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URSA Awards Applications available online |
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| Now until June 7, 2008 |
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Entry forms accepted for the competition |
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| July 1 - July 30, 2008 |
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First Round of Voting for category nominations. |
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| August 14 - Sept 14, 2008 |
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Final Round of Voting to determine the category winners and the URSA Major Award |
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| October 15, 2008 |
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URSA Awards announced and presented |
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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. |
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| Who can enter? |
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The URSA Awards are an International competition 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 and paste the entry from into an email then complete all the information. |
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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 all their 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 two pieces. |
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Most categories are limited to one piece and a small accessory.Enter 2 pieces in Category 11. |
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| Will my entries be accepted and seen? |
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Every bear/bud is featured on the URSA voting pages during the first voting period. |
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| What is the Non Member entry fee? |
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$60.00 for first entry and $30 for each additional |
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| Bears&Buds Members' Entry Fee? |
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$20.00 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 300 dpi 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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| 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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| 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 that 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 that 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 print and will mail each contestant about 20 URSA Awards announcement postcards, to mail to their collectors. Contestants can request up to 100 postcards extra. Deadline for ordering more posstcards is September 1, 2008 |
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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 107 different countries and thousands of viewers each month visiting the site. The entries come from every continent making it 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 on October 14, 2008 |
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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 with the most votes. 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 2 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 YouTube.com |
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| What recognition will I receive? |
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The winners will be featured in Bears&Buds November 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 for the URSA Awards to place on their web site, place in their emails, on their stationary. |
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3428 Hillvale Road 
