# 3D Printing > 3D Printing in Education >  Future Aesthetics: Sparkon Global 3D-Printing Design Competition

## lc0202

*Competition Summary* 
·       Sparkon Global 3D Printing Design Competition aims to provide a globalized, designer-to-customer platform that enables every designer to compete with other renowned designers. Currently, Sparkon Global 3D Printing Design Competition has gained support from more than 30 well-known institutions and academies from nine countries. 
·       Sparkon believes that 3D printing is not only a revolution of production, but also a liberation of design. 3D printing frees design from the limitation of production and transportation. From now on, the model in a designers’ desktop can appear in someone’s home on the next day. We believe that 3D printing will redefine the aesthetic of the future through its unique characteristics, and lead us to an irresistible future. 
·       Sparkon Global 3D Printing Design Competition advocates the seamless connection between design concept and market application. After publishing the result and presenting awards, all qualified works will offer for sale globally through this platform. Designers can formulate and decide the price of their own designs, and will obtain fees based on the sale volume. Sparkon will be responsible for printing and sending the finished product to the costumers. Through diversified channels, including more than 100 cooperating domestic and overseas media, the success and excellence of the winners will be spreaded to the world.

*Eligibility*
·       This competition welcomes works and designs from worldwide designers, institutions, and students. 
·       Submissions must meet the requirements of this competition, and must be finished within three years from the current year (2016)
·       In order to ensure participants’ interests and benefits, judges or organizers reserve the right to alter submission’s belonging category. 

*Competition Agenda* 
·       Submissions will be accepted from now until 12p.m. (Eastern Standard Time of the United States) May 3rd, 2016. Participants can register and submit designs through the official website of the competition. 
·       From April 15th to May 11th, 2016, qualified submissions will be displayed and accept votes from worldwide visitors on Sparkon Competition’s official website. Selected submissions will be updated once a day.
·       On May 13th, 2016, competition results will be announced online. Awards will be presented in China International Exhibition Center in Beijing. 
·       All qualified designs will be on sale globally after the competition. Designers will be further rewarded based on the sales of their designs (competition organizer will negotiate the pricing with all finalists).

*Criteria* 
·       The process of evaluating submissions will abide by a stringent standards, and mainly considering the flowing criteria:

Function: submissions must be focused on certain details or problems of daily life.Aesthetics: submissions must have distinctiveness reflecting the character of 3D print, and show designers’ exploration to future aesthetics.Craftsmanship: submissions must display the unique advantages of 3D printing production. We expect the designs that have high manufacture cost or high difficulty in a traditional production process, but are cheaper and easier to fabricate through 3D printing.Innovation: submissions should break, enhance, or reinvent the property of certain objects.Economy: submissions should have high cost performance, which means using as less printing materials as possible and can be print efficiently.
·       The above criteria are the guidance of reviewing. Judges will adopt this guidance and further evaluate each submission with their own professional perspective. 

*Rules of Selection:*
·       Primary selection: all of the submissions that meet the requirement of the competition will be able to accept votes on the official website and achieve finalist award.
·       Public voting: the top 35 submissions that obtain the most votes will achieve honorable mention. 
·       Final selection: judges will evaluate each submissions that achieve honorable mention, and the submissions that receive the best score by judges will achieve the Best Individual Designer Award. Other honorable mention designs will be ranked through 50% of vote + 50% of judge’s score. Designs that rank the highest in each category will achieve the Best Design Award in each category. 

*Awards*
·       The Best Individual Designer (1): 2000 USD
·       The Best Design (4)

Lamp (1): 1000 USDHome (1): 500 USDDecoration/Game (1): 500 USDJewelry (1): 500 USD
·       Honorable Mention (30)
·       Finalist Award: designs will have the qualification to put on sale in a global base. 

*Categories*
·       Lighting

Table lamps compatible with standard parts
·       Home

Dining, drinking, vases, cases, boxes, .etc
·       Decoration/Game

Decorations, sculptures, toys, chess or go pieces, dice, key chains, .etc
·       Jewelry 

Necklaces, rings, pendants, bracelets, earrings, pins, cufflinks, .etc

*Model Requirements*
·       Watertight 

Watertight means closely sealed without any leaks. Your 3D model must have a complete boundary. If the model cannot meet this requirement, then the design will not be able to print. You can utilize some software to check whether your model.
·       Manifold

Your model can only consist volume, not lines or drifting surfaces. If a 3D model contains multiple sufaces sharing one edge, then it is non-manifold.
·       Overlaps

Your model should not contain overlaps and crossing volumes.
·       Hollow

For the purposes of minimzing cost and increasing printing speed, designs must be hollow.
·       Wall thickness 

The minimum wall thickness of a 3D model is 2mm.
·       Details

No lines should be less than 1mm. No surface detail should be less than 0.2mm.
·       Moving part

All moving parts or joints must have a 0.5mm gap in between.
·       Tips

Sharp tips should be greater than 20 degrees.
·       Aperture

Diameter of holes should be greater than 1.5mm.
·       Self-inspection

Participants must examine designs according to the above requirements before submitting. Nonprintable design will not be selected.
·       Notes on lamps

The model of the lamp should be able to contain a cylinder (180mm in height and 120mm in diameter) inside for light bulb, and a hole of 10mm in diameter on the bottom edge to allow the wire out.

*Material Options*


Price/g (RMB)
Dimensional limit (mm)
 Detail
 Surface
  Strength


PLA
1
500x500x800
   3
Rough
        5


Xylon PLA
1.5
500x500x800
   3
Rough
        3


Photosensitive Resin
3-6
600x600x300
   5 
Smooth
        3


Nylon
8
400x400x600
   5
Modest
        5


Sandstone
6
250x380x200
   3
Modest
        1


Porcelain
1/square cm (surface)
125x125x200 
   3
Smooth 
        4


Paraffin
5-10
100x100x100
   5
Smooth
        1


Metal
2-10
85x85x100
   4
Modest
        5











*Application range* 

Lighting 
Home
 Decoration/Game 
Jewelry


PLA


       O



Xylon PLA


       O



Photosensitive Resin 

   O
       O
     O


Nylon
    O
   O   
       O



Sandstone
    O

       O



Porcelain

   O
       O



Paraffin

   O
       O



Metal

   O  
       O
     O











*Submission Requirements* 
·       Basic information file

Fill the application form in the attachment, and rename the file by the participant’s name
·       Model file 

.stl format, check before submit, must be 3D-printableNaming: participant’s name_design name, e.g. johndoe_moonlamp.stl
·       Images

5-8 renderings or finished product images. Use different angles or textures to present the design.jpeg format, image size: 1200*800Name: participant’s name_design namenumber, e.g. johndoe_moonlamp3.stl
·       Submission materials must be sent as attachments through email, to sparkon@gmail.com

Subject of email: Last name, First name + subsidiary organization, e.g. John Doe + University of California, Berkeley
·       The name, initial or any other hint of the participant should not appear in the model or images.

*Intellectual Property*
·       According to relevant laws and regulations, for participants who submit designs voluntary, competition organizers consider that they have accept terms as following:

Originality statementParticipating subjects should submit designs that have independent and complete copyright. Designs should not violate the copyright, patent, portraiture right, etc. of third party. Participating subjects must be responsible for everything about the copyright issue of the design submission. If there is any legal dispute, participating subject must undertake the responsibility, and organizers will assumes no responsibility.Intellectual property ownershipParticipating subjects reserve the intellectual property and the right of paternity of their submissions. Organizers reserve the right of exhibiting, publishing, communication through network, assembling, etc. each submission. Organizers reserve the right to adverse, publish, release, produce, sell, display, exhibit, etc. each submission.
·       Organizers reserve the right to interpret each closure from this proclamation.
·       Competition strictly prohibit plagiarize and infringement act. If find, we will cancel one’s eligibility immediately. 

*Competition's Official Website:* sparkon.kbstreet.com

*Contact Information*
·       Organizing committee in the United States 

Address: 2275 Huntington Dr. # 162, San Marino, CA 91108Telephone: (1) 626-569-8238Email address: sunny@rechargeasia.com
·       Organizing committee in China 

Address: 7 floor, Haizhichuangtou Building, Haidian district, BeijingTelephone: (8610) 52291557Email address: sparkon@gmail.com


*Application Form* 
·       Personal information 

Participant’s Name (as same as official identification)Participant’s Introduction (resume or personal characteristics; showing your distinctiveness or uniqueness; within 300 characters)Residence CountrySubsidiary Organizations or InstitutionTelephoneEmail
·       Design Information 

Name of the Design: within 40 characters.Category: choose one category from Lighting, Home, Jewelry and Decoration/Game.Design Description: design concept, idea, story, etc. Within 120 words.Materials: can specify more than one material
·       If you have more than one design and would like to submit, please fill out the design information separately.

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## curious aardvark

> Submissions must meet the requirements of this competition, and  must be finished within three years from the current year (2016)
> ·       In order to ensure participants’ interests and benefits, judges  or organizers reserve the right to alter submission’s belonging  category. 
> 
> *Competition Agenda* 
> ·       Submissions will be accepted from now until 12p.m. (Eastern  Standard Time of the United States) May 3rd, 2016. Participants can  register and submit designs through the official website of the  competition. 
> ·       From April 15th to May 11th, 2016, qualified submissions will be  displayed and accept votes from worldwide visitors on Sparkon  Competition’s official website. Selected submissions will be updated  once a day.


What does the three year thing mean ?

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## Geoff

Hmm not sure, my spidey sense is tingling on this one.

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## awerby

At least they're not asking for an application fee...

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## lc0202

Thanks for replying the thread! 
Actually the "three year" thing doesn't matter. You can submit any project in your hand or you can make a new one that meets the requirement.

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## ralphzoontjens

Spidey sense tingling hard...

I worked for over 2 days on this, submitted and heard nothing back - I also can't find their website or any results. Has anyone heard about this?

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## ralphzoontjens

I am still wondering what happened to this contest.

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## awerby

So you sent a bunch of great designs for consumer items off to China, and are wondering what happened to them? Have you checked AliBaba?

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## ralphzoontjens

I have now accepted that all this work got absorbed into China..

If anyone sees it anywhere drop me a PM.

It is the TYZ light design on my page here: http://designsoul.nl/generativedesign.shtml

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## MichaelRice

We?re a gaggle of volunteers and beginning a modern scheme in our network.

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