NEWH - Spring 2019 - 38

SCHOLARSHIPS

Durkan's dscvr Competition Now Seeking
Submissions from Next Generation of
Hospitality Designers
Durkan, an industry leader in innovative, high-style, high-performance hospitality flooring
solutions, is now accepting artwork submissions for its dscvr Student Design Competition.
Sponsored each year by Durkan and NEWH, the contest identifies and exhibits emerging
designers' talent in the
hospitality field.
"dscvr is a wonderful
collaboration with NEWH
where we get to discover and
mentor the next generation of
hospitality design talent," says Elizabeth Bonner, Durkan's creative design director. "We're
looking for designers who can utilize their tools in the best way possible-submissions do
not have to be complex to be viable entries."
The dscvr competition is open to college students who are NEWH members. Designers
submit concepts for flooring in ballroom and prefunction settings that are created as
separate, but coordinating, components. Submissions are judged based on concept,
presentation, and market feasibility.
"dscvr keeps the industry moving with a fresh, young twist on design. It also makes
students think about the continuity of flooring design throughout a project," says Shelia
Lohmiller, NEWH, Inc. executive director. "The Durkan-NEWH partnership is key because it
molds together what students need most: opportunity, networking, experience, and funds
for college."
The top two submissions will be awarded trips to attend HD Expo in Las Vegas, where
one grand prize winner will receive a $2,500 scholarship from Durkan. A second-place winner will take home $1,000.
Brianne Brooks (pictured), Utah State University senior and 2018 grand prize winner, had never considered flooring design as a
career path before dscvr. "Being part of this contest, NEWH membership, and getting to go to HD Expo and meet different designers
while adding to my portfolio helped me make important connections," she says. "dscvr showed me something that I am good at, and I
encourage everyone to participate." Brooks' "Cosmo" design was inspired by space exploration and the contrast between colorful nebulae
and the dark void of the universe. Brooks used her scholarship to help with textbooks, tuition expenses, and LEED Green Associate
certification. She will graduate this May with an interior design degree and is considering a career in hospitality.
In the decade since its inception, dscvr has generated several
success stories, including Meg Turner, 2017 grand prize winner,
who now works for Durkan as a field designer. Her first carpet
collection, Symbiotic (shown), launched in December.
The deadline for all Durkan dscvr Student Design
Competition submissions is Friday, March 15th, 2019. Contest
resources including submission form, rules, eligibility, specific
design requirements and terms and conditions are available at
durkan.com/dscvr.

38 www.newh.org

http://www.durkan.com/dscvr http://www.durkan.com/dscvr http://www.newh.org

NEWH - Spring 2019

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