Entries will be accepted from the 1st October - 31st November using the form below. Please read the submission guidelines to give yourself the best chance through the judging stage. If you have any problems with this form just send us a mail to colab@alpkit.com with your questions.
Alpkit is responsible for launching and realizing coLAB, related information, the prize exhibition (coLAB09) and its additional programme at The Outdoors Show 2009. The Award is open to everyone interested in the outdoors, we want everyone to be creative and enter their good idea!
Participation shall be carried out according to the instructions of the organizers. You will be required to present any promotion material, prototypes or equipment either to ALPKIT HQ by the 1st March or personally at the NEC on the 26th March 2008. The organizers of the competition shall be responsible for exhibits and insurance costs during the exhibition, and will pay for samples to be returned.
There is no payment due for registration. However entrants should be aware that there will be costs in attending the show. To get the best out of it we are recommending that you attend the show, this will require finding local accommodation our advice is to book early. Getting bulky samples shipped around may cost a bit so keep friendly with anyone with a Volvo. Time and materials can also soon add up.
Alpkit will not publish any personal contact information or pass this information on to any third party.
By entering the award entrants confirm acceptance of the rules.
Title - A snappy product name is not required at this stage although it will be useful when marketing your product at the coLAB Award in March.
Description - Your entry has to convince the panel your idea is worthy of progressing in the competition. Further emails explaining your ideas will not be seen by the judges so put as much information in your initial entry as you can. Take your time, write clearly and concisely and get some friends to read it before submitting. We are not going to reject ideas for bad spelling or grammar but it will reflect the amount of care you have put into your submission.
Images - Your entry can be a simple pencil sketch, a marker rendering or a flashy 3-D rendering. If this is your strongest skill you may want to consider entering by post.
Video - A video can be an excellent way of introducing your product and describing its use. You can upload your video on You Tube if entering online or pop it on a CD if entering by post. To avoid potential problems please make it Quicktime format. Keep it short and snappy.. we don't want the judges falling asleep.
3D Models - We will accept 3-D models. These should be posted to us and must arrive before the closing deadline. If you are entering online please indicate that a 3-D model will accompany your entry. All models will be returned to the entrants or can be collected. If your model is valuable you should consider insuring it.
Maybe not now, but you will have by the time you are finished! Seriously we want this award to be inclusive and to attract people with good ideas who may have no previous design experience. We will try and guide you through the submission process and by participating in the coLAB Forum.
By entering into our award you are not giving us ownership of your ideas, however remember that this is ultimately a public award and the whole point of it is to give you the opportunity of getting your ideas seen. Having said that it is well worth taking the time to understand the issues since as soon as your idea is public you lose the opportunity to protect it. Although we do not have the skills to advise you on this we have collated some useful starting points.