Called tx:style, the competition runs from 01 December through 06 February 2009, offering winners a cash prize of US$7,500 and the opportunity to see his/her design become a marketable product. The grand prize winner will be honored 16 June during NeoCon 2009 in Chicago. Additionally, each finalist will receive $3,000, according to Mannington.

"Tx:style was born from the successful collaboration Mannington Commercial had this past year with 25-year-old Kaitlin Phelps, which yielded the fashion-forward and stylish Adorn collection," said Natalie Jones, vice president of commercial brand development and creative product. "We realized there is a whole new crop of untested talent who are bursting with fresh ideas and thinking, and who, like Kaitlin, deserve a showcase for their work. We created tx:style to help bring these promising stars into the spotlight and acknowledge their future potential."

Contest entries will be collected via the website www.manningtoncommercial.com/txstyle. Five finalists will attend a meeting at Manningon's Calhoun, Ga.-based headquarters to work with in-house designers and tweak the final looks, the company said. Product shots of samples created from the designers' concepts will be posted on the site in late April.

Eligible voters can log on to the dedicated tx:style site to vote for the designs through 15 February.