[MR] Crown Design Competition

[egeorges]

Greetings Atlantia!

It is with great pleasure that the New Regalia Committee presents the
specifications for the Crown Design Competition.  The website for the
competition is available at www.atlantia.sca.org/design.  

Please forward this information to anyone who may be interested.  In order
to increase the number of entries, we have made the competition available to
entrants from outside Atlantia and outside the SCA.  Also, entry is easy
even if you know little about jewelry -- all you need to do is draw a
picture of your proposed design.  The winning design will be used to make
new crowns for Their Majesties Atlantia.

In Service,
Luce Antony Venus

====================

CROWN DESIGN COMPETITION

Competition Sponsor: The Society for Creative Anachronism is a non-profit
educational organization whose members research and attempt to recreate
various aspects of life during the time period of 600 A.D. to 1600 A.D.
Members research and recreate period arts and crafts, cooking, dancing,
martial activities and costume. The Kingdom of Atlantia, SCA, Inc., is the
regional chapter of the SCA for the Mid-Atlantic portion of the United
States, covering most of Maryland, DC, Virginia, North Carolina, South
Carolina, and Augusta, Georgia. 

The Competition: We are seeking designs for a new pair of crowns for our
King and Queen. In recognition of the significant design expertise available
from jewelry designers outside the SCA community, the Kingdom of Atlantia is
opening this competition to individuals both inside and outside of the SCA.
This is an opportunity for jewelry designers to take on a unique design
challenge at little cost to themselves. All that's needed to enter is (1) a
rendering of the design for each of the crowns, and (2) a statement
discussing how the design meets the criteria of the competition. 

For the Winner: The winning design will be fabricated at the expense of the
Kingdom of Atlantia and production of the winning design will become the
exclusive right of the Kingdom of Atlantia. Though no cash prize is
available for winning this competition, the Kingdom of Atlantia will pay for
professional photography of the finished pieces, with copies available to
the designer. The Kingdom of Atlantia will work with the designer to
publicize his or her achievement in the jewelry design community. These
crowns will become part of Kingdom regalia, and will belong to the Kingdom
of Atlantia, and will be worn and cherished by Atlantia's Kings and Queens
for many years to come. 

Eligibility: This competition is open to all United States residents who are
not members of the New Regalia Committee of the Kingdom of Atlantia, SCA,
Inc. SCA membership is not a prerequisite for participation in this
competition. 

Deadline for Entries: Entries must be postmarked by December 31st, 2004. 

Requirements: Jewelry designs must be original and may not have won awards
in other contests or competitions. As a guideline to designers, each crown
design submitted must not exceed a cost of $3,000 to manufacture. The
Kingdom of Atlantia reserves the right to alter the composition of the
winning design to meet cost and manufacturing restrictions, but will only do
so in consultation with the designer. 

How to enter: Submit (1) an original color rendering (no photos please) for
each design, drawn on an all white or light grey background, showing front
and back views of the piece, and (2) documentation for the design (i.e. a
brief description of the basis upon which you believe the design to
exemplify the criteria of the competition, including citation to research
sources). Be sure to describe your piece completely, providing dimensions of
gemstones and other materials used. Electronic submissions will not be
accepted. 

Entry fee: None 

Criteria: The SCA is an historically based re-creation group, meaning that a
high premium is placed upon creating and using objects whose design can be
documented to the period between 600 A.D. and 1600 A.D. We are particularly
interested that the design be documented to styles utilized in Western
Europe during the relevant period. Also, these will not be display pieces,
but will actually be worn on a day-to-day basis by our Kings and Queens, who
travel extensively. Because we select new Kings and Queens every six months,
crowns that can fit a variety of head sizes are desirable. Atlantia, as a
kingdom that borders the sea, traditionally utilizes a great deal of sea
imagery as part of its regalia, including: seashells, dolphins, pearls,
coral, kraken, and especially SPIKE, a unicornate seahorse. Therefore,
designs will be selected based on the following criteria: 

How closely the design is researched to determine that it is consistent with
the design of similar crowns during the relevant period. (source citation is
encouraged). 
Wearability Light and durable are preferred qualities 
Flexibility of design to fit to wearers of different head sizes 
Creativity in use of Atlantian symbols 

Crown designs will be judged at Atlantia's 12th Night event on January 8,
2005, by the members of the New Regalia Committee, and the winner will be
informed by Monday, January 10, 2005 of his or her selection. 
Prizes: A Certificate will be presented to the winner and to any honorable
mentions. The winning design will be exclusively fabricated by the Kingdom
of Atlantia and will become the property of the Kingdom of Atlantia. The
Kingdom of Atlantia will hire a professional jewelry photographer to take
pictures of the winning piece when completed, and will pay for up to 5
professional quality slides of the piece for the use of the winning
designer. The Kingdom of Atlantia will work with the winning designer to
publicize his or her success in the competition within the jewelry design
community. 

More: Renderings will be returned after January 15th, 2005, but only upon
request and only to contestants who include Priority Mail postage. Unclaimed
renderings will become the sole property of the Kingdom of Atlantia, SCA,
Inc. Entries that do not meet competition guidelines may be disqualified.
Additional information, including research resources, can be found at
http://atlantia.sca.org/design/resources.html 

Send your entry form, design submission, and documentation to:
Liz Georges
Atlantian New Regalia Committee
6406 Seven Oaks Court
Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 534-6075


Questions:Please visit the Kingdom of Atlantia's website:atlantia.sca.org.
or email: scalucia at cox.net.