Preparations have begun for the tenth annual Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors Young Designers’ Competition. The competition attracts students from schools across the U.S. vying for the prestigious awards. The competition highlights student talent in personal care packaging from seven elite academic institutions. Participating schools include: the American Academy of Art, Chicago, IL; the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL; the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM), Los Angeles, CA; the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, NY ; Miami International University of Art & Design, Miami, FL and Savannah College of Art & Design, Savannah, GA.
 
Three awards, totaling $5000 will be presented at a awards dinner on Sept. 10 (the second day of the Health & Beauty America Expo) in New York City at Twenty Four Fifth in New York City.  Five distinguished cosmetic industry professionals will serve as judges for the competition. They include: Laura Lee Miller, president of Vera Wang Licensing; Kenneth Noskin, president of Ideate; Gregg Lukasiewicz, president of Lukasiewicz Design Inc., Rick Prater, president of Rick Prater Design and Santo Fareri, president of SRF Design Ltd. Martha Brady, president/chief executive officer of Caudalie USA, will be the guest speaker at the dinner.

ICMAD’s Young Designers’ Competition, created in 1999, showcases the design talent in the category of personal care packaging. The goal of the competition is to encourage and develop young creative talent that will build the cosmetic industry in the future.  Judging criteria for packaging include uniqueness and ability to be reproduced economically.  
 
For information on the awards program, ICMAD or to inquire about sponsorship, call the office at 1-800-334-2623 or e-mail [email protected].