The venue is once again the Design Podium of inhorgenta europe; registration is open to exhibitors from hall C2 from November until early December 2008 at www.inhorgenta.com.    
 
Young jewelry designers in particular consider the innovation award, complete with an endowment of € 2,000, a very important honor due to its positive reputation throughout the industry. Receiving this award often provides a jump start into the international jewelry market. Entries are evaluated by a jury consisting of designers, professors from well-known design institutes, as well as art, fashion and media representatives. A special exhibition at the Designer’s Avenue in hall C2 showcases a preliminary selection of the best submissions. Later on, the panel of experts selects the four annual winners.
 
Friederike Schürenkämper, one of the winners of the Innovation Award in 2008, won over the tough jury thanks to the sculptural character of her designs. The gentle colors, captivating aesthetics, and technical quality of her rings fascinated the jury, as they all showed the ideal way how to attempt the creation of a personal expression. This culminated in unusual pieces of jewelry, hinting at the groundwork of the design process and showing the final result at the same time. “Winning the Innovation Award had an enormous boosting effect on my confidence as a designer and on my work in particular. The attention it generated not only brought me new contacts from all over the world, but also a number of commissions,” says Schürenkämper.
At inhorgenta europe 2008, 166 jewelry designers, among them seven silver smiths, submitted their pieces to the Design Podium. Four female designers received the 2008 Innovation Award: in addition to Friederike Schürenkämper, the honorees included Claudia Hoppe, Kathleen Hennemann, and Isabell Schaupp. The Honorary Silver Award was presented to Nilton Alves Cunha from Brazil. Susanna Loew received the newly created Platinum Design Award.
 
Armin Wittmann, Project Manager for inhorgenta europe, believes that the Innovation Award is proof of the trade show’s exceptional design competence. “The Innovation Award and the special concept of hall C2 as ‘hall of designers’ complement each other,” says Wittmann. “Both cultivate the extraordinary innovation power and creativity of the jewelry industry.” From February 20th to 23rd, 2009, inhorgenta europe will once again present an impressive showcase of the power of modern jewelry design. More than 300 exhibitors from all over the world are expected to participate. Exhibitors range from young, unconventional jewelry designers, leading international craftspeople and their companies, to famous designer labels.