ABOUT MAKER OF THE YEAR 2024

ENTRY CLOSED: 2024 WINNERS ANNOUNCED! See here

The competition closes 11.59PM Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) on Thursday 5 September 2024 and culminates with an online announcement of the winners and runners-up at woodreview.com.au, and publication of the top 100 entries in a Maker of the Year special edition of Wood Review magazine in December 2024.

Wood Review's December 2023 issue featured the Top 100 entries from Maker of the Year 2023.

WHO CAN ENTER?

Entry is open to amateur, professional and student woodworkers.

The 'World', 'Recycled & Rescued' and 'Student' categories are open to makers from around the world. Australian makers may enter the World, Recycled & Rescued and Student categories.

The other three categories (Art & Objects; Chests, Cabinets & Boxes; Tables, Chairs & Desks) are open to residents of Australia only.

The ‘Student’ category is open to those enrolled in secondary or tertiary education or private school classes in 2023/2024. When you enter, please indicate if you are a Secondary or Tertiary student and the school you attend.

The 'Overall Winner' will be selected from one of the winners of the following categories: Art & Objects; Chests, Cabinets & Boxes; and Tables, Chairs & Desks. Entrants in the World, Recycled & Rescued and Student categories are not eligible to be Overall Winner.

WHAT CAN YOU ENTER?

Your entry must be made mainly from wood, however other materials may be incorporated.

Projects submitted for the Awards must have been completed after 30 June 2021.

Entries submitted in previous year’s competitions (Maker of the Year Awards 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023) may not be entered in this year's competition (Maker of the Year Awards 2024).

You may enter as many times, and in as many categories, as you like. You may also enter the same piece in different categories if you wish.

PRICING AND DEADLINES

Maker of the Year Awards, presented by Carbatec, are open until Wednesday 4 September 2024 (11:59pm, AEDT).

STANDARD (29 April to Sunday 18 August 2024)
$39 ($20 Student)

LAST MINUTE (19 August to 11.59PM Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST), Thursday 5 September 2024)
$49 ($25 Student)

Price is per entry (includes five images per project). All prices are in Australian dollars (AUD). (AUD$49 is approximately US$32, £25, or €29.)

ENTRY PREPARATION

Quality images will best show your piece – good lighting and focus are important; look for simple backgrounds. Your entry images should include full and key detail views. Collages of multiple images are not invited. The judges will also look at your entry description – describe your design concept, materials and techniques in 200 words or so.

For each category you must submit 5 images of one final project.
Image format: Images may be in JPEG (.jpg), PNG (.png) or GIF (.gif) format. Please note, we recommend JPEG format which offers the best image quality at a smaller file size. GIF images may be useful to show animated sequences, however the quality for still images tends to be lower. PNG files may be used, though the file size tends to be around twice that of a comparable JPG, for the same quality.
Image dimensions: Ideally images should be 2700px, or more, on the longest edge.
Image file size: Individual image file size must be no larger than 5MB.
Image file names should not include unusual characters such as !, @, ", ', #, $, %, ^, &, *, (, ), ©, etc. These characters can result in images not uploading properly. Hyphens (-) and underscores (_) are fine.
Images should not include watermarks, branding or text.
You may enter multiple categories, and/or the same category multiple times.

OPTIONAL VIDEO LINK

Entrants have the option to submit a link to a video/reel “tour” of their entry, suggested length is no longer than 45 seconds. Send links via DM (direct message) to Wood Review's Instagram or Facebook pages (preferred), or email to moty@woodreview.com.au. Content should be unbranded, without text or graphic overlays. Videos will not be used in the judging process, but may be used to showcase a particular entry on woodreview.com.au or Wood Review’s Facebook or Instagram pages. Submitting a video link is optional and not required to enter Maker of the Year.

JUDGES

Maker of the Year will be judged by a panel of leading woodworkers and designers. Judges will be announced in July 2024.

RECOGNITION

Winners, runners-up, and finalist entries in each category will be recognised in the December 2024 issue of Australian Wood Review magazine. A parallel announcement will be made at www.woodreview.com.au at the end of November 2024.

In December 2024, entrants will receive a pdf award (similar to the one pictured) via e-mail, confirming their placing (Participation, Commended, Highly Commended, Top 100, runners-up and category winners) in the competition.

MADE A MISTAKE?

Don't worry. If you've uploaded the incorrect image, entered the wrong category, or you're just not sure what to do, drop us an e-mail explaining the problem and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

IMAGES AT TOP OF PAGE: A selection of winners and runners-up from the 2023 Maker of the Year Awards: (from top, left to right): Patrick Holcombe, Wei Wu, Florien Meigel, Alan Bishop, Jessica Currie, David Laird.