Voting On For Mannington's First Carpet Champ

Voting is open online at the company's website or Facebook fan page.

Nicholas Tamarin -- Interior Design, 5/14/2009

Feeling a bit judgmental? If so, this is your one-month call.

Mannington Commercial, the Calhoun, Georgia-based flooring manufacturer, is now in the final stages of accepting online votes in its first-ever Tx:style Design Challenge, a competition dedicated to designers with less than seven years of experience behind the blueprints.

Voting closes on June 16 at 12:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, continuing through the first day of NeoCon World's Trade Fair 2009, where samples by the contestants will be displayed in the manufacturer’s Merchandise Mart showroom, and the grand prize winner feted at a reception. The victor bags $7,500 in prize money, but perhaps more significantly, the winning carpet design will swing into full production as part of the Mannington Commercial line.

The competition began in February, when more than 250,000 voters cast virtual ballots and chose six finalists out of the 440 entrants, most between the ages of 23 and 30. Mannington has since worked with the six finalists to develop patterns, manufacture product, and create coordinated colorways.

In addition to voting through the official awards web site, the design community’s social media enthusiasts can also log on to Mannington's Facebook fan page to help choose the grand prize winner.

 
"Tread Lightly" by Claire Weiss

 
"Pintuck" by Megan Blaine

 
"Squareberry" by Meagan Webb

 
"Buy That Fish A Drink" by Heather Miller

 
"eXposed" by Amberlee Isabella

 
"One Sided" by Danielle Tipton