Students shine in kitchen design competition

The National Kitchen & Bath Association and General Electric announced the winners of its 2011 NKBA/GE Charette Competition, which awards students more than $20,000 in scholarships. The competition recognizes students who each demonstrate kitchen design skill by planning a safe, functional kitchen within a three-hour period.

More than 400 students from 28 colleges participated in the challenge, which tests students' abilities to apply their knowledge of kitchen design by producing a floorplan with specifications, a design statement and a perspective or elevation of a kitchen featuring GE appliances. Each of the 28 colleges chose up to three local winners to award $50 each.

"The NKBA is grateful to GE for its continued support of this competition," said Sherylin Doyle, manager of academic relations for the NKBA, in a news release. "The challenge builds students' confidence and their skills for success, which not only helps them when taking NKBA certification exams, but also ensures that the kitchen and bath industry will continue to offer a number of very qualified professionals in the future."

All designs had to adhere to the NKBA planning guidelines, as well as to NKBA graphic and presentation standards. The winning designers successfully incorporated these elements into their creations, along with special features that impressed the judges.

The winners were:

1st place ($5,000 scholarship): Kelsey Warren, Alexandria Technical & Community College; Alexandria, Minn.

2nd place ($4,000 scholarship): Katelyn Shipe, Virginia Tech; Blacksburg, Va.

3rd place ($3,000 scholarship): Ryan Young, East Carolina University; Greenville, N.C.

4th place ($2,500 scholarship): Courtney Simper, BYU-Idaho; Rexburg, Idaho

5th place ($2,000 scholarship): Jennifer McKell, BYU-Idaho; Rexburg, Idaho

For information, visit www.nkba.org.