Bernie Robbins Launches A Student Design Contest

If you’re one of the thousands of budding young designers in this city, here’s one opportunity definitely worth considering: In conjunction with its yearlong 50^th Anniversary celebration, Bernie Robbins Jewelers is launching its first-ever design contest, open to any and all fashion and design students throughout the region.

Since the winning design will be sold in Bernie Robbins’ stores throughout PA and NJ as part of their Spring 2013 collection, contestants are asked to incorporate the brand and its 50-year heritage into their design concept. Upping your chances: you can enter up to three different designs through the retailer’s Web site.

The contest will be judged through votes on Facebook as well as a celebrity jewelry panel that includes designers from such world-renowned brands as Hearts On Fire, Ippolita, Penny Preville and more. Besides how well the design reflects the brand, the judges will obviously be making their decisions based on its originality, creativity and commercial appeal.

The winning student will receive a cash prize of $500 and a portion of sales from their piece will go towards a scholarship fund for their alma mater or particular design program. More importantly, they’ll get a rather impressive bullet point to add to their resume.

The contest deadline is Nov. 1 and voting will be open to the public through Nov. 30. The finalists will be announced on Facebook on Dec. 5.