CHILDESIGN surveys the whole of the designed world, with the exception of most toys and clothes, articulates the omnipresent, powerful influence that design and architecture exerts on the lives of children and families and acts to influence and inform both producer and user groups.

The First Annual CHILDESIGN Choice Awards will recognize design excellence in all categories, from product design to architecture, from designs that have already entered the marketplace to conceptual designs. The final selections will be used by CHILDESIGN, The National Center on Design for Children to define what "good design for children" really means and to educate the public about the attitudes and the processes most likely to create it. We will be looking at each product or project's aesthetic standard, functional capabilities and the sensitivity and respect it displays for the needs of children and the people who live and work with them.

Application Guidelines & Submission Forms will be available September 15th. Deadline for submission is November 12, 2004. Submissions will be reviewed and selections made on or before January 28, 2005.

The competition is open to all design professionals, in all design disciplines, as well as to the general public (user groups and nontraditionally-trained designers). All submissions must be accompanied by a completed Submission Form and Application Fee and must give credit to all who participated in the design's development, from earliest conceptual idea through to execution. Submission evaluation will be greatly enhanced by inclusion of support material: background research summaries, drawings, models, photographs, product prototypes or samples. Please note that no support material will be returned unless accompanied by return postage/ shipping fees, sufficient packing materials and return address labels and, in the case of large samples or models, unless arrangements have been made in advance with CHILDESIGN. Applicants are responsible for all costs.