Women in Outdoors have come a long way. We evolved from sneaking out and climbing mountains and walls in long skirts, our victories unsung and stories untold .... to having an AWARD for WOMEN'S GEAR.
Who can apply?
All sporting goods manufacturers that have their headquarters based in a member country of the Olympic Council can participate. There are 7 different categories, brands can apply for with all kind of sports products: OUTDOOR PROFESSIONALS AND EXPEDITION, CAMPING, HARDWARE, FOOTWEAR, BIKE, APPAREL and URBAN OUTDOOR.
The award is open to products from the seasons winter 2022/23 and winter 2023/24 - as to say: products that are not commercially available until after the award ceremony AND this seasons products. I.e. for the WOMEN’S GEAR AWARD winter 23 you can submit products of the season winter 22/23 22 and winter 23/24. Products that are available on the market in the year of the current award may only be submitted if the same product has not already been entered for a previous award. The only possible exception to this is that the product has been fundamentally revised in the essential product features.
The Award
We want to point out the importance of specified development and at the same time highlight signature products and gear, made for female expedition and adventure guides, group leaders, outdoor-sport-professionals, girl scouts, outdoor enthusiasts and all the other nature lovers!
The award is given two times a year, in summer and in winter. The jury consists of various female experts in the outdoor and sports industry. We will test and evaluate the products in the following categories: functionality, processing quality, material selection, sustainability, innovation, purpose / target group and design.
The Jury will choose the best products in each category! There will be one GOLD WINNER in each category and up to two WINNERS. Our Jury will award the most outstanding women‘s outdoor product as the OVERALL WINNER and the most sustainable product as the SUSTAINABILITY WINNER.
Benefits
Besides the detailed feedback and input you will get from the jury here is what's in for you:
Video about jury meeting
Application Fee
An application fee will be charged for each application.
We do accept multiple applications, which means a company can submit more than one product in one or more categories. The participation fee per product varies depending on how many products are submitted by the same brand. Please note that the full participation fees are due per application.
1 Product – 700 € per product
2 Products – 650 € per product
> 3 Products – 600 € per product
Timeline
The submission deadline for the WOMEN‘S GEAR AWARD winter 23 #she is outdoors is January 20th 2023
All Applications have to be completed and submitted online at www.she-is-outdoors.com by the deadline.
All shipments of all products have to arrive at
KontraPixel | Forststraße 25| 82069 Hohenschäftlarn by the 25th of january
The Jury Meetings will be taking place online starting in the beginning of february 2023 and will hopefully summit in a final jury meeting ‚on-site‘ out and about in the mountains - if the current circumstances allow. To make sure the jury has a ‚hands on‘ experience we will be sending the products back and forth between the jury members.
We are planning to set up an event to accompany the live-streamed award ceremony in february. For the current situation makes it hard to plan an 'on-site get-together‘ we are working on a hybrid event with our partners. More information is to come.
Process
We will need some information about your Brand and your Product:
After the online registration we will provide you with all the information you need via email. Then, with the help of your product sample, our expert jury will test and evaluate your product. Every jury member is going to make his/her own experiences in terms of user experience and then send the product on to the next jury member. We can‘t wait for the results! The winners will be awarded in different categories during a live-streamed ceremony in july. For the current situation makes it hard to plan an ‚on-site get-together‘ we are working on a hybrid event with our partners. We‘ll keep you updated in time. Furthermore our media partners will be happy to present the winning products on their channels to present them to their audience.
Here is what we need from you:
no worries, NOT RIGHT AWAY! You don't have to remember all of this, we will send detailed information via email - or you can --> Download this as a document! <--
We have an international jury so we can only consider applications that are in english.
– comprehensive company information
– complete contact details of the person in charge of the product application AND the person
in charge of billing
– clear indication of categories to be entered
– title and description of all submitted products
– all information, data and media must be delivered before the expiry of the deadline
– brand‘s logo (vectorized, ai or eps)
– high quality product photos to be displayed on the website and social media
--> three standalone images with a clipping path (studio quality on white background)
300 dpi, 2200 x 2200 pixel, psd/tiff
--> one product photos with advertising character (in use, on a model etc...)
300 dpi, 2200 x 2200 pixel, jpg
– products/product samples to be tested:
--> different sizes (if possible)
--> different versions (if available)
– all documents and information we need for customs including shipments to the UK and other non european countries (pro forma invoice, toll declarations etc...)
– a return label and all the documents for sending the product back to the brand after the award
optional (very appreciated and a big help)
– a video featuring product with some explanations for the jury in english,
not high quality – won‘t be published
– samples of the textile or raw materials used (especially layered materials, that are not visible on the surface of the product)
Applicants grant KontraPixel unlimited temporal and worldwide usage rights of the submitted content (such as photos, videos and texts) for Advertising and PR carried out for the theWOMEN‘S GEAR AWARD #she is outdoors. KontraPixel reserves the right to sublicense the content mentioned above to third parties if necessary. We have an international jury so we can only consider applications that are in english.
Questions to the Brand
Also we prepared a number of questions about your company and the product. Once your application on the website is through, you will get an email with further instructions on where to upload the files and all the needed documents. By submitting your application in the online form on our website and accepting our terms and conditions your application is valid. Please note the fees will be charged, even if the product sample and further information and / or files do not arrive within the deadline.
no worries, NOT RIGHT NOW! You don't have to remember all of this, we will send detailed information via email - or you can --> DOWNLOAD THIS AS A DOCUMENT! <--
This is the questions we will ask further down the process:
What is the NAME OF THE BRAND?
What is the NAME OF THE PRODUCT?
Company Information:
Billing Address:
Product Return Address:
Person responsible for product application (Name, Email, Phone)
Person responsible for billing (Name, Email, Phone)
VAT Nr.
Questions to the Marketing team:
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCT
(max 400 caracters - will be published on Website and Social Media)*
LONG DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCT FOR WEBSITE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
(max 1500 caracters - will be published on Website and Social Media)*
What is/are the PRODUCT UNIQUE SELLING POINT(S)?
What makes your product a perfectly developed PIECE OF GEAR FOR WOMEN?
Questions to the Design and Developer team:
Who did the DESIGN? (+ email-address)
Who DEVELOPED the Product? (+ email-addresse)
What CATEGORY do you want to enter your product in? —> mark with X
[ ] Outdoor Professionals and Expedition
[ ] Camping
[ ] Hardware
[ ] Footwear
[ ] Apparel
What MATERIALS is your product made off?
What is the PRODUCT’S WEIGHT?
When will your product be AVAILABLE IN STORES?
What is the RECOMMENDED RETAIL PRICE?
What are the PRIMARY INNOVATION FEATURES?
Tell us more about your COMPANY SUSTAINABILITY:
Name all the SUSTAINABLE INNOVATIONS on your product:
Tell us more about the CHEMICALS and / or MATERIALS APPROACH:
What is the END OF USE STRATEGY for your product? —> mark with X
[ ] Recycle
[ ] Re-use
[ ] Re-Manufacture
[ ] Circular Material
[ ] other
Please explain your END OF USE STRATEGY:
Do you have / plan on getting CERTIFICATIONS, LABELS ETC for your product?
We know there are FUN FACTS and / or a BACKSTORY! Please share!
Is there ANYTHING ELSE we need to know?
Sustainability Criteria
!! UPDATED !! Revised Product Submission Criteria – Sustainability
In the light of these developments, and the scientific consensus of the environmental and health risk associated with chemicals of the PFAS family, the WOMEN'S GEAR AWARD jury members have in depth discussed the role of PFAS in outdoor products. In unison, the jury has decided as follows:
There is currently a global movement restricting the use of PFAS, including the uses in textiles and apparel, both from a policy and legal perspective, but also within widely used and accepted industry standards, labels and certifications. The national authorities of Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have already submitted a proposal to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) under REACH, the European Union’s (EU) chemicals regulation. ECHA will publish the detailed proposal, one of the broadest in the EU’s history, on 7 February 2023.
Going forward, all products submitted to the WOMEN'S GEAR AWARD #she is outdoors, and destined for sales seasons of 2023 and beyond, must be PFAS free. This criterion also applies to laminated products (PTFE-free).
Registration for winter 2023
is open from NOVEMBER to
JANUARY 26TH (prolonged)
Please Note that you will not be able to get an overview of your progress and current registration status,
if you do not set up an account.
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