Neumarkt / Baar (Switzerland), September 20, 2010 – Following the success of its first design competition in 2009, Pergo, the leading manufacturer of HPL and HDL laminate flooring and subsidiary of SDAX-listed Pfleiderer AG (ISIN DE0006764749), is announcing a new contest for 2010 that will focus even more on the influence of art in industry.

“The Pergo brand is very much associated with design,” says CEO Ralf Eisermann, “and the Pergo Design Award is a way for us to highlight the connection between art, design and industry for trade partners, planners and architects.” This year Pergo will demonstrate its focus on design by showcasing the talents of young representatives of the urban art scene in Berlin.

Under the theme “Illustrate Creative City,” four specially invited illustra-tors will create distinctive designs and compete for top honors. The con-testants are Stefi Haslberger (Germany) Ira Mowen (USA), Hannah Parr (Great Britain/China) and Stefano Pedrini (Italy), all of different backgrounds and nationalities, but with a common affection for the city of Berlin where urban art is flourishing. In 2005 UNESCO declared Berlin the “City of Design”.

The designs created for the competition will be exhibited this fall at an art gallery in central Berlin from October 9 through 23 before taking centre stage at the PergoTex flooring exhibitions in Hannover and Las Vegas in January 2011. Following that they will make a tour of Pergo’s five Competence Centers located in Europe (e.g. Barcelona and Paris) and other places in the U.S.

The winner of the competition will be decided by voting on Facebook and announced at PergoTex in Hannover on January 16, 2011, which coincides with the Domotex flooring show from January 15 through 18, 2011. Additional information regarding the competition, the contestants and their works, the winner and the exhibition, can be found on the internet @ www.pergo.com and www.illustratecreativecity.com, directly. At Facebook the Design Award can be found @ www.facebook.com/pages/Illustrate-Creative-City.

Vote for Art!
Pergo’s design competition is headed by the slogan “Illustrate Creative City”. This year, all of the four contestants belong to the urban art scene of Berlin.

About Pergo:
Pergo is regarded as the inventor of HPL laminate flooring and enjoys an outstanding position on both the North American and European markets. The company develops, produces and markets laminate flooring with premium-quality multi-layer sequence in unmistakable designs and unique product features for the residential sector and commercial applications. Pergo produces more than 30 million square metres of laminate flooring a year at two locations in Sweden (Trelleborg and Perstorp) and two manufacturing facilities in the USA (Garner, NC) and Canada (Laval). The traditional Pergo brand was acquired by Pflei-derer AG in 2007. More information at: www.pergo.com