Deadline for Pinnacle Award entries is June 1

Contest recognizes excellence in furniture design

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, May 27, 2009

NEW LONDON, N.C. — The entry deadline for the American Society of Furniture Designers Pinnacle Awards, the home furnishings industry's top honors for excellence in product design, is this coming Monday, June 1.

The deadline is almost two months earlier than in previous years. Late submissions will be accepted June 2-15 for an additional fee.

Finalists for this year's awards will be chosen by a panel of judges in June and will be announced later in a full-page ad in Furniture/Today. Pinnacle finalists will include manufacturers and designers who strive for esthetic and functional product innovation, and will be recognized industry wide for their stylish and innovative designs, according to the ASFD.

Winners will be saluted Oct. 19 during a cocktail reception and dinner in the International Home Furnishings Center during the High Point Market.

The 2009 Pinnacle entry forms and new detailed instructions can be downloaded at www.asfdpinnacle.com/downloads.php.

For a free Pinnacle poster and entry form by mail, contact Christine Evans by e-mail at info@asfd.com or by phone at (910) 576-1273. With the earlier deadline fast approaching, Pinnacle entries must be sent to ASFD by Express Mail.

Furniture/Today is the major underwriter of the awards. Additional support and sponsorship is provided by AkzoNobel, Appalachian Hardwoods, Elmo Leather, Furniture Design Studios, Häfele America, High Point Market Authority, Home Lighting and Accessories, Hickory Springs Mfg., Home Furnishings Business, the IHFC and Leggett & Platt.

The12 Pinnacle judges convening in High Point during June include Richard Bennington, High Point University; Gary Evans, Furniture/Today; Ellen Gefen, Gefen Productions and the Industry Update Home Fashion Report; Jackie Hirschhaut, American Home Furnishings Alliance; Linda Longo, Home Lighting & Accessories and Contract Lighting Magazine; Steve McKee, Home Furnishings International; Sheila Long O'Mara, Home Furnishings Business; Kip Pohlman, Otis College of Art & Design; Chuck Portaro, Furnitureland South, High Point; Max Shangle, Kendall College of Art & Design; Julie Smith, independent trend consultant; and Steve Walker, North Carolina State University.