The hunt is on for the best examples of design produced in the West Midlands over the last three years, writes Terry Grimley.

The BDI Industry & Genius Awards 2005 invite nominations for the most inspirational examples of environmental, building and product design. When last held in 2002, they attracted no fewer than 155 entries.

First established in 1989 by the Birmingham Design Initiative (BDI), the awards are principally financed through EQUAL, a European-funded Birmingham City Council project. Other sponsors include Calthorpe Estates and the BDI, while the awards are being organised for the second time running by Brindleyplace based Core Marketing.

The awards cover six "Product & Genius" categories - Jewellery/Silversmithing, Ceramics & Glass, Consumer Products, Interior Products, Transport Design and Medical Products, while the six "Places & Genius" categories are Architecture, Landscape, Conservation, Urban Design, Green Design and Interior Design.

And, for the first time this year, a new "Industry & Genius" award has been introduced to recognise collaboration between Birmingham designers and industry, which includes sectors such as manufacturing, engineering and healthcare.

The re-vamped format for the 2005 awards will culminate in a prize-giving ceremony at Millennium Point's IMAX theatre on November 24.

Bill Houle, director of Trigram Properties and member of the BDI comments: "The design and quality of our environment and locally manufactured products is a topical issue and creates passionate comment and speculation among the general public, as well as within the wider design industry. The BDI, Industry & Genius Awards transform this passion into action.

"But what makes this awards scheme unique is the fact that we are also actively seeking nominations from anyone living or working within Birmingham and the West Midlands. Whether you're an advocate of modern architecture and want to ensure your favourite building enters the competition, or feel proud that an innovative new product was produced in your town, we want to hear from you."

For the first time the awards can be completed on- line at bdiindustryandgenius.co.uk. Additionally, 20,000 entry/nomination forms are being distributed within the region's design community.

All projects must have been completed in the last three years ( September 2002 - September 2005) and be located in the West Midlands. The same timescale applies to the Product & Genius Award for items that have been launched or are currently available, however, products can originate from the wider West Midlands region (see entry/nomination form for details). The closing date for entries is September 9.

The overall winners of the 2002 Awards were the Priory VisitorA Centre in Coventry city centre designed by McCormac, Jamison and Prichard, on behalf of Coventry City Council, and the "Garden Groom" designed by Warwick-based DCA Design.