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"MyItThings.com, a so-called \u201Cleading publisher of user-generated content\u201D with a focus on fashion, has announced the Monday debut of a portfolio feature to offer aspiring designers the option to display their creations in an active, social venue. The site, which our own Kristen Nicole mentioned briefly last autumn, considers itself as playing host to a growing community of trendsetters and tastemakers, all connected via the Web.\nThe launch of the new feature coincides with the start of a contest, scheduled to conclude in October, that will choose among all participants a trio of finalists who will then be featured on a runway show in NYC. All submissions for the contest will be judged partly by the MyItThings community, and partly by a panel of five critics: Malan Breton of \u201CProject Runway\u201D fame; Sheryl Berk, editor-in-chief of Life &amp; Style Weekly; Nathan Cooper, executive editor of C Magazine; designer Keith Lissner, and Yuli Ziv, editor-in-chief of MyItThings.com. The influence of voters and panelists will purportedly be an equal 50/50.\nThe rules for anyone interested in the contest, which will be documented to great extent on MyItThings through a mixture of blog posts, videos, and photos for full promotional effect, are quite simple:\nEntrants are invited to show off their pieces online for a chance to win the grand prize. Entries can be submitted today through July 15.  Each designer is asked to submit five previously created looks.  Site users will vote for their top 10 favorite designers.  Then, the three finalists will be awarded $1,500 to work on their looks for a Spring 2009 collection.\nGiven the heightened attention devoted by the public to the fashion industry as a result of the emergence of contest-based television programs like \u201CProject Runway\u201D and \u201CAmerica\u2019s Next Top Model,\u201D it is likely safe to assume that MyItThing\u2019s efforts in establishing a gateway for relatively unknown designers by which to reach a heightened level of fame and recognition will prove somewhat fruitful. All really depends on whether the network can successfully orchestrate the contest to be a legitimate outlet for new faces and undiscovered talent."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2008/05/11/myitthings-porfolios-contest/>