NICHE Magazine Announces Award Winners

Black Bird Teapot Eileen Braun

NICHE magazine, the exclusive trade publication for retailers of American-made and Canadian-made crafts, announces the winners of the 2014 NICHE Awards competition. The awards were presented at a ceremony on Saturday, January 18, 2014, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, held in conjunction with the Buyers Market of American Craft.

A complete list of finalists will be available at NICHEAwards.com.

Burnt Offering Hermioni Judy Stone

For 25 years, the NICHE Awards have recognized excellence and innovation in North American fine craft. There are two divisions participants can compete: professional and student. Competitors are evaluated on three criteria: technical excellence in surface design and form; market viability; and original and creative thought. In the professional division, jurors selected 35 winners out of 174 finalists; the student division, jurors selected 14 winners out of 85 finalists.

Intimate Norleen Nosri

The professional division was judged by: Michael Higdon, Museum Shop Manager at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.; Dana Singer, former Executive Director of the Society of North American Goldsmiths (SNAG); Erin Fergusson, Senior Manager of Merchandising at UncommonGoods, an online marketplace, headquartered in New York, offering creatively designed, high-quality merchandise; and Stan and Judy Gillis, owners of The Real Mother Goose in Portland, Ore., featuring the Pacific Northwest's largest collection of fine American craft.

Yellow Scribble Stool Kimberly Winkie

NICHE magazine also honors the artistic achievements of students enrolled in North American undergraduate, graduate and certificate arts programs with its NICHE Student Awards competition. Winners are determined by the editors of NICHE magazine as well as staff members of the Buyers Market of American Craft.

Protection Constraint Demetra Theofanous

“Everyone who participated in this year’s NICHE Awards demonstrated what has made this show so incredible,” says show director Rebecca Mercado. “It’s just proof why every year this show sets a new standard. We are very proud of our winners, and look forward to what they will come up with next.”

Applications for the 2015 NICHE Awards will be available in Spring 2014. For more information or to obtain images of work by both winners and finalists, visit NICHEAwards.com.