Have a new idea for an appealing tool you can hold in one hand – and manufacture in Erie?
Ifso – and you live in northwestern PA – SAM & ED are looking foryou. They want you to enter your product design in Innovation Erie, abrand development competition created to highlight and stimulate theregion’s talent for making distinctive consumer products.
“SAM” & “ED” are the acronyms for the collaborating disciplines represented by the informal coffee klatch of individuals from about 13 organizations committed to regional development who dreamed up the competition. They intend for the competitors to draw upon science, art, and manufacturing as well as engineering and design for the product proposals.
John Vanco, Director of the Erie Museum, where the competition will be presented to the public, says that the sponsors want to foster a multidisciplinary collaboration among talented individuals who don’t always find paths to cross between various sectors of the regional economy – such as Erie’s large group of plastics manufacturers and the 60 or so artists on the faculty of Edinboro University.
The goal for the competition, being planned as an annual event, is to build brand recognition for distinctive products manufactured in the Flagship City. Deadline for submissions to the first Innovation Erie competition is March 2, 2009. Semi-finalists will be invited to present exhibitions of their design for public display at the Erie Art Museum during the months of May and June.
A grand prize of $1,000 and in-kind product development and business planning services valued at $7,000 will be awarded. Best in Show and 3 First Place Winners will also be chosen – and awarded in-kind services – on June 27. A list of sponsors, prospectus and application are available on the web at Innovation Erie.
Source: Innovation Erie, John Vanco
Writer: Joseph Plummer
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