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URSA Awards Applications available online |
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| Now until June 21, 2010 |
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Official entry forms accepted for the competition |
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| July 1 - July 30, 2010 |
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First Round of Voting for category nominations. |
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| Aug. 9 - Sept. 9, 2010 |
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Final Round of Voting to determine the URSA Major Award winner! |
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| October 1, 2010 |
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URSA Awards announced in the October 2010 BearsandBuds' Online Teddy Bear Magazine. |
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| What are the URSA Awards? |
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The URSA Awards are a worldwide competition that feature exquisite and unique bears/buds created by teddy bear and soft sculptured artists. |
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| What is the URSA Major Award? |
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The URSA Major Award is presented to the person accumulating the most votes over all. Best Overall Award |
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| Who can enter? |
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The URSA Awards Competition is an International contest and is open to all teddy bear and soft sculpture artists from around the world. |
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| Can I enter my bear in several categories? |
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Only one bear/bud per category is accepted and you can enter other bears/buds in other categories. |
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| Can I send more than one entry in an email? |
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No. One entry per email please. |
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| Does my bear/bud have to be available to sell? |
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No, the bear/bud entered does not have to be for sale. |
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| Information required on the entry form. |
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Entrant must provide the category choice, business and artist name, email and web site address along with method of payment. Please include a 100 word or less description. |
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| How do I use the Online Entry Forms? |
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Cut, copy and paste the entry from into an email then complete all the information. Do not send in a pdf file.
Entry forms that we receive that are incorrectly submitted will be returned for corrections. |
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| How do I send my entries by regular mail? |
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Print the URSA application. One application for each entry with photos attached with a paper clip. Contestants can send multiple entries (by regular mail) in one envelop. |
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| Can I enter the bear/bud I entered in past URSA Competitions? |
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To keep the URSA Awards Competition fresh and interesting for our readers, we do not accept previously submitted bears/buds from past URSA competitions. |
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| My entry has won in other competitions, can I still enter the bear in the URSA Awards Competition |
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Yes, you can enter a winning bear in the URSA Awards Competition. The more awards a bear or bud receive, the more valuable it becomes.
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| My entry has two pieces. |
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Most categories are limited to one piece. See the category list for multiples pieces and props.. |
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| Will my entries be accepted and seen? |
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Every bear/bud entered is featured on the URSA voting pages during the first voting period. There is no jury. You enter and your bear art will be seen. |
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| What is the Non Member entry fee? |
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$65.00 for first entry and $30 for each additional |
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| Bears&Buds Members' Entry Fee? |
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$25.00 each entry. |
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| How do I pay the entry fee? |
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We accept PayPal, major credit cards, Money Orders and personal checks in US Dollars. |
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| I'm paying by check. |
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Make check payable to:
Bright Star Promotions |
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| Photo size requirements. |
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Submit 3 photos with each entry. One large photo 500 pixels wide and two smaller photos, sized 245 pixels wide and 300 dpi each.
Photo size examples. |
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| I don't know how to size the photos |
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Send us the original photos and we will size them for you. |
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| Can I use my logo in the photo? |
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Photos must be only of a bear or bud without any names, logos or trademarks showing. |
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| Who can vote? |
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Every person entering Bears&Buds' web site can vote for their favorite bear in each category. Collectors, artists, general public, family and friends! |
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| Can I vote more than once? |
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One vote per category only. The computer blocks multiple votes and our auditors monitor the voting daily. |
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| Vote Audit |
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Should the auditors find discrepancies in the voting totals, then the difference will be subtracted from the suspicious entry and their entry remain and monitored. Extreme irregularities the entry will be disqualified yet will remain in the competition without vote totals. |
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| If I don't have time to vote in all categories can I come back later and continue? |
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Yes, the software will indicate whether you have already voted in a category and will not allow you to vote again. |
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| Why are the URSA Awards won by popular vote? |
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Bears&Buds feels that the readers and collectors are the best judge of URSA bears and buds entries. All entries can be seen and voted on by everybody. By using a jury of experts will eliminate many from even being seen by all our readers. |
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Read about the URSA voting |
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| I don't have many eMail addresses now. |
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We suggest, as you sell your bears that you collect eMail addresses and save them for future contact and sales announcements. Post URSA voting notices in chat rooms, on your web site, mail postcards to your friends. Campaign is the keyword for this competition. |
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| I only have addresses for my collectors |
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We will design an URSA Awards announcement postcard which will be available online for your to print and send to your collectors. |
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| What should be included in the description? |
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First include the name of the bear/bud, followed by the size, fabric, special features, describe the costuming, and any unusual construction methods. |
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| Where are the URSA Awards seen? |
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Bears&Buds is read in 109 countries and thousands of viewers each month visiting the site. The entries come from every continent making the URSA Awards the only world wide competition.
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| When will I receive my award? |
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URSA Awards, ribbons and gifts are mailed within 2 weeks after the announcement appears in the October issue of Bears&Buds' Teddy Bear magazine. |
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| Are there cash awards and gifts? |
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Yes! Cash cards and gifts donated by our collectors, business associates and artists. They are assigned a value and are presented to the artists according to their vote totals. One gift per winning category entry. |
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| How long will the entries be featured? |
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URSA Awards are spotlighted on Bears&Buds web site for several years. |
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| Will there be a video presentation? |
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We compose a video featuring the URSA Winners and it will be posted on our web site and on www.YouTube.com |
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| What recognition will I receive? |
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The winners will be featured in Bears&Buds October Issue and in the Members Photo Gallery with 'winners' tag line. News releases are sent to all the major teddy bear magazines and to many of the local newspapers where the winners live. |
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| Banners and logos. |
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Upon winning the URSA Awards Competition each contestants will be sent a digital banner/logo to place on their web site, in their emails, on their stationary. |
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