based on the three mechanical products pulley, clamp, and caster, future perfect is curating an ICFF show called ‘lift hold roll’. utilize any of these and submit your work. more info at the future perfect blog.

takata lemnos, a japanese company, is running a competition for clock and product designs to add to their product line.

chicago’s object design league is seeking submissions for worth your salt, a pop-up shop running from november 27th to december 11th.

apartment therapy announced its 2009 design showcase: "a call for great, new designs by independent and student designers that promise to make our homes more beautiful and inspiring places to live."

6 finalists will be given a chance to feature their design and themselves on a blog post at the site in september, two final winners will be awarded $20k worth of ad placements.

the iF product design award is open for its 2010 competition.

businessweek has a slideshow on the 2009 winners of the ‘plagiarus award’.

action plagiarius "grants this negative award at the annual ambiente trade fair, given to manufacturers and distributors found guilty of making or selling ‘the most flagrant’ (design) imitations. … the aim of action plagiarius is to inform the public about the extent, damages and dangers incurred by fakes and plagiarisms."

some of the knock-offs are truly unbelievable, with not the smallest attempts to add or change any design details to hide their origin. and of course, several pieces that solely copy the outer appearance, while choosing cheaper or non-effective materials for the actual construction. and that’s without even mentioning the disregard for all the work and intellectual efforts that went into designing the original pieces.

in it’s 24th year, the doug mockett design competition is open again. looking for entries in the areas of furniture parts, components, accessories, and hardware, with a first price award of $1000 plus royalties.

a competition by british retailer selfridges:

… what will the future hold in 2109? … come and peruse our fantastic alphabet of the future, an a-z of products that selfridges may sell in another 100 years … each letter represents a different product that you might find in-store, however, the letter X is missing. can you think of what the letter X could represent in a century? …