HIGH POINT , N.C. — Nine textile design students have won the 2007 Virginia Jackson Design Awards for their entries in the annual competition sponsored by the International Textile Market Association’s Educational Foundation. The awards are given in three categories: jacquard, print and dobby.

Winning designs were selected from 40 entries received from five colleges and were judged based on aesthetic form, ability to be manufactured, and applicability to furniture products.

The winners in the jacquard category:

1st Place, Soo-Youn Kim, Rhode Island School of Design; 2 nd Place (tie): Bertha Sun, Rhode Island School of Design and Janice Chow, Rhode Island School of Design; Honorable Mention: Jae Seok Lee, Philadelphia University.

The winners in the print category:

1st Place, Shinby Lee, Philadelphia University; 2nd Place, Jae Seok Lee, Philadelphia University; Honorable Mention, Suzanne Kratzer, North Carolina State University.

The winners in the dobby category:

1st & 2nd Place, Adam Miller, Rhode Island School of Design; Honorable Mention (tie), Regina Cuce, Philadelphia University and Lindsey Baker, Philadelphia University.

The purpose of the annual competition is to recognize talented design students and to showcase their work to ITMA member companies, most of which produce textiles for the home furnishings industry.

First-place winners receive an all-expense paid trip to attend Showtime, June 3-6, 2007, where they will accept the awards and their designs will be displayed. Winners and their schools also receive monetary prizes.

“We are encouraging textile ITMA Member companies to set up appointments to review the students’ portfolios,” said ITMA Director Catherine Morsell. Appointments can be scheduled by calling the ITMA office at 336-885-6842.

The schools that participated in the competition are: North Carolina State University, Philadelphia University, Rhode Island School of Design, Savannah College of Art and Design and first-time participant University of Nebraska.

The judges were Sara Gray, design consultant; Erica Youngelson, American Decorative Fabrics; Wesley Mancini, president of Wesley Mancini Ltd.; Kim Grimsley, Tietex Interiors; Allison Hocker, Tietex Interiors; and Laura Levinson, Valdese Weavers Inc.

The award is named for the late Virginia Jackson, a longtime textile industry professional who was instrumental in organizing the competition.

Founded in 1990, The ITMA is a non-profit trade association, consisting of representatives from mills, converters, tanneries and trimming manufacturers that supply decorative coverings for the home furnishings industry. In December and June, the ITMA produces Showtime, the largest textile market in the United States.

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