The Powerhouse Museum International Lace Award is presented by the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, Australia. The Powerhouse Museum is part of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Australia’s leading cultural institution dedicated to celebrating human ingenuity.

Lace offers a subtle interplay of space, light and shadows and the mystery of concealment. The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, has an extraordinary and well documented collection of approximately 3,000 items of lace dating from the sixteenth century to the present. The Museum’s Lace Study Centre has three hundred handmade examples of lace on display daily.

The triennial Powerhouse Museum International Lace Award seeks to encourage contemporary work of exceptional visual impact and originality, and to challenge conventional notions of lace and its applications.

AIMS OF THE AWARD

• To encourage the creation of contemporary lace of exceptional quality and visual impact.
• To promote innovation in the use of materials and techniques.
• To redefine traditional expressions of lace making and its design applications.
• To gather a wide range of entries to reflect both the affinity and diversity of global cultures.

For the purposes of this award we define lace as:

‘an openwork structure in which the pattern of spaces is as important as the solid areas.’

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR ENTRANTS

• Using the above definition as inspiration, create an original work in lace that can be worn, or used in the built environment, or a digital multi media interpretation of lace. Materials are limited only by your imagination. Works can range from large spatial pieces to tiny filigrees or multi media creations.
• The work must be original and reflect a sense of the maker’s identity and cultural origins.
• Both traditional and non-traditional lace making techniques and materials are acceptable. Lace can be hand-constructed and decorated, machine-constructed and decorated, or a combination of both.
• It can be two- or three-dimensional.
• There are categories for traditional techniques, fashion, built environment and digital multi media lace design.
• Finalists will be chosen from expressions of interest and their work must be made and completed in 2010.
• An entry can be submitted by up to two people who will then be credited equally.

JUDGING CRITERIA

The work will be judged by a panel of international and Australian experts drawn from traditional and contemporary disciplines of lace, fashion, design and architecture with reference to:

• Visual impact
• Originality and creativity
• Innovation in design, materials and/or technique
• Conceptual interpretation of ‘place’ or origin
• Skill in execution

Works will be selected for consideration for exhibition in June 2011. Overall winners will be announced at the opening of the exhibition.

CATEGORIES

There are two award categories:

1. Open Category

    International artists, designers and practitioners (professional or amateur)

2. Tertiary students of design in Australia and New Zealand

    Students enrolled in Australia or New Zealand at the time they submit their expression of interest

PRIZES (only one prize will be awarded to each entry)

Category 1: Open

Winner: overall (from any category 1 entry)	AU$20,000
Winner: traditional techniques (includes: needle lace, bobbin lace, crochet, knitting, knotting, netting and mixed laces)	AU$4,000
Winner: fashion (includes: garment, jewellery or accessory)	AU$4,000
Winner: built environment (includes: interior design, product design,or architecture)	AU$4,000
Winner: digital multi media (includes: computer generated virtuallace design)	AU$4,000

Category 2: Tertiary students in Australia and New Zealand

Winner

AU$4,000

People’s Choice Award

Visitors to the exhibition will be able to select a work to be awarded the People’s Choice Award at the close of the exhibition.

KEY DATES

29 March 2010	Completed expressions of interest received electronically from all entrants. Judges complete the selection process.
12 May 2010	Selected finalists notified by email.
12 May - 25 November 2010	Selected finalists proceed with work.
25 November 2010	Selected finalists’ work delivered to the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney.
July/August 2011	SydneyDesign11 exhibition opens.