Contest Entry Becomes Great Marketing

by Diana White.
(Upstate New York)

Even though it is tedious and time consuming I love using basket weave techniques in making jewelry. Last Winter I spent months working on two different bracelets using the same twining technique.

My goal was to have one that was good enough to submit to the Saul Bell competition run by Rio Grande. I succeeded in meeting that goal but the other bracelet I made also looked pretty good to me, not good enough for the Saul Bell but it had been a tough decision which to enter.

A couple of days after I put in my Saul Bell Submission, I ran across an announcement of the deadlines for entering the Fire Mountain Gems annual metals competition. On a lark I filled out an application, sent in pictures and then forgot all about it.

A few weeks later Fire Mountain sent a letter saying I’d made it through the initial judging but that to continue they would need me to send the bracelet so their judges could examine it up close. Now that was exciting for me, but I really didn’t think anything more would come of it. I anticipated that I’d get the bracelet back with a condolence letter or maybe an honorable mention.

This is the one I entered into the Saul Bell Competition. No word back from them at all, so I suspect I didn’t make the initial cut.

Instead I received a certificate saying I’d earned a Gold Medal award. My work is going to be in their gallery of winners on the site, and also in one of their brochures. It is possible it might even get published in an international jewelry magazine. I’m breathless just thinking about all the additional exposure my name and brand are going to get.

Lesson learned, jump on those whims. Submit your work to contests, you just might find yourself surprised by the results.

Diana White
Mockingbird Lane Wire at Etsy
Mockingbird Lane Wire on Facebook