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Love Momiji is hosting a fun Momiji doll couture contest. Momiji are Japanese message dolls, like the ones shown above, and each one has an opening in its base for a secret message. The contest rules are pretty broad, allowing for maximum creativity. They're looking for one-off, fabric Momiji dolls using a combination of crafty methods: weaving, printing, knitting, embroidery, whatever flavor you choose. Entries will be judged on "overall wow-factor as well as skill and craftsmanship." The deadline is October 30th. The ten finalists will be exhibited at Royal /T in Los Angeles, and the winner will be featured in Selvedge magazine. All the details you need, including templates, are at Love Momiji's contest page. I love this line: "Our aim is to create a catwalk of exquisite Momiji dolls which show off the skill and flair of textile artists around the world."
These are adorable. They remind me of It's a Small World in Disneyland. Thanks for sharing.
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The links (and website) don't seem to be working, can we download a template elsewhere?
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Hello,
It’s Claire from Momiji here. I just wanted to give some feedback on the comment from Anonymous.
What they’ve said isn’t correct. It has been taken out of context with the whole paragraph. The only rights that are transferred to Momiji relate to the specific doll that is submitted. There is no implication that a whole style is assigned to us and there are no legal grounds for that to be so. Each work of art has its own intellectual property rights associated with it. What needs to be understood though is that the Momiji style is owned by us. The competition does have some rules that protect both Momiji and the artist.
We have built the Momiji brand by working with young, sometimes unknown artists. We love working with new talent and as our brand grows it’s great to be able to give them more of a global platform and spread the word about what they do. We hope that the Couture Contest will be another opportunity to work with and promote new artists.
The idea of the competition is that the entrants draw inspiration from our Momiji concept (a look and style which we have.) We hope those who enter will have some fun with our brand and take the opportunity to apply their creative interpretation to what we do, using a different medium.
If you read the whole of the Terms & Conditions you’ll see that it states “At this time it is not Momiji’s intention to take the submitted designs forward for mass production, however if particular entries are suited to this Momiji will discuss this as a separate project with the designer and remuneration for this would be agreed.” We would never sell an artist’s design without agreeing payment with them.
We know how it feels to be copied and ripped off. We hate it. It’s not what we’re about. We wanted to be sure that the terms and conditions were fair to everyone. If anyone has any questions we’ll be really happy to answer them.
Finally, I just want to say that the reason we have stated we won’t be able to return dolls is that we hope this contest will evolve and that we’ll be able to display all or some of the entries around the world in different art spaces of galleries. The idea is that they will form their own little story in the history of the Momiji brand.
I hope this helps. Do get in touch if you’d like further information on anything.
Thanks to everyone who has sent us positive feedback on the contest. We can’t wait to see your ideas!
Claire
claire@lovemomiji.com
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hmm, some dodgy terms and conditions. even for a plush "show" competiton.
you have to actually send them the actual finished object , of which only 10 will actually be chosen for display.
from the T and C
"entries cannot be returned"
"by entering the competition all entrants agree to waive and transfer all property rights and grant sole ownership of the property to artforum in perpetuity"
so if you're an artists and want to make something in your own signature style, be aware, you may lose your own design rights.
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Hello! I've worked with Momiji for many years and I can absolutely vouch for their integrity as a company. The T&C extract is a standard line that comes up in virtually every contest I've entered in the past. When I was first approached by Momiji, I was amazed at the freedom I got to develop my own style through the Momiji brand. The same concept is applied to this contest; it's about how designers can interpret the Momiji doll in their own style rather than 'losing' your rights to anything.
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