AWFS Fair Fresh Wood – Woodwork Career Alliance of North America

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Fresh Wood Call for Entries Now Open

December 3, 2022/0 Comments/in Frontpage Article /by Richard Christianson

Dakota Kelley of Rolla Technical Institute, who designed and built this ;Juke Box” chest, was one of our students representing WCA EDUcation member schools to win first place awards in the 2021 Fresh Wood student design competition at the 2021 AWFS Fair.

The Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers (AWFS) will host its 13th biennial Fresh Wood student furniture competition at the 2023 AWFS Fair, July 25-28 in Las Vegas. The competition is open to high school and post-secondary students in accredited woodworking or related programs. There is no fee to enter; entry applications will be accepted until May 1, 2023.

2023 Special Theme Announced
The 2023 Fresh Wood Special Theme is “Small Projects.” This theme was selected by the Fresh Wood committee to encourage new schools and students to enter the competition. The Small Project category is for projects that are 1 cubic foot or smaller in overall size. There are no restrictions on style, but the project should be made primarily from wood.

“We realize that some schools and students may have less resources, less time, and less support,” said Fresh Wood committee member Mei-Yen Shipek. “Encouraging more Small Projects will open the doors to a broader range of students and remove barriers associated with building traditional, large furniture projects.”

Five other entry categories make up the Fresh Wood competition: Case Goods, Seating, Tables, Design for Production, and an Open category, in which projects can be made of any material and there are no size restrictions. In the Design for Production category, students must design a functional item manufactured out of one 4 x 8’ sheet of plywood and all structural wood components must nest inside of and be cut from the same sheet. Entries will be rated by a panel of judges that represent different aspects of the industry. Judges’ scores will determine the finalist pieces that will be on display at the AWFS Fair. AWFS covers project shipping and the majority of travel costs to bring students and their teachers to the AWFS Fair.

Turning to the Future Competition Will Return
The Fresh Wood competition will be displayed with the Turning to the Future competition by the American Association of Woodturners which will showcase turned student work. Call for entries and more information on Turning to the Future will be available on the AAW website woodturner.org soon.

KCD Software Sponsors Best of Show Prize
KCD Software, makers of 3D cabinet and closet design software and a Gold Sponsor of the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America, returns for the fifth time as the Fresh Wood “Best in Show” award sponsor. The AWFS Fresh Wood Committee would like to thank KCD Software for their generous support of student woodworkers through the Fresh Wood competition.

The Fresh Wood entry deadline is May 1, 2023. Finalists will be on display throughout the AWFS Fair July 25-28, 2023. Winners will be identified and announced at an Awards Ceremony during the show, open to all attendees and exhibitors. First place, second place and honorable mention awards may be given out in each category and at each school level. A “Best of Show” award will also be selected from all first-place category winners, and the recipient will receive a custom trophy from an accomplished woodworker. A People’s Choice award, for which all AWFS Fair attendees and exhibitors have the opportunity to vote, will also be given.

For more information and entry instructions, visit AWFSFair.org or contact: AWFS Association Director Adria Salvatore at 323-215-0311 or adria@awfs.org.

About the AWFS Fair
The full-scale international AWFS Fair, scheduled for Tuesday-Friday, July 25-28, 2023 in Las Vegas, has become a critical hub for international commerce in the woodworking industry. 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 on the AWFS Fair, visit: AWFSFair.org

WCA Students Win Four First-Place Awards in AWFS Fair Fresh Wood Competition

August 23, 2021/0 Comments/in Frontpage Article, News /by Richard Christianson

Students enrolled in school woodworking programs affiliated with the Woodwork Career Alliance of North America made a strong showing at the AWFS Fair in taking home four first-place and two second-place awards in the Fresh Wood Student Design Competition.

The student winners representing WCA EDUcation schools in the biennial competition included:

First Place, Seating – High School
“The Nest”
Mohammed Al-Yaseen, Lincoln East High School, Lincoln, NE
Yaseen’s design also won the People’s Choice Award.

First Place, Case Goods – High School

“Juke Box”
Dakota Kelley, Rolla Technical Institute – Rolla, MO

First Place, Design for Production – High School

“Lumbarest”
Josiah Miles, Lincoln East High School, Lincoln, NEFirst Place, 2021 Special Theme: Remote Woodworking – Post Secondary
“Nested Console Tables”
Jenny Hefferan, Madison College, Madison, WI

Second Place, Design for Production – High School
“Some Assembly Required”
Mohammed Al-Yaseen, Lincoln East High School, Lincoln, NE

Second Place, Seating – High School

“Adirondack Chair”
David Olson, Saint Croix Central High School, Hammond, WI

First Place winners in each category and at each school level received a $1,000 prize. Second Place winners received $500 and Honorable Mention winners received $250. The Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers, organizers of the fair, covered project shipping and the majority of the travel and hotel costs for the students and their teachers to attend the show.

The Fresh Wood 2021 judging panel included Harold Greene, Harold Greene Fine Furnishings; Alan Harp, Alan Harp Designs; and Taryn Schwartz, Ballard Design.

This year’s Fresh Wood competition attracted 102 entries from schools in the United States. Click here to see the full list of the winners.

8 WCA EDUcation Students Win Fresh Wood Awards

August 13, 2019/0 Comments/in Frontpage Article, News /by Richard Christianson

Eight students enrolled at woodworking programs belonging to the Woodwork Career Alliance’s EDUcation membership won awards in the biennial Fresh Wood Competition at the AWFS Fair held July 17-20 in Las Vegas. In addition, Joe Davis, woodworking instructor at the Dale Jackson Career Center, a WCA EDUcation member, won the Bravo to Teacher award.

Cole Daniels of Rolla Technical Institute , one of the WCA-affiliated student winners, won the People’s Choice Award and the $750 prize that went with it. Daniels’ project, Hard Ninety, an originally designed shuffleboard with intricate paneling and accenting, also won Second Place in the 2019 High School Special Theme Category: Sports and Games.

Other students of WCA schools that were honored in the 2019 Fresh Wood Competition include:

Kyle Hassett, Dale Jackson Career Center, Flower Mound, TX, “The Big Slick,” First Place, Sports & Games/High School category;

Chandler Norton, Reed-Custer High School, Braidwood, IL, “Riot Arts Gaming Chair,” Second Place, Design for Production/High School category;

Logan Miller, Lincoln East High School, Lincoln, NE, “L. & J.G. Stickley Prairie Chair,” First Place, Seating/High School category;

Katja Peereboom, Cedar Ridge High School, Hillsborough, NC, “Sinking Chair,” Second Place, Seating/High School category;

Caldell Davis, Lincoln East High School, Lincoln, NE, “The Limbert,” Honorable Mention, Seating/High School category;

Matthew Steger, Dakota High School, Dakota, IL, “Honestly Elegant,” Honorable Mention, Tables/High School category;

Sam Galliart, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS, “Stuff Sapele,” Honorable Mention, Seating/Post Secondary category.

Fresh Wood 2019 sponsors included KCD Software, Best of Show category; Wagner Meters, People’s Choice categroy; Next Wave Automation, Design for Production category; LIGNIA Wood Company Ltd., Seating category; and Northwest Hardwoods, Table category.

The Fresh Wood 2019 judging panel consisted of Bob Barone, Precision Drive Spindles; Judson Beaumont, Straight Line Design; Scott Grove, Imagine Grove; Wendy Maruyama, Wendy Maruyama Studio; and Jim Wellever, Michigan Career & Technical Institute.

First Place winners in each category and at each school level received a $1,000 prize, Second Place winners received $500 and Honorable Mention winners received $250. AWFS covers project shipping and the majority of travel and hotel costs to bring the students and their teachers to Las Vegas.

The biennial event, held as part of AWFS®Fair, attracted 188 entries from schools in the United States.

Read about all of the 2019 Fresh Wood Competition winners.