Lovehoney has launched its 2013 Design a Sex Toy Competition, offering a top prize of £3,000 and two additional winners’ prizes of £1,000. Should any of the winning entries be put into production the designer will also receive royalties from every sale – and Lovehoney say that the winner of a previous competition has already earned over £100,000.
There are three categories: Sex Toys for Women, Sex Toys for Men and Sex Toys for Couples. Joining Lovehoney head buyer Bonny Hall and sex toy category manager Alice Little on the judging panel will be Lelo and Tickler founder Eric Kalen and author of the Fifty Shades trilogy EL James, who has form in this area, having worked with Lovehoney on the FSoG range of products.
“Designing the Fifty Shades of Grey Official Pleasure Collection and Sensual Care Collection has been a great experience,” said James. “Seeing your ideas come to life is hugely rewarding and I’d recommend entering Lovehoney’s Design a Sex Toy competition to anyone.”
So too, no doubt, would artist Trevor Murphy, whose Sqweel won the Lovehoney competition in 2009. He commented: “I’ve been squealing with delight ever since my sex toy went into production. The idea for the Sqweel came to me fully formed as I was drifting off to sleep one night. I’d been thinking of small, compact designs all evening, especially circular shapes. I snapped awake and told my partner Veronica: ‘I’ve just come up with the winning sex toy design’. Using my rough sketch I drew multiple angles of the toy design on my computer. I had my Lovehoney competition entry in the post after two days of sitting hunched over my PC, tinkering away.
After winning the competition Sqweel was put into production. Murphy added: “I’m thrilled about the success of the Sqweel. Every once in a while I’ll Google it and marvel at how it’s on sale in China, Russia and Australia. It was even on the Tonight Show, licking Jay Leno’s chin. It was very surreal to win. The day I received the call from Lovehoney co-founder Neal Slateford we drove into town and I felt like I had a huge naughty secret. I was reluctant to tell family at first. The truth is people are amazed and interested that somebody they know could invent something that sells worldwide. My family were all delighted and my mother proudly shows off the Sqweel to everyone who visits.”
For more information visit www.lovehoney.co.uk/design-a-sex-toy
