What does a desk, a coffee table, a crib and a xylophone all have in common? These and other projects make up the 165 entries to the 2009 Fresh Wood student woodworking competition that arrived by the May 1 deadline. The judging panel will select 50 finalists to be invited to AWFS®Fair at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Wednesday, July 15 – Saturday, July 18.
This year’s entries came from 49 different schools in the United States and Canada, 21 of which are entering pieces into the competition for the first time ever. Eleven of the schools, eight high schools and three post-secondary, currently deliver the WoodLINKS USA program, a certificated woodworking program that partners schools with local industry, to the benefit of both. Of the entries received overall, 60 were from high schools while the remaining 105 – about 64 percent -- were from post-secondary schools.
Students can enter their projects into seven different categories in the Fresh Wood competition: Case Goods, Chairs, Production/Contract Work, Reproduction, Tables, Open and Class Project. Entries from the high school level and the post-secondary level are scored separately. For the 2009 competition, the most popular category for both groups was Tables, with over 60 entries, followed by Case Goods, with nearly 40 entries. Post-secondary Chairs was also well represented with 26 entries.
The 2009 panel of judges represent distinct areas of the industry, lending a variety of perspectives to the judging process. The panel includes a university professor of design, a nationally renowned woodworker and educator, trade press representatives, an office furniture company owner and a machinery company owner, two designers, and from the retail segment, representatives from Steelcase and Ethan Allen. The judges and their associated organizations are:
Design: Judson Beaumont, Straight Line Designs, Vancouver, British Columbia
Cliff Spencer, Cliff Spencer Furniture, Marina Del Ray, Calif.
Education: Marc Adams, Marc Adams School of Woodworking, Franklin, Ind.
Ted Wong, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
Manufacturing: Torben Helshoj, Laguna Tools, Irvine, Calif.
Hank Menke, OFS Brands, Huntingburg, Ind.
Retail: Brett Kincaid, Steelcase, Caledonia, Mich.
Jose Robledo, Ethan Allen, Chino, Calif.
Trade Press: Randy Johnson, American Woodworker magazine, Eagan, Minn.
Anissa Kapsales, Fine Woodworking magazine, Newtown, Conn.
Judges review entries based on the design innovation and quality of presentation, the use of materials, methods and processes, the functionality and achievement of design intent and craftsmanship and quality. Final judging will occur at AWFS®Fair. All winners of the student competition will be announced Friday, July 17 at the AWFS® Awards Reception.
This year, exhibiting companies will sponsor the competition’s special awards—the Best of Show and People’s Choice. The Best of Show Award, sponsored by exhibiting company Rikon Tools, will receive not only a $1,000 prize but also a coveted wood sculpture designed by the renowned wood artist Sam Maloof. In addition, the winner’s school will receive the $2,500 Larry Hilchie School Grant Award for its woodworking program. Rikon Tools is also sponsoring a new Bravo to Teachers Award.
The People’s Choice Award, sponsored by exhibitor Custom Made, will be selected by AWFS®Fair attendees and carries a $500 prize. In addition to Best of Show and People’s Choice, prizes will be awarded in each category and at each school level for First Place ($1,000), Second Place ($500) and Honorable Mention ($250).
The Fresh Wood Student Competition has no fee to enter, and AWFS® covers costs to ship the entries to and from AWFS®Fair, as well as to bring the finalists and their teachers to Las Vegas. A goal of the contest is to encourage students to pursue further education and careers in woodworking and manufacturing as the industry faces shortages of skilled workers. The post secondary level includes entrants from four-year universities, trade colleges, and community colleges. It is open to students from North America.
The full-scale international AWFS®Fair, scheduled for July 15 – 18, 2009 in Las Vegas, has become a critical hub for international commerce. The AWFS®Fair brings together the home and commercial furnishings industry, including manufacturers and distributors of machinery, hardware, lumber, construction materials and other suppliers to the furniture, cabinet manufacturers and custom woodworkers. For more information about AWFS®Fair, please visit:
www.awfsfair.org.