DEADLINE EXTENDED: 2019 Ceramics of Italy 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 2019 Ceramics of Italy Tile Competition. Now in its 26th year, the annual awards program recognizes the outstanding work of top North American architects and designers who create imaginative spaces that incorporate the innovative technical and aesthetic qualities of Italian ceramic and porcelain tile. Each year, an international jury of design experts reviews dozens of submissions from all over the continent and selects winners in four categories: residential, institutional, commercial and student.

After the successful introduction of a new student category in last year’s competition, with winners Raquel Raney and Brennan Broome from Florida International University, the jury will once again review submissions from design and architecture students who produce imaginative solutions using Italian ceramic 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 university in North America in order to be eligible.

In the three built categories – residential, institutional and commercial – projects can be domestic or international but must be designed by North America-based architects and designers, built or renovated between January 2014 and January 2019, and 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 multi-family housing and hospitality projects to outdoor spaces and façades. The jury’s official criteria includes: overall design of the project; aesthetic and technical quality of tile installation; degree to which the tile enhances the setting; and the project’s sustainable attributes.

Last year’s winners include: Studio Libeskind for their extensive use of self-cleaning and air-purifying tiles for a Berlin apartment building; a contemporary home that pays homage to its fire-stricken past by Ziger/Snead; and a prestigious Engineering School with a focus on sustainable design by ZAS Architects + Interiors.

Winners of the 2019 Tile Competition will be notified in March and officially announced at the Ceramics of Italy International Press Conference at Coverings – North America’s premier tile and stone tradeshow taking place in Orlando, FL from April 9-12, 2019. Built projects displaying the highest level of functionality, creativity, sustainability and aesthetic appeal are awarded a prize package that includes $3,000 cash, an all-expenses paid trip to Orlando, FL for Coverings to present their project, plus 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. An additional $1,000 will be awarded to the contractor/distributor team involved in each winning project. The winning student entry will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Orlando to present their project in front of a large audience of media, manufacturers and tile industry professionals at Coverings 2019.

The competition guidelines, online application and an archive of beautiful winning projects from the past 25 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 has been extended to February 6, 2019.