Calling all young designers:  Gen Art’s 9th Annual International Styles Competition is now accepting submissions. Fashion darlings like Zac Posen and Rebecca Taylor launched their careers with the help of Gen Art, the leading national arts and entertainment organization, and you could be next.

Twenty-five budding young designers will be chosen to vie for more than $35,000 in cash prizes at the Styles 2007 Runway Show and Competition to be held on Wednesday, May 23rd at the landmark Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.  These 25 finalists will compete in front of a panel of celebrity judges, who in past years have included Nicole Miller, Diane Von Furstenberg, Betsey Johnson, Tim Gunn and Saks’ Michael Fink.

Gen Art’s Styles 2007 provides the fashion industry with its first opportunity to see the next generation of design talent before anyone else. The competition is known for being on the cutting-edge. It introduced the fashion world to many of its rising stars including Rodarte, Jeffrey Chow, Peter Som, Cloak, Duckie Brown, Obedient Sons, Sari Gueron, Project Runway’s Jay McCarroll. One of last year’s winners, Bruno Grizzo, used his $10,000 in prize money to create his first collection, which sold to Barney’s, was featured on the cover of WWD and in Harper’s Bazaar and selected to show at Gen Art’s Fresh Faces in Fashion. 

There are five categories: Women’s Ready to Wear, Menswear, Women’s Avant-Garde, Women’s Eveningwear, and Accessories. All entries will be reviewed by a selection committee of top editors, stylists and retail buyers who will meet to select the finalists on April 20th.

Perrier will also hold its sixth annual Perrier “Bubbling Under” Award in conjunction with the Gen Art Styles 2007 competition.  The Perrier Award is open to all emerging designers and fashion students in the United States and Canada .

Perrier is asking aspiring designers of tomorrow to visualize and create the “best design” concepts based around the theme: “POP.” Five finalists from this competition will be showcased in installations and video presentations at the Styles 2007 show.  Finalists will be judged during the event, and the winner will be chosen and announced that same evening and presented with a grand prize $10,000 check. The winner will also have the opportunity to create a single look from their sketch submission, which will then be featured at Gen Art’s “Shop Miami” event on June 15th.

The deadline for the open call for submissions in the Women’s Ready to Wear, Menswear, Women’s Avant-Garde, Women’s Eveningwear, and Accessories is March 30, 2007 and April 13, 2007 for the Perrier Bubbling Under Award for Design.

The Styles competition is being supported by Acura, the IN:NYC Card from American Express, New York Magazine and Perrier.

Important Dates:

MARCH 30th: Deadline for Styles submissions
APRIL 13th: Deadline for Perrier Bubbling Under entries
APRIL 27th: Finalists will be announced
MAY 23rd: Gen Art Styles show at Hammerstein Ballroom

To receive an application for any competition category, visit www.genart.org, email styles@genart.org or call 212.255.7300