Ernst & Young design awards

Accountancy group Ernst & Young has launched a competition to design and manufacture the trophies for its inaugural Entrepreneur of the Year award scheme. The competition is open to any designer who can carry the project through the manufacturing stage to its conclusion, with a budget of 25 000.

Entrants must send in creative and strategic concepts, together with materials and costings to The British Chambers of Commerce in London, by 31 March.

The spokeswoman denies the competition is just another way of holding a free pitch for creative work. The unsuccessful entrants will be allowed to keep elements of their creative work that do not incorporate the competition logo, she says.

“The awards have been imported from our US branch and we could have used the trophy designs they use,” says an Ernst & Young spokeswoman. “But we thought, for the same amount of money, it would be better to hold a competition and get some publicity – both for the award and for the winning designers,” she adds. The competition will use the existing US logo.

She says the trophy competition could see a student, freelance or consultancy designer teaming up with a manufacturer, or a client’s manufacturing and design team working jointly on the project.

The UK version of the Entrepreneur of the Year Award scheme will include regional awards.

“In all, we will need around 60 trophies for the award scheme, and it will then be up to the successful trophy designer to decide how many different trophy designs are needed,” adds the spokeswoman.