NEW YORK—There is one week left for companies who want to submit their eyewear or sunwear products for consideration for the 3rd Annual Design Excellence Awards, to be presented by the Accessories Council. The deadline for submissions is July 16. Building on its history of honoring individuals and companies, the Accessories Council launched the Design Excellence Awards in 2019 to expand the recognition of outstanding products, including optical eyewear, sunwear, personal protective equipment, social impact products, sustainability and tech & innovation, among other fashion accessories. Details about the program and submissions are posted here.

Finalists and the Accessories Council Design Excellence Hall of Fame Winner will be announced on Monday, August 2 at 9 a.m. ET. Winners will be announced during a virtual awards event on Wednesday, September 8 at 12 p.m. ET. 
 
Last year's program generated over 110,000 votes for products ensuring that finalists and winners will receive widespread recognition for their product and brand as part of the Design Excellence Awards, the Council said. Each finalist and winner also receives an “AC Seal” that can be used on products for the life of the item such as trade shows, annual reports, social media, and more. This year, winners will be featured in the Fall edition of AC Magazine, which will publish the first week of October.
 
Sponsors for the 2021 awards are Blackglama Exclusively by Safa Furs, JOOR (Tech & Innovation Award) and Marchon Eyewear (trophies). Once finalists are announced, this year's voting will take place on the JOOR website, giving finalists exposure to that site's family of retailers. Accessories Council members and non-member companies can enter. Questions about submissions and parameters for products submitted to the Design Excellence Awards can be directed to leena@accessoriescouncil.org.
 
The Accessories Council, a not-for-profit international trade association, was established in 1994. Its mission is to stimulate consumer awareness and demand for fashion accessory products. The Accessories Council serves the industry globally, which generates over $54 billion dollars annually in the United States alone. Membership is represented internationally by the world’s leading brand names, designers, publications, retailers and associated providers for the accessories, eyewear and footwear industries.