The IDEA (International Design Excellence Awards) program is the premier international competition honoring design excellence in products, ecodesign, interaction design, packaging, strategy, research and concepts. Entries are invited from designers, students and companies worldwide.

Winning entries are announced on BusinessWeek.com and receive coverage in hundreds of print and broadcast media networks around the world. IDSA has been honoring design excellence via the IDEA Awards since 1980. IDEA was formerly known as the Industrial Design Excellence Awards. The name changed in 2007 to emphasize the international reach and influence of the competition.

This competition is open to designs and designers - including students - worldwide. Entrants from Brazil must apply through IDEA/Brasil to take advantage of additional winner benefits. Designs may be entered in multiple categories, but each entry must be purchased and submitted separately. Awards will not be given to the same design in more than one product category (e.g. Medical/Scientific and Home Living); however, a design may win Awards in both a product category and Design Strategy, Interactive Product Experiences and/or Research.

This competition was open for entries on 1 December 2008, but the regular application deadline is 6 February 2009 and late application deadline is 20 February. Only the 6 February deadline will be noted on the calendar at this site. Visit the site to learn more about rules, categories, application processes, judges and more.

The heritage of tea is laden with ritual and meaning that dates back thousands of years and spans the globe. The Japanese heat the tetsubin, a cast iron pot, over a portable charcoal brazier in the art of chanoyo, the tea ceremony. The Russian samovar earns its charm from its function: It keeps water, and a pot of tea concentrate, hot for hours, drawing people together in communal relaxation and conversation. At its best, the modern tea kettle translates this heritage into an icon of contemporary life, with form that functions at all levels.

The functions of a kettle are manifold. First, it must hold a dangerous substance-boiling water. It must operate safely and reliably. It must communicate its status instantly. When well designed, it elevates the experience of preparing, sharing, and consuming tea. No small task.

The intriguing balance between functionality and meaning inherent to this quintessential icon of the home has inspired World Kitchen to choose the tea kettle as a vehicle for design education, experience and expression. Thus, they are sponsoring this Tea Kettle Design Competition, with the endorsement of the Industrial Designers Society of America.

They have structured the competition to offer an inspiring opportunity to delve into cultural meaning through three fundamental materials. And they plan to reward the best designs at the International Home + Housewares Show ® in March 2009 with $5,000 each.

Deadline is Tuesday, January 6, 2009, at 5 pm Eastern Standard Time/US. Visit the site to learn more.

The BraunPrize is an internationally recognised design competition open to young industrial designers who are still studying or who have graduated within the last two years. This year, the BraunPrize 2009’s theme is, “Envision conscious design.” Current industrial design students as well as recent graduates have until January 31, 2009 to submit their product concepts to Braun (the participation is free of charge).

The total prize money amounts to EUR 36,000. The winner of the BraunPrize will receive EUR 12,000 in prize money and a (paid) six-month internship in the Design Department at Braun. The other finalists will each receive a prize of EUR 5,000. The remaining prize money will be distributed in the form of special recognition awards at the discretion of the jury. Visit the site to learn more.

At Right: Shopping cart chair from Reestore Design.

Calling all eco furniture designers! All green ID geniuses! All chair connoisseurs! Here’s your chance to conjure up an innovative armchair in keeping with the tenets of “good” (ie “green”) design. The One Good Chair Competition is looking for some smart new designs that balance beauty with comfort while letting sustainable forms shine through. The winning team will receive $4,500 to help realize their design as a prototype.

Contest entries will be judged according to innovation and originality in three categories: make (material conservation), feel (physical comfort), and looks (emotional resonance). Registration costs $50 and is open until May 16th (this is the date marked on this site’s calendar), while all designs must be submitted by June 9th. Inhabitat founder Jill Fehrenbacher is one of the judges for this great competition, so begin by reading more about this contest at Inhabitat!

The NFC Forum (www.nfc-forum.org), a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, today announced a call for entries for Touching the Future: NFC Forum Global Competition. In the competition, developers in a commercial track vie for the honor of having their solutions named “The Best NFC Service of the Year 2008,” while a research track recognizes “The Most Innovative NFC Research Project of the Year 2008.”

Focusing on the theme “Innovation at Your Fingertips,” the competition is intended to promote the development and deployment of innovative and exemplary NFC services. Entries will be judged on their innovation, commercial potential and usability, as well as quality of design and implementation. The competition’s Organizing Committee is now accepting submissions; all final proposals must be received by 15 February 2008. Twenty finalists will be judged on 29 April 2008 at the NFC Developers Summit, held in Monaco during the WIMA event (www.wima.mc). The winners will be selected by a jury composed of professionals and experts from sponsoring companies. Entry fees are $150 per submission for commercial entrants, and $50 per submission for research entrants. Entry forms and competition details are available now from www.nfc-forum.org/competition.