Andrew Smart, Wilkatana Station Port Augusta SA with lamb diva, Ellie May

A COMMUNITY-LED design competition is being launched by Australia’s largest independent wool marketer to highlight South Australia’s most innovative growers.

Australian Wool Network’s 2019 inaugural DNA Design Series competition invites people with a strong connection to some of South Australia’s premier wool growing regions including Flinders Outback, Limestone Coast and Eyre Peninsula, to submit a design with the chance to have their creative idea made into a beautiful homeware item, manufactured in Australia, using the Merino wool grown in their region.

Australian Wool Network’s DNA manager Cynthia Jarratt said whether it’s school children, local or interstate artists, graphic designers or farmers with a flair for design, as long as they can demonstrate a connection to the community or the region they can enter the competition.

Ms Jarratt said the winners will see their design come to life as a unique homeware product, manufactured in Australia from Merino wool, sourced from the region they’re connected to.

The final product will be sold with a QR enabled swing tag customers can scan to view informational videos that showcase the wool growing region, the wool growers and their sheep that contributed to the making of the product and to hear their unique stories.

“We have some of the world’s most desirable Merino wool being grown here in South Australia in some of Australia’s most beautiful country and our DNA program provides a great opportunity to showcase this to not only our Australian customers, but to the many international tourists who purchase our wool products,” Ms Jarratt said.

AWN decided to launch the DNA Design Series, incorporating several South Australian wool growing regions, after the success of DNA Barossa and the Only Merino Barossa Collection. An exclusive, limited edition range of Merino wool blankets designed by local abstract artist Marni Gilder, the Only Merino Barossa Collection used the wool sourced from Barossa’s wool growers including Jan and John Angas of Hutton Vale and Grant and Helen Burge.

“The success of DNA Barossa and the Only Merino Barossa Collection in highlighting that region’s wool growers encouraged us to continue the campaign but this time we wanted to open it up to the community and really get them involved,” Ms Jarratt said.

The competition kicks off on Monday 25 February for Flinders Outback with opening dates for Limestone Coast, Eyre Peninsula and other wool growing regions to be announced in coming weeks.

Winners will also receive $1000 and $500 worth of the final product featuring their design with the Flinders Outback winner receiving an additional $1000 donated by local wool growers Tony and Julie Smith from Rawnsley Park Station and MF Jebsen Australia of Martins Well Rangeland Reserve. The final products will be sold at select retail outlets and on the Merino & Co website.

For further information and to enter visit: http://bit.ly/dna-design-comp-2019