WASHINGTON (Feb. 6, 12:25 p.m. ET) — The Society of the Plastics Industry Inc. has extended the deadline for submitting entries to its second International Plastics Design Competition, which will be on display at the NPE2012 show in Orlando, Fla. Interested parties now have until Feb. 29 to enter, and can do so online at www.plasticsdesign.org.

Entries can be for finished products or components and can be submitted by any individual or company along the supply chain: designer, toolmaker, processor, material supplier, equipment builder, or OEM. The contest is open to entries from any end market and any country in the world.

Entries can be submitted in 18 end-use market categories, plus there will be People’s Choice and grand awards categories. At NPE2009, more than 10,000 visitors voted on the NPE website for the People’s Choice award.

In addition, a separate panel of judges chosen by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) will select the winner of an award co-sponsored, for the 12th time, by IDSA and Plastics News. 

NPE2012 takes place April 1-5 at Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 3, at an awards reception to be held in Valencia Ballroom A that will start at 5:30 p.m. The awards event will be held in conjunction with a reception welcoming all international participants to NPE.