Designer Bookbinders International Bookbinding Competition 2022
In association with the Bodleian Libraries, Oxford, and supported by Mark Getty

RULES OF ENTRY

1. It is a stipulation of entry that the 1st prizewinning binding will be given by the binder to the Bodleian Library, and that the 2nd prizewinning binding will be given by the binder to the Getty Collection at Wormsley in Oxfordshire, UK.
2. The Registration Form and full payment of the entry fee must be received by 31 July 2021 at the latest.
3. The closing date for submission of bindings to reach the Bodleian Library is 27 August 2021 and bindings should arrive no earlier than 2 August 2021.
4. Work arriving after 27 August 2021 can only be considered for judging at the organisers’ discretion.
5. Registration fees are non-refundable.
6. Judging will take place during September 2021 and the Judges’ decision is final. Neither Designer Bookbinders nor the judges can enter into any correspondence.
7. The award ceremony and opening of the exhibition will take place in June 2022 and will coincide with a planned new event – a ‘Festival of Bookbinding’, which will be held at the Bodleian in Oxford. Dates will be communicated to all entrants in good time.
8. Entries not selected for exhibition will be returned to the binders after judging.
9. Registration Forms must be submitted with full payment by 31 July 2021. By submitting a Registration form, you agree to abide by the Rules of the Competition.
10. Your finished binding must arrive in Oxford by 27 August 2021. Neither your name nor any kind of identifying personal mark or symbol may appear on any part of your submitted binding.
11. Except for edge-gilding, all work submitted must be made entirely by the individual binder. Any binding made by more than one individual will not be accepted.
12. Size limitations:
    Maximum dimensions – 350mm x 350mm x 100mm
    Minimum dimensions – 100mm x 100mm x 10mm
13. Weight limitation:
    Maximum weight of the binding and its display box must not exceed 5 Kilograms.
14. Due to the space limitations of the showcases, any binding exceeding the maximum dimensions will not be considered.
15. Entry Forms and full details of where to send your binding will be sent to you with your submission number during April 2021. These Entry Forms must be completed giving a full description of your binding which will be used in the catalogue. Information must be typed in upper and lower case. However, if a binder needs to hand-write the form, capital letters must be used for legibility.
16. Entry Forms should be emailed to international.competition@designerbookbinders.org.uk and a hard copy should be included with your binding.
17. Binders are requested to make sure that the packaging used gives adequate protection in transit. On previous occasions some bindings have arrived damaged due to insufficiently robust packing. Binders must ensure that the book fits snugly in a bespoke box or slipcase and then packed with bubblewrap and placed into a sturdy double-walled cardboard postal box which can be reused to send back the binding. The final package should not exceed 600mm x 400mm x 300mm and the finished postal weight should not exceed 7 Kilograms.
18. Binders are responsible for insuring their work in transit to the delivery address in Oxford. The work will then be insured by Designer Bookbinders from the date it is received by the Competition organisers in Oxford to include the exhibition in Oxford, the exhibition tour and the return to the binder.
19. The organisers cannot handle any sales, but will be happy to pass on enquiries to the binder.
20. The Competition is open to all binders except the Board of Judges. The organisers and judges can submit work to be considered for exhibition, but cannot be eligible for a prize.

Your Privacy
In line with GDPR regulations, the DB International Competition 2022 takes your personal data very seriously. We only request necessary information to communicate with you in regard the running of the competition. Once the DB International Competition 2022 is completed, you may request us to not contact you regarding future competitions and remove your details from our database. We will only share your personal details with other organisations that are involved with business directly connected with the competition, for example: Bodleian libraries, courier services returning books, and insurance companies providing cover.

All binders are invited to submit their personal contact details for the catalogue. A separate signed form will be required in order for the publication to be compliant with GDPR. This will be sent to you in April 2021 along with the entry form to be submitted with your binding.

Covid-19
Due to the uncertainty of future events, please rest assured that everything will be done for the DB International Bookbinding Competition, prizegiving & exhibition to go ahead in the format intended. We will, however, respond to events as they happen and maintain adherence to local and national guidelines and regulations in order to operate safely.