★ Frequently Asked Questions ★

★ What is the Made in NC Awards?

The Made in NC Awards, an annual contest hosted by Our State magazine, celebrates the products made right here in the Old North State by North Carolina’s incredible artisans and creative craftspeople.

★ What are the criteria to qualify?

Any North Carolina maker with a product made in North Carolina that falls under one of the following categories: Craft, Drink, Food, Home & Garden, or Style. Submitted items must have the ability to be reproduced for sale or be part of a similar line of items available for sale. Click here for full details about each category.

★ Should I enter my entire business or one particular item that it produces?

You should enter one product from your business, an item that you are most proud to produce in North Carolina.

★ Can I enter more than once?

You may enter more than once as long as you are submitting two unrelated products. You will need to submit each product on a separate entry form. Products may only be submitted to one category.

★ How long is the entry period?

You have seven weeks to submit your product to the Made in NC Awards: June 1 to July 20, 2023. All entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 20.

★ My product is designed in North Carolina but produced elsewhere. Am I still eligible?

Unfortunately, no. To qualify for the awards, your product must be physically made in North Carolina. It is preferred, but not required, that all materials be locally sourced within the state as well.

★ I am a visual artist. Is my work eligible for the awards?

Unfortunately, we are not accepting one-of-a-kind artwork. Photography is also not eligible. However, visual art such as wall prints or decor are eligible as long as they can be reproduced for sale or are part of a similar line of items available for sale. Even if your work does not qualify, we love discovering North Carolina artists, so please feel free to share your work with us at madeinnc@ourstate.com.

★ Is there a registration fee?

No, it is free to enter your product into the Made in NC Awards.

★ How are the winners chosen for each category? What is the judging criteria?

Products within each category will be judged on a variety of factors, including quality, uniqueness, and authenticity. Judges will also take into consideration how well your product represents North Carolina and if the materials are locally sourced. Check out our panel of esteemed judges here.

★ Judging Rubric:

1. Quality – 50%
2. Innovation and creativity – 25%
3. Tie to North Carolina – 25%

★ Is there a prize for the winners and/or honorable mentions?

• The category winners will each receive a one-sixth page ad in the December 2023 issue of Our State magazine, email and social media promotion, inclusion in the Made in NC Awards section in the February 2024 issue of Our State magazine, and a video on ourstate.com.
• Honorable mentions will be listed on ourstate.com/madeinnc.
• Winners and honorable mentions are invited to be vendors in the Marketplace at the Best of Our State at Pinehurst Resort January 5-7, 2024.
• Additionally, all contest entrants will be considered for merchandising opportunities in the Our State Store.

*one-sixth page ad valued at $1,865.

★ When does judging begin, and when will the winners be announced?

The judging period will follow the close of the entry period. Judges will select one winner and two honorable mentions from each category. Results will be announced on September 20, 2023.

★ When will I be notified if I need to send a sample of my product in for judging?

If the judges are interested in sampling your product, you will be notified by August 8, 2023. Please only send us your product if you receive an email request.

★ Will my product still be featured online if it is not an honorable mention or winner?

No. Only category winners and honorable mentions will be featured on ourstate.com.

★ I made a mistake on my submission form. What can I do to fix it?

No problem! Check out Submittable’s instructions for editing your submission here.

★ My question is not answered here. What should I do?

We are here to help! Please direct your questions to madeinnc@ourstate.com.

★ Official Contest Rules ★

Entry Period: June 1, 2023, beginning at 12:00 a.m. EDT through July 20, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Winners and honorable mentions will be announced on September 20, 2023.

Our State invites North Carolina makers — both amateur and professional — to enter one of their best products into the Made in NC Awards. Products must be available for sale and fall into one of the following categories: Craft, Drink, Food, Home & Garden, or Style. Please read the following rules, terms, and conditions before submitting your entry.

WHO CAN ENTER: This contest is open to legal residents of North Carolina who are 21 years of age and older, except the employees of the Promoter (Mann Media, Inc./Our State) and members of their immediate families. If you own or manage a business operated in North Carolina and have a product that you are particularly proud of, you are eligible to participate in the Made in NC Awards. Your product must be physically made in North Carolina, be available for sale, and fall into one of the following categories: Craft, Drink, Food, Home & Garden, or Style.

Click here for full details about each category.

HOW TO ENTER: Entrants can submit their products through the Official Submission Form online at ourstate.com/madeinnc. Please be sure to complete all required fields. Entries may not be emailed directly, mailed to Our State, or submitted in any other format. Product entries may only be submitted to one category and each entry may only include one product for submission. A person or company may enter more than once as long as the entries are for unrelated products and are submitted on separate entry forms.

ENTRY PERIOD: 12:00 a.m. EDT on June 1, 2023, through 11:59 p.m. EDT on July 20, 2023. Our State reserves the right to contact the entrant.

JUDGING CRITERIA: Products within each category will be judged on a variety of factors, including quality, innovation and creativity, and the tie to North Carolina. Check out our panel of esteemed judges here.

COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF PRIZE: There will be one winner and two honorable mentions from each of the five categories. The category winners will each receive a one-sixth page ad in the December 2023 issue of Our State magazine, email and social media promotion, inclusion in the Made in NC Awards section in the February 2024 issue of Our State magazine, and a video on ourstate.com. Honorable mentions will be listed on ourstate.com/madeinnc. Winners and honorable mentions are invited to be vendors in the Marketplace at the Best of Our State at Pinehurst Resort January 5-7, 2024. All contest entrants may be considered for merchandising opportunities by the Our State Store.

RESTRICTIONS: Open only to legal residents of North Carolina who are 21 years of age or older. Subject to all federal, state, provincial, and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited.

WINNER: When the entry period is over, there will be a judging period from July 21, 2023, to September 19, 2023. Our esteemed panel of judges will choose one winner and two honorable mentions from each of the five categories. The winning selections will be final and binding in all respects. Winners and honorable mentions will be notified by telephone, mail, and/or by email. Return of or non-response to any prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. In the event of a dispute about the identity of an entrant, each entry will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at the time of entry. The authorized account holder is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an Internet Service Provider, online access provider, or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address. With respect to each winning entry, the winner may be required to provide proof that the winner is the authorized account holder of the email address associated with the winning entry. Entrants agree to be bound by Official Rules and agree that if a winner fails to provide proof of identity, refuses to provide required affidavit, is found to have violated Official Rules, or otherwise does not meet eligibility criteria, the prize will be forfeited and awarded to an alternate winner in a random drawing.

WINNER NOTIFICATION: The winners and honorable mentions from each category will be announced on September 20, 2023.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS: Automated entries or votes of any kind are not allowed. Detection of said automated entries or votes will lead to submission being voided.

Our State reserves the right to substitute any prize with another prize of equal or greater value.

Contest entrants agree to abide by the terms of these Official Rules and by the decisions of the Promoter, which are final on all matters pertaining to the contest.

Each winner, by acceptance of the prize, agrees to release the Promoter, and any parent and subsidiary companies, their officers, directors, employees, agents, shareholders, affiliates, suppliers, distributors, and advertising agencies from all liability, claims, or actions of any kind whatsoever for injuries, damages, or losses to persons and property which may be sustained in connection with the receipt, ownership, or use of the prize.

NO TRANSFERS: No transfers, substitutions in prizes, or cash will be allowed except by the Promoter, who may substitute a prize of equal or greater value. The Promoter will not replace any lost or stolen tickets, vouchers, certificates, or other prize items once they are in the winner’s possession.

PRIZE CONDITIONS: The winner must comply with all instructions and restrictions listed here or in the prize notification communication, including the completion of an affidavit and liability/publicity release, and return them within three (3) days of the date on the prize notification letter; otherwise, the prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected.

TAXES: Liability for any applicable taxes associated with prizes will be the sole responsibility of the winner. Any required tax reporting forms will be furnished to the Internal Revenue Service. All expenses not specifically provided for by the Promoter in these rules are the sole responsibility of the winner. Each winner is responsible for all federal, state, and local taxes and will be required to complete an IRS form W-9. The Promoter reserves the right to withhold prizes until completed form W-9 is received.

LOST OR LATE ENTRIES: Entries that are lost, late, illegible, or incomplete for any reason will not be eligible. The Promoter reserves the right to modify or terminate this contest or disqualify any entry in the event of technical impairment by computer virus or otherwise. In the event of early termination, the Promoter will randomly select winners from all eligible entries received at the time of termination. The Promoter is not responsible for Internet crashes or slowdowns caused by network congestion, viruses, sabotage, satellite failures, phone line failures, electrical outages, natural disasters, or acts of man or God.

LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY: The Promoter is not responsible for: (1) lost, late, misdirected, undeliverable, or incomplete entries due to system errors or failures, faulty transmissions, or other telecommunications malfunctions and/or entries; (2) technical failures of any kind; (3) failures of any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the contest; (4) unauthorized human and/or mechanical intervention in any part of the entry process or the contest; (5) technical or human error which may occur in the administration of the contest or the processing of entries; or (6) any injury or damage to persons or property which may be caused, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, from entrant’s participation in the contest or receipt or use of any prize. If for any reason an entrant’s entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, the entrant’s sole remedy is another entry in the contest. The Promoter may prohibit an entrant from participating in the awards if, in the Promoter’s sole discretion, it determines that said entrant is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the contest by cheating, hacking, deception, or other unfair playing practices (including the use of automated quick-entry programs) or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other entrants or the Promoter’s representatives. If for any reason this contest is not capable of running as planned, including, but not limited to, infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, or any other causes beyond the reasonable control of the Promoter that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the contest, then the Promoter reserves the right at the Promoter’s sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend all or any part of the contest and to select potential winners from among all the eligible entries received by the Promoter up until the time of such cancellation, termination, modification, or suspension, as applicable.

CAUTION: Any attempt by an entrant to deliberately damage the website or undermine the legitimate operation of the contest may be in violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, the sponsors reserve the right to seek civil and/or criminal prosecution and damages (including attorneys’ fees) from any such entrant to the fullest extent of the law.

All results posted are unofficial until winners respond to the notification sent to them.

This contest is not intended for gambling. If it is determined that a contestant is using the contest for gambling purposes, they will be disqualified and reported to authorities.

The Promoter reserves the right to change the rules at any time. This contest is officially presented by Our State.

PRIVACY POLICY AND TERMS OF USE: When you register, we collect personally identifying information about you, including your name, mailing address, and email address. The information that you provide will be added to a centralized Our State email database and will be shared with the Sponsors as you so indicate. For more information on Our State’s privacy policy, visit ourstate.com.

Download a copy of the official Contest Rules.