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ANNOUNCEMENT
7th Annual The Ugly Necklace Contest, 2009
A Jewelry Design Competition With A Twist

Yes, an UGLY Necklace Contest.   Here's your opportunity to show your design skills, your visual acumen, your senses and sensibilities.   Can you put together a well-designed and functional, yet UGLY, necklace?   The Seventh Annual The Ugly Necklace Contest for 2009 is offering a first prize of a $992.93 shopping spree on the Land of Odds web-site (www.landofodds.com), and a Runner-Up prize of a $399.07 shopping spree on the web-site.

We need photos!

Ugly Necklaces.  You've seen them!   Perhaps you've even worn them.  Perhaps you've been reluctant to tell someone that they were wearing an Ugly Necklace.  Perhaps you've hidden some of your own-designed Ugly Necklaces somewhere in your bead room or closet.   Perhaps someone you loved gave you a very Ugly Necklace.   Now's your chance to make something truly Ugly, and have great fun with it.   And even win a prize!

It’s Not Easy To Do Ugly!

Your mind and eye won’t let you go there. As research into color and design has shown, your eye and brain compensate for imbalances in color or in the positioning of pieces and objects – they try to correct and harmonize them. You are pre-wired to subconsciously avoid anything that is disorienting, disturbing or distracting.

Because of this, any jewelry designer who attempts to achieve “Ugly,” has to have enough control and discipline to override, perhaps overcome, intuitive, internally integrated principles of good design. Thus, the best jewelry designers will be those artists who can design the Ugliest Necklaces. We invite all those jewelry designers out there to give it a try.

Enter to Win!

Entering is easy.  Take three good color snapshots or scans of your necklace, and write a short poem about it.  You've got until March 15, 2009, to send your entry to Land of Odds, The Ugly Necklace Contest, 718 Thompson Lane, Ste 123, Nashville, TN  37204.

Entries will be judged by a panel from The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts.   These distinguished Beadwork and Jewelry Artist instructors will judge based on the hideousness of the necklace, its shape, color and use of materials, its functionality and wearability, how well the artist has shown an understanding of good design principles (and how to violate them) to achieve this "Ugly" end, and the quality of the accompanying poem.

From the entries submitted, up to 10 finalists will be selected.  Photos of their necklaces will be placed on the Land of Odds web-site.   Visitors to the web-site will be asked to vote for and evaluate these Ugly Necklaces.   The on-line votes will be tallied and combined with those the Panel of Judges at CBJA, in the selection of a winner. Based on these combined votes, a Grand Finalist and a Runner Up will be selected and awarded prizes.

In order to give you a head start, here are some poetic words that rhyme with "beads": 
leads, seeds, deeds, creeds, heeds, cedes, feeds, meads, needs, weeds, bleeds, reeds, supersedes, speeds, exceeds, breeds, Swedes, accedes, concedes, godspeed's, impedes, misdeeds, precedes, proceeds, recedes, succeeds.

And two words that rhyme with "jewelry": foolery, ullery.

You may view Official Rules on-line at www.landofodds.com.  [Continue scrolling down below.]   Or, you may obtain a copy of the Official Rules by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelop to Land of Odds, 718 Thompson Lane, Ste 123, Nashville, TN  37204.

You might also want to read our section on Commentary and Insights for Necklace Designers .

The Ugly Necklace Contest is an arena for budding and established beadwork and jewelry designers to strut their stuff – to show how adept they are at creating ugly-necklace-pieces-of-art. It’s a jewelry design competition with a twist.

THE OFFICIAL RULES

The Contest is open to residents of the United States, or any other country or locality, who are at least eighteen years old.   One entry per household.  Void where prohibited by law.   Photo Entries and accompanying poem must be submitted by mail to:   Land of Odds, 718 Thompson Lane, Ste 123, Nashville, TN  37204.  Please include the following information with your entry:

     a.  Name
     b.  Mailing address with zip code
     c.  Daytime Phone Number
     d.  Email address, if you have one
     e.  Dollar Value of Piece  (for insurance purposes)
     f.   Three photos of your Ugly Necklace, including

1. Photo showing it worn by someone
2. Photo of a closeup of either the entire necklace or a representative section of the necklace that is particularly ugly
3. Photo of a closeup of the clasp assembly
[NOTE: You may send additional photos or .jpg images, as well.]
[NOTE: Write your name on the back of each photo, or on each CD/DVD disk submitted]

    g. A listing of materials used in the necklace
    h. The accompanying Poem, (Don't forget to give your poem a Title), and
    i. Tell us where you first heard about The Ugly Necklace Contest
    j. Help us promote the contest and the on-line voting. List notification and press release resources that would help us promote your necklace, should you be chosen one of the 10 Semi-Finalists -- friends, other jewelry designers and artists, galleries, newspapers, magazines, community organizations and associations, arts commissions, teachers and faculty, on-line message boards, newsgroups, forums, websites, ezines, and the like. If possible, please provide as much of this information as possible: NAME OF SOURCE/RESOURCE, CONTACT PERSON, SNAIL-MAIL ADDRESS, WEBSITE, EMAIL ADDRESS

1.Submission Period and Eligibility
The contest begins on September 15, 2008.    All entries must be received by March 15, 2009.   The Contest is open to residents of the United States, or any other country or locality, who are eighteen (18) years of age or older.   The Contest is void wherever prohibited or restricted by law.   Employees of Land of Odds, Be Dazzled Beads, The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts, and The Open Window Gallery, and their immediate relatives are not eligible to participate.   Limit one (1) entry per household.   NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER.

Ugly Necklace submissions must be original works.   The ten semi-finalists will be required to provide their pieces to Land of Odds for publicity purposes.   [These pieces will be returned.   See below.]  These Ugly Necklaces may be any style of jewelry, made of any material, using any technique.   You can string beads on cord, bead weave with peyote, brick, loom or some other stitch, use glass, plastic, sterling, wood, macramé, wire, metal clay, polymer clay, casting, lampworking -- whatever approach and materials you want to use.

You may submit multiple images of the same piece, but only of this one particular Ugly Necklace.

You must submit hard copies of each required photo or scan of the piece.   You may submit a .jpg files on disk.  If submitting any .jpg files, please create these images at a minimum of 300dpi. Don't forget to write your name on the back of each photo submitted.

2.  Contest Criteria
All judges involved in the Contest will use the following jewelry design criteria:

HIDEOUSNESS:   The degree to which the artist makes the ordinary....noteworthy, and in the case of this Contest, UGLY.

SHAPE, COLOR, BALANCE, PROPORTIONS & USE OF MATERIALS:   How the artist has selected, mixed and placed shapes, colors, textures, patterns and materials to achieve UGLY. That is, the extent to which the artist violated accepted principles of good jewelry design.

CONTEXT:  How the necklace might relate to a wearer, or a particular context (present-day, historical or otherwise) in which the wearer might find herself.   Anticipating how or where the necklace might be worn.

UNIQUENESS OF DESIGN: Something especially clever in the design, and how the designer achieves both functionality and ugliness within the same piece.

QUALITY OF ACCOMPANYING WRITTEN ENTRY: Substantive and entertaining quality of the poem, particularly in how it demonstrates the artist's choices and intentions when designing her or his piece.

3.  Prizes
Land of Odds will award one (1) Grand Prize of a nine hundred ninety two dollars and ninety three cents ($992.93) on-line shopping spree on the web-site.   The Grand Prize Winner will be guaranteed $992.93 (total retail price) of merchandise from the web-site.  Land of Odds will award one (1) Runner-Up Prize of a three hundred ninety nine dollars and seven cents ($399.07) on-line shopping spree on the web-site.   The Runner-Up will be guaranteed $399.07 dollars (total retail price) of merchandise from the web-site.   Except as provided herein, winners may not substitute prizes.  Prizes are non-transferable and non-redeemable in cash.  Land of Odds reserves the right to substitute any prize with an equivalent prize or cash award of equal value.   Odds of winning depend on the number and quality of entries received and the discretion of the on-line voters and the judges in selecting entries according to contest criteria.  By accepting the prize, the Winner and the Runner-Up agree to release Land of Odds, Be Dazzled Beads, The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts, and the Open Window Gallery, and their agents and employees from any responsibility or liability for damages, losses or injury resulting from acceptance or use of any prize.   Federal, state and local taxes, or any international tariffs, taxes, fees and reporting requirements, if any, are the responsibility of the Winner and Runner-Up.   The Winner and Runner-Up will receive their prizes within thirty (30) days of executing the documents described below.   [On-line Land of Odds discount programs do not apply to these award totals.]

4.  Entries; Technical Difficulties
YOUR SUBMISSION OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOUR NECKLACE CONSTITUTES IRREVOCABLE PERMISSION TO LAND OF ODDS TO PUBLISH YOUR NAME AND THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF YOUR NECKLACE ON THE LAND OF ODDS WEBSITE AND IN ANY OTHER MEDIA THAT LAND OF ODDS MAY CHOOSE.   All photographic and written entries shall become the property of Land of Odds upon receipt and will not be returned.   Land of Odds is not responsible for any improperly delivered or damaged entries.   Land of Odds is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate entry information, regardless of cause.   If an on-line voter votes more than once, Land of Odds reserves the right to discard all of his or her votes.   Should viruses, bugs, errors, or other causes corrupt the administration of this contest, Land of Odds reserves the right, in its sole discretion to discontinue, suspend, cancel, or modify the Contest.   Land of Odds is not responsible for any damages resulting from use of its web site.

5.   Selection of Winners
The top up-to-ten semi-finalists will be selected on or shortly after April 15th, 2009.   The Grand Prize Winner and Runner-Up will be selected on or shortly after July 15, 2009.   Return of any prize or prize notification as undeliverable may result in disqualification and selection by the judges of an alternate winner, using the same contest criteria listed above.   If Land of Odds determines that there was fraudulent conduct in connection with a winner's entry or the on-line voting for that entry, the winner will be disqualified and an alternate winner selected.   All decisions by Land of Odds relating to the selection of the semi-finalists, grand prize winner, and runner-up shall be final and all entrants agree that by participating they are bound by the decisions of Land of Odds judges.   To obtain the names of the winners, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to The Ugly Necklace Contest Winner's List, Land of Odds, 718 Thompson Lane, Ste 123, Nashville, TN  37204 within thirty (30) days of the date that the winners are selected.

When voting closes, voting logs will be reviewed for any duplicate or otherwise illegitimate votes (for example, those from the same IP or email address), and these will be deleted. The on-line votes will be tallied and used to adjust the original votes of the Panel of Judges at CBJA, in the selection of a winner. The public's votes will weigh towards 25% of the final tally in selecting the Winner and Runner-Up.

6.  Submission of Original Pieces by Winners  
The top up-to-ten semi-finalists will be required to send their Ugly Necklace pieces to Land of Odds to be received by May 1, 2009.   High quality photo scans will be taken of these pieces, and be posted on the web-site.   These pieces will be displayed at The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts for 5 months from May 15, 2009 through September 15, 2009.  Each piece will then be returned to the respective semi-finalist.   Semi-finalists are responsible for the shipping and insurance costs of sending the piece to Land of Odds.   Each semi-finalist should include a typewritten and signed statement listing a value of the piece for insurance purposes.    While in possession at Land of Odds, Be Dazzled Beads, The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts, and The Open Window Gallery, these pieces will be insured by Land of Odds and kept in a locked display case.    While in shipping transit back to the semi-finalist, Land of Odds will pay for return shipping and insurance.

7.  Required Agreements
Winners must sign an Affidavit of Eligibility, Publicity/Liability Release, and Copyright Transfer Agreement or other documents required by Land of Odds related to publication of the semi-finalists', Grand Prize Winner's and Runner-Up's entry photos and poems. Failure to do so may result in disqualification and the prize being awarded to an alternate winner.

Summary of Key Dates:
Sep 15, 2008 thru Mar 15, 2009      Submit Entries with Photos, Poem, Personal Information
Apr 15, 2009                                     Selection of up to 10 semi-finalists
By May 1, 2009                               Must receive original necklaces from 10 semi-finalists
By May 15, 2009                             Posting Necklace Images of 10 semi-finalists on web-site for vote
Jul 15, 2009                                     Awarding Winner and Runner-Up with shopping spree prizes
May 15, 2009-Sep 15, 2009            Display of original necklaces from 10 semi-finalists
Sep 20, 2009                                    Return of necklaces to semi-finalists

About Land of Odds (www.landofodds.com)
and Be Dazzled Beads (www.bedazzledbeads.com )

At Land of Odds on-line, and accessible from everywhere, and at Be Dazzled Beads in Nashville, Tennessee, you can find one of the country's largest selections of glass beads, seed beads, delicas, semi-precious stone beads, cords, chains, filigrees, sterling silver components, earring findings, pin findings, clasps, charms, stringing supplies and more.

Land of Odds and Be Dazzled Beads provide the supplies you need for designing jewelry, decorating clothing and costumes, or enhancing furnishings and decorative accessories.   A visit with us on-line is a perfect opportunity to settle in with your computer, friends and family, have some fun, and indulge your shopping pleasures.   Each wonderful and imaginative alcove in our on-line shop is chock full of interesting "what-is" and "how-to" information and insights, as well as great selections of merchandise.

Land of Odds was founded in 1980 as a shop where antique lamps and furniture were restored.   We sculpted, detailed, painted, stained, carved, glued and did whatever it took to return an antique to its original beauty and luster.   Over time, our skills evolved, and so did our medium.    We opened a shop in downtown Nashville, selling a wide assortment of jewelry making supplies, gifts, jewelry, gourmet foods, and posters.   In 1998, we decided to turn Land of Odds into an internet-only business, specializing in jewelry making supplies.   We closed our downtown store, and opened Be Dazzled Beads 3 miles south of downtown Nashville.

Today, James Alfred Jones (James' signature name on his jewelry designs and lampwork beads) works with silver, bronze, copper, glass and semi-precious stones to create pins, earrings, bracelets, necklaces and objects d'art.   You'll find James' studio in conjunction with Be Dazzled Beads in Nashville.   Warren Feld manages the on-line and in-store operations for Land of Odds and Be Dazzled Beads.

The public is always welcome to come by.  

About the Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts
www.landofodds.com/beadschool/

The Center for Beadwork & Jewelry Arts was founded in 2000, and began offering classes in 2001.   The CBJA functions similarly to a school, in that classes are taken in a general order. Classes are offered for beadwork and jewelry arts, providing elective and progressive track courses for students at all levels of skill.   The CBJA is committed to offering a comprehensive range of bead and jewelry related course topics, from bead stringing and bead weaving to silversmithing, wire work, business classes, and fiber arts.

The CBJA is a different kind of school.  CBJA offers classes structured in a particular order, rather than just a collection of mini-workshops.   The CBJA uses a skills-based and developmental approach, rather than a project-based, mini-workshop approach to curriculum design.  That is, in designing courses and structuring a curriculum of courses, attention is paid to what set of skills should be taught, and in what order these should be taught.   The emphasis is more about, for example, teaching the control of thread and its tension in a stitch, or learning how to shape and use the structural tension of wire to make jewelry.   While every course uses a project in which to provide a context for applying skills, the outcome we are seeking is the learning of skills, not merely completing a project.

We have also tightly focused on the quality of instruction.   We believe that each class must present material in written, visual and oral forms.   All teachers are required to provide written instructions.   Written instructions have been pretested to improve clarity and usability.   Teachers are required to provide physical samples of the projects taught in classes.

We have tried to structure and interlink courses so that it becomes clearer for the student how best to develop his or her skills.   We have specified prerequisites, and progressive course pathways so that the students in any one class are more similar in their beadwork or jewelry making development abilities and needs.

Beadwork and jewelry-making are not only crafts, but arts, as well.   As art, they have definable sets of interrelated skills which can be taught, creatively applied, and further developed.   These skills can be used to create and enhance color, shape, texture, sensibility, perception, sensuousness and emotion.   They can be applied to bring meaning, cognition, culture, connectivity and wisdom to a situation.   They can be used to create the tangible from the intangible, and the object from nothingness.   The skills of combining materials of physical and/or esthetic wealth into wearable art forms and adornment -- this is jewelry making.

Beads, wire, jewelry findings -- they bring visual and tactile feelings and thoughts to life in the objects we create from them.   There is a sense of awe and power, esthetic feeling and historical connection.   The CBJA develops and educates its students, through its elective and progressive track courses, for joining the professions of beadworking and jewelry-making, and expanding their horizons.

About The Open Window Gallery - Fine Art Jewelry
www.landofodds.com/store/openwindowgallery.htm

The Open Window Gallery showcases the works of bead and jewelry artists, both local and worldwide. These artists work with glass and vintage glass, fused and lampworked glass, gemstones, shells and other natural materials, sterling silver, gold-filled and 14KT, among other materials.

These artists create wonderful and imaginative pieces, using extraordinary materials in exciting ways. These artists guarantee the quality of their work.

Art Gallery Worldwide -
A lot of artworks in different styles and media.
Website offers a wide variety of features and
services that enable customers to buy and sell their art.
See their section on Jewelry As Art.

Absolute Arts
The largest marketplace for contemporary art,
art news, research, art gallery and artist portfolios.
Click on "Browse The Arts" and search on "Jewelry".

The Electronic Cottage Gallery
Your Direct Connection for the Purchase of Original Fine Art
and Handmade Craft From Over 1000 Acclaimed Artists & Craftspeople!

CreatorsOutlet
CreatorsOutlet is a unique internet marketplace
bringing together people who value handcrafted
work with those who create it. We offer you
products that reflect the talent and passion
born of the creative spirit. You are invited to join this
community where creativity is celebrated.
Browse, shop, pass it on, grow with us.

The Ugly Necklace Contest
- A Jewelry Design Competition With A Twist
http://www.landofodds.com/store/uglynecklace.htm

All Dolled Up: Beaded Art Doll Competition
http://www.landofodds.com/store/alldolledup.htm

Jewelry Design Workshops in Cortona, Italy
http://www.toscanaamericana.com/

The Open Window Gallery – Fine Art Jewelry
http://www.landofodds.com/store/openwindowgallery.htm

Center For Beadwork & Jewelry Arts
Skills-based learning for beading and jewelry making
http://www.landofodds.com/beadschool
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/beadschool
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/beadstudy

Be Dazzled Beads
http://www.bedazzledbeads.com

Subscribe to our sales and specials
email notifications at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/landofodds

LAND OF ODDS -  The South's Most Unusual Shop
      On-line at http://www.landofodds.com
BE DAZZLED -- the physical store at:
      718 Thompson Lane, Ste 123
     Nashville, TN  37204
Phone:  615/292-0610; FAX:  615-460-7001
Email:   oddsian@landofodds.com

COPYRIGHT 2007 Warren S. Feld