If at least one qualifying entry is made, at least one finalist award will be made.
6. Proof of submitting entries or responses to inquiries will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by the Sponsor. Only receipt of an e-mail from the Sponsor acknowledging an entry or communication will be considered proof of submission.
7. The Partner reserves the right to prohibit the participation of an individual if fraud or tampering is suspected or if the account holder fails to comply with any requirement of participation as stated herein or with any provision in these Official Rules.
8. Once submitted, an entry is final and may not be altered or edited further. Duplicate entries will disqualify all such entries.
9. The Sponsor may use any and all information obtained from entrants for its internal activities, including contacting an entrant. The Sponsor may share this information with others, but will not sell this information to others.
10. The Sponsor is not responsible for any typographical errors in the announcement of prizes or these Official Rules, or any inaccurate or incorrect data contained on the Website. Use of Website is at user's own risk.
11. The odds of winning will be determined by the number of entries.