Contest Overview

It's time for our annual search for Small Cool Homes! For the Sixth year, Apartment Therapy invites readers from around the world to inspire us with their beautiful small spaces and tips for small-scale living.

Contest Divisions

TEENY-TINY 400 Square Feet and under
TINY 600 Square Feet and under (but over 400 Square Feet)
LITTLE 800 Square Feet and under (but over 600 Square Feet)
SMALL 1,000 Square Feet and under (but over 800 Square Feet)
INTERNATIONAL All non-US entries (under 1,000 Square Feet)

SUBMISSIONS

Submissions for the Small Cool 2010 Contest will be accepted beginning 4/2. The deadline for entering the contest is 4/19.

ELIGIBILITY

  • The small cool home must be lived in by the contest applicant—it can be owned, rented or sublet.
  • The home can be designed by a professional, weekend hobbyist or design enthusiast.
  • All readers age 18 and up are invited to enter the contest and share their home. Due to legal limitations and shipping costs, only U.S. residents are eligible to win the prizes.
  • Employees of Apartment Therapy may not enter.
  • Entries may NOT include links to other webpages or Apartment Therapy pages. Reader comments that include links will be deleted.
  • Once submitted, no contest entry may be changed, altered or enhanced.
  • One entry per household.
  • Winner is solely responsible for any and all local, state, and federal taxes incurred upon claiming a prize. Apartment Therapy Media will file a 1099 tax form for prizes valued at or above $600.
  • International readers are invited to submit entries for exhibition on the site, but they are not eligible to win prizes. Unfortunately, prizes may only be awarded to US residents.

National Contest Schedule

  • 4/2 — Submission Forms open.
  • 4/5-4/25 — Selected entries will be posted. Posted entries will include a "Thumbs Up" widget to record positive reader feedback. The "Thumbs Up" widget will remain active for 48 hours.
  • 4/19 — submission form will close and no entries will be accepted after 23:59:59PST
  • 4/25 — "Thumbs Up" support will be tallied and each division's top 16 submissions (those with the most "Thumbs Up") will be seeded into the semi-final division elimination brackets.
  • 4/26 — Voting begins in the elimination brackets. Each elimination round will record reader votes for 24 hours. The entry with the most votes will proceed to the next round of voting. Every weekday, new elimination rounds will be activated and ready for reader votes.
  • 5/6 — The winner of each size division will compete in a Final Four elimination bracket with the following pairings: Teeny-Tiny v Little and Tiny v Small. This elimination round will record reader votes for 24 hours.
  • 5/7 — The final elimination will be open for voting and will continue through 5/10 at 12:00:00 (noon) PST.
  • 5/10 — Voting will cease and a Grand Prize Winner will be determined.

Contest Rules

  • We're collecting entries from 4/2 through 4/19, 2010. Submission forms will close and no entries will be accepted after 23:59:59 PST. No late submissions will be accepted.
  • The best entries will be posted from 4/5 through 4/23 for reader review and response. Readers will have 48 hours from the time an entry is posted to respond with a "Thumbs Up" of support for their favorite entries. Each reader may vote once per entry.
  • We will announce 16 semi-finalists in each size division based on reader's "Thumbs Up" support on 4/26.
  • Theses top 16 semi-finalists from each division will be seeded in division elimination brackets based on the number of "Thumbs Up" they received from readers. The individual entry in a division that received the most "Thumbs Up" in that division will be seeded as #1. The individual entry in a division that received the 16th most "Thumbs Up" in that division will be seeded as #16. Seeds #2 through #15 will be filled in accordingly. In the first round, the semi-finalists will be seeded in this order: #1 v #9, #5 v #13, #2 v #10, #6 v #14, #3 v #11, #7 v #15, #4 v #12, #8 v #16.
  • Starting 4/26, semi-finalist entries from the 4 divisions will be posted and each day, readers will have the opportunity to vote in the elimination brackets.
  • The winner of each size division will be announced on 5/6.

Please review the full rules for this contest.

What to Submit?

  • Send us five photos of your home and a floorplan.
  • Make sure you complete all the required fields on the contest entry form.

Check out these posts for helpful advice when photographing your home and creating a digital floorplan:

Prizes

The grand prize national winner will receive a weekend trip to New York City, featuring:

  • Round trip transportation.
  • Two nights accommodation.
  • Brunch with Maxwell and a day of design shopping.
  • $1,000 in cash to spend on your design shopping tour.

The four Division Winners will each receive $250 to spend on their home.

The top 40 semi-finalists will each receive our newest book: Apartment Therapy's Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces published by Clarkson Potter.

Please review the full rules for this contest.

Frequently Asked Questions

When are submission due for Small Cool 2010?
All entries are due by 4/19/2010 by 23:59:59 PST.

When are entries posted on Apartment Therapy?
Selected entries are posted on weekdays starting 4/5 and ending on 4/23.

I received confirmation that you received my entry, why wasn’t my entry posted?
Our system does not automatically post entries as they are submitted. Our editorial team selects the best entries to post. All submissions may not be posted due to space limitations, and it is up to Apartment Therapy to post the strongest submissions in each division. If your entry is selected, it may not be posted until 4/23.

I made a mistake in my submission – how do I change my contest entry?
Please re-submit your entry.

How are Winners Chosen?
Winners are chosen by the readers votes in daily eliminations.

How are the 16 semi-finalists in each division chosen?
By the readers’ feedback. The number of “Thumbs Up” votes determines a division semi-finalist.

How are the pairings determined in the elimination brackets?
The top 16 semi-finalists from each division will be seeded in division elimination brackets based on the number of “Thumbs Up” they received from readers. The individual entry in a division that received the most “Thumbs Up” in that division will be seeded as #1. The individual entry in a division that received the 16th most “Thumbs Up” in that division will be seeded as #16. Seeds #2 through #15 will be filled in accordingly. In the first round, the semi-finalists will be seeded in this order: #1 v #9, #5 v #13, #2 v #10, #6 v #14, #3 v #11, #7 v #15, #4 v #12, #8 v #16.

How do you handle voting fraud?
Evidence of excessive multiple votes from a single IP address will be deleted.

My home was previously featured on Apartment Therapy – am I still eligible to enter Small Cool 2010?
Yes, readers previously shared their homes with the community are eligible.

My home was photographed for the new Apartment Therapy Book – am I still eligible to enter Small Cool 2010?
No. Our publisher has requested that the homes selected for the new book remain unpublished until the book launches on May 11.

Is my home too big to enter?
All homes under 1,000 square feet are eligible.

Still have questions?

If you need help or have more questions, please email help@apartmenttherapy.com.