Meet the Top 9
Nine creators. Nine visions. One chapter in APORRO history.
How The Final 9 Were Chosen
Thousands of votes from around the world.
The top 20 designs advanced to jury review.
Three APORRO jury members evaluated each design.
The final nine creators rose to the top.
Judging Criteria
- Originality & Creativity
- Design Quality
- Brand & Culture Fit
- Commercial Potential
- Feasibility
What the Top 9 creators unlocked.
Decided by community voting and final jury review.
- $999 cash
- $500 APORRO Gift Card
- ComplexCon exhibition package
- Potential royalty opportunity
- A chance to become an official APORRO piece
- $300 APORRO Gift Card
- Official APORRO feature
- Future Collaboration opportunity
- $200 APORRO Gift Card
- Official APORRO feature
2026 Community Archive
Explore the creators, ideas, and stories that made THE NINTH PIECE possible.
FAQs
When does THE NINTH PIECE contest start and end?
THE NINTH PIECE runs from July 28, 2026 to August 28, 2026.
The contest includes submission, eligibility review, community voting, vote verification, and winner announcement phases.
What is the contest timeline?
1. Submission Period: July 28 – August 17, 2026
Submit your original jewelry design, creative concept, and story through the official submission form.
2. Eligibility Review: August 10 – August 19, 2026
APORRO will review submissions in stages to ensure they meet contest requirements.
Eligible designs will be confirmed and moved forward to the community voting phase.
3. Community Voting: August 20–26, 2026
Eligible designs are open for public voting.
4. Final Review: August 27, 2026
Votes will be verified, and the Top 20 designs with the highest verified community vote counts will advance to the APORRO Jury Review.
Winner Announcement: August 28, 2026
The final Top 9 winners will be announced.
What can winners receive?
A total of 9 creators will be selected through the final APORRO Jury Review.
🥇 THE NINTH PIECE — GRAND PRIZE WINNER - 1 Creator (#1)
Rewards include:
- Opportunity for the winning design to enter APORRO’s product development process
- Royalty opportunity
- $999 Cash Prize
- ComplexCon Exhibition Package
-ComplexCon exhibition opportunity
-$300 hotel support - $500 APORRO Gift Card
- Official APORRO Creator Recognition Certificate
🥈 RUNNER-UP (#2–#3)
- Royalty opportunity
- APORRO official channel features
- $300 APORRO Gift Card
- Official APORRO Creator Recognition Certificate
🥉 FINALIST (#4–#9)
- APORRO official channel features
- $200 APORRO Gift Card
- Official APORRO Creator Recognition Certificate
How many times can I vote?
You may cast one vote per day.
All verified votes from APORRO regional websites will count toward the final ranking. Suspicious or manipulated votes may be removed.
How are finalists and winners selected?
The final selection takes place in two stages:
Step 1 — Community Voting
The Top 20 designs with the highest verified community vote counts will advance to the final APORRO Jury Review.
Step 2 — APORRO Jury Review
Three APORRO jury members will independently evaluate the Top 20 based on:
- Originality & Creativity
- Design Quality
- Brand & Culture Fit
- Commercial Potential
- Feasibility
The jury evaluation will determine the final Top 9 winners.
Community voting determines which designs advance to the final review, while the APORRO Jury determines the final winners.
What will the APORRO Jury evaluate?
The Top 20 designs will be evaluated based on five criteria:
Originality & Creativity
Originality, creative expression, and distinctiveness.
Design Quality
Overall execution, proportion, structure, and visual quality.
Brand & Culture Fit
Alignment with APORRO’s identity, street culture, and self-expression.
Commercial Potential
Consumer appeal, market relevance, and product potential.
Feasibility
Practical potential for jewelry production and development.
Does having the most community votes guarantee a Top 9 position?
No. Community voting determines the Top 20 designs that advance to the APORRO Jury Review.
The final Top 9 winners are determined through the jury evaluation based on creativity, design quality, brand fit, commercial potential, and feasibility.
Why was the final selection process updated?
We received thoughtful feedback from participating creators about the influence of audience size and social reach on community voting.
To create a more balanced final selection process, APORRO introduced a jury review so that creativity, design quality, brand relevance, commercial potential, and feasibility are also considered.
The updated process applies equally to all eligible participants.
Are manipulated votes allowed?
No. APORRO reserves the right to remove suspicious votes or disqualify participants involved in:
- Fake accounts
- Automated voting
- Purchased votes
- Manipulated voting activities