| Schedule |
| Time Frame |
URSA Awards Entry Form available online |
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Now and until
June 22, 2013 |
Official entry forms accepted for the URSA Awards Competition |
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| July 8 - July 31, 2013 |
First Round of Voting for category nominations. |
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| Aug. 12 - Sept. 9, 2013 |
Final Round of Voting to determine the URSA Major Award winner and accumulate more prize votes! |
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| October 1, 2013 |
URSA Awards announced in the October 2013 BearsandBuds' Online Teddy Bear Magazine. |
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| What are the URSA Awards? |
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? |
The URSA Major Award is presented to the person accumulating the most votes over all. URSA Major - Best Overall Award. |
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| Who can enter? |
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? |
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? |
No. Please, one entry per e-mail only. |
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| What if there are not enough entries in a category? |
The minimum entries in a category is 4. Should the category not fill then your bear/bud will be moved to another category, after notifying you, and the category will be eliminated from this years URSA Awards Competition. |
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| Does my bear/bud have to be available to sell? |
No, the bear/bud entered does not have to be for sale. |
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| Information required on the entry form. |
Entrant must provide the category choice, business and artist name, e-mail and web site address along with method of payment. Please include a 100-200 word description. |
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| How do I use the Online Entry Forms? |
Use online form and full in the blanks.
Do not send the entry form in a pdf file. Entry forms receive that are incorrectly submitted will be returned for corrections. |
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| How do I send my entries by regular mail? |
Print the URSA application. One application for each entry with professionally printed photos attached with a paper clip. Contestants can send multiple entries (by regular mail) in one envelop. |
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| How many bears/buds will compete in a category? |
Category limit is 20 entries. When the category is filled, your bear or bud will be placed in a similar category after notifying you. |
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| Can I enter the bear/bud I entered in past URSA Competitions? |
To keep the URSA Awards Competition fresh and interesting for our readers, we do not accept previously submitted bears/buds from past URSA Award Competitions. |
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| My entry has won in other competitions, can I still enter the bear in the URSA Awards Competition |
Yes, you can enter a winning bear in the URSA Awards Competition. The more awards a bear or bud receives, the more valuable it becomes to the collector and the artist.
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My entry has
two pieces. |
Most categories are limited to one piece. See the category list for which categories allow multiples pieces and props. |
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| Will my entries be accepted and seen? |
Every bear/bud entered is featured on the URSA voting pages during the first voting period. There is no jury. You entry will be seen by all voters. |
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| Tell me about "It's All The Same Pattern Category" |
The challenge is to make a bear, from the pattern provided and make it unique without any pattern modifications. See the requirements |
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| What is the Non-Member entry fee? |
$65.00 for first entry and $30 for each additional |
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| What is the Bears&Buds Artist Member Entry Fee? |
$30.00 each entry. |
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| How do I pay the entry fee? |
We accept PayPal, major credit cards, Money Orders and personal checks in US Dollars. |
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| I'm paying by check. |
Make check payable to:
Bright Star Promotions, Inc. |
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| Photo size requirements. |
Submit 3 photos with each entry. One large photo (500 pixels wide) and two smaller photos, (sized 245 pixels wide) and 72 dpi each.
Photo size examples. |
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| I don't know how to size the photos |
Send us the original photos and we will size and crop them for you. |
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| Words |
What words to use and what not to use. |
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| Can I use my logo in the photo? |
Photos must be only of a bear or bud without any names, logos or trademarks showing. No faded or rag edges nor any fancy frames. |
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| Who can vote? |
Every person entering Bears&Buds' web site can vote for their favorite bear in each category. Collectors, artists, general public, family and friends - everyone! |
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| Can I vote more than once? |
One vote per category only. The computer blocks multiple votes and our auditors monitor the voting daily for discrepancies. |
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| Vote Auditing |
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 discovered, the entry will be disqualified yet will remain in the competition without vote totals or any awards. |
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| If I don't have time to vote in all categories can I come back later and continue? |
Yes, the voting software will indicate whether you have already voted in a category and will not allow you to vote again in those categories but will allow you to continue from where you have left off. |
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| Why are the URSA Awards won by popular vote? |
Bears&Buds feels that our readers and collectors are the best judge of URSA bears and buds entries. All entries are show and voted on by our site visitors. There is no jury to eliminate entries or select bears/buds for the competition. |
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Read about the URSA voting |
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| I don't have many collector's eMail addresses now. |
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 on social networks, on your web site, mail postcards to your friends. Campaign is the keyword to this competition. |
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| I only have street addresses for my collectors |
We will design an URSA Awards announcement postcard which will be available online, sent to everyone one entering prior to the voting, to print and
mail to your collectors. |
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| What should be included in the description? |
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? |
Bears&Buds is read in 109 countries and thousands of viewers each month visiting our web site. The entries come from every continent making the URSA Awards a world wide competition event. |
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I have won.
My bear is in the finals.
Now what? |
When your entry appears in the Final's you are asked to write an acceptance speech and send your photo, preferably holding your entry, to be included on the announcement page. |
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| When will I receive my award? |
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? |
Yes! Cash cards and gifts are donated by our collectors, business associates and artists. They are assigned a value and are presented to the artists according to their vote totals. |
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I'm in the Finals.
Now what? |
If your bear/bud appears in the Final Round of voting, then you have won a prize, but not until the October announcement will you know what position. |
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You are in the Finals.
Requirements |
You are expected to submit a 'acceptance speech' along with your photo, preferably holding your winning bear, for the presentation pages. |
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| How long will the entries be featured? |
URSA Awards are spotlighted on Bears&Buds web site for several years. |
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Will there be a video presentation? |
Often 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? |
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. |
Upon winning the URSA Awards Competition each contestants will be sent a digital banner/logo to place on their web site, in their e-mails, on their stationary and on Facebook. |
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See all the Awards and Prizes |
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3428 Hillvale Road 
