One hundred entries have been shortlisted after the first round of a prestigious gold design competition in the Arab world.

AuDITIONS Arabia is being organised by the World Gold Council (WGC) and Hammer Group.

The designs were selected out of almost 10,000 entries submitted by 1,000 participants from across the Arab World.

The judging was based on a set of criteria, which gives premium to visually appealing design, innovation in the use of gold as the main material and compliance with the contest theme.

The competition received entries from Arab and non-Arab designers living in the Middle East - amateurs and professionals alike.

The organisers ensured that all participants received equal opportunity irrespective of their technical capabilities. The top 100 designs selected in the first judging session were from a diverse mix of nationalities including Egyptian, Saudi, Emirati, Indian, Syrians, Jordanian, Moroccan, Sri Lankan, Algerian, Yemeni, Libyan, Bahraini, Iraqi, Lebanese, Kuwaiti, Palestinian, Filipino and Tunisian.

Organisers will now select the top 30 designs.

Hammer Group – the official partner for AuDITIONS Arabia – will manufacture the top 30 designs within the next two months. Following this, a second judging session will take place in mid-October where some of the most prestigious and well-known jewellery designers in the Arab World will be invited to pick the five final winners.

The names of the final winners, however, will only be announced during the Grand Finale Award Ceremony in November 2008.

AuDITIONS Arabia was launched in January with the last call for entries set for March 2008. However, due to popular demand and many requests from participants, the deadline was extended until end of April.

Participants were required to submit original designs incorporating their vision and innovation. – Trade Arabia News Service