Ceramics of Italy Launches 2021 Tile Competition

Confindustria Ceramica (the Italian Association of Ceramics) and the Italian Trade Agency are proud to announce the official call for entries for the 2021 Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition.

Now in its 28th year, the competition recognizes top North American architecture and design firms and design students for their creative use of Italian ceramic and porcelain tile. Winning projects will exemplify innovative design while demonstrating the superior technical and aesthetic qualities of Italian tile. An international jury of design experts will select winners in four built categories – Residential (Single-Family), Residential (Multi-Family), Commercial, and Institutional – as well as a winner in the Student category. In addition to the juried winners, a People’s Choice Award will be given to a firm elected by the public for the second year in a row.

With the plethora of exciting residential projects submitted each year, Ceramics of Italy decided to divide Residential into two categories: Single-Family and Multi-Family. Projects in the four built categories – Residential (Single-Family), Residential (Multi-Family), Commercial and Institutional – must be designed by architects and designers based in North America and completed between January 2016 and March 2021. Projects may be domestic or international and must feature a significant amount of Italian ceramic or porcelain tile produced by Ceramics of Italy member companies. All styles and scales of projects will be considered, from office buildings and spas to kitchen renovations and residential developments. The jury’s official criteria include: the overall design of the project; the aesthetic and technical quality of the tile installation; the degree to which tile enhances the setting; and the project’s sustainable attributes.

The jury will once again review submissions from North American design and architecture students who create imaginative spaces using Italian tile. Individuals or groups of students are invited to submit their projects in the form of renderings, floor plans and sketches. Students must be enrolled in an accredited North American university to be eligible.

This year, the competition will also uphold its public voting component, which will help determine the second annual People’s Choice Award. Using Submittable, Ceramics of Italy will invite the public to vote on their favorite project submissions. The project that receives the most votes will be recognized as the winner of the People’s Choice Award.

Winners will be notified in April and officially announced during Coverings – the largest international tile and stone exhibition and conference in North America – taking place at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida from July 7-9, 2021. All of the winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the show to present their projects in front of a large audience of media, manufacturers, and tile industry professionals during the Ceramics of Italy Press Conference. Built project winners will also receive a 5-day CEU-accredited trip to Bologna, Italy to attend Cersaie – the world’s largest exhibition of ceramic tile and bathroom furnishings – with a delegation of top design media.

The competition guidelines, submission form, and an archive of beautiful winning projects from the past 27 years can be found on the Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition website, www.tilecompetition.com. There is no fee to enter and multiple submissions are accepted.

The deadline for entries is March 1, 2021.