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Fresh Wood is an industry-sponsored competition for woodworking students who are considering a career in the wood and related industries. The contest is open to students in North America. There is no entry fee.

Eligibility

Students:

High school students who are in a woodworking or design program. (Specialty schools or programs may be accepted on a case-by-case basis by the Fresh Wood Committee)
Post-secondary students who are Full-time or Part-time, seeking a degree or certificate, in a woodworking or related program who are considering a career in woodworking or design. (Post secondary schools include colleges and universities as well as trade, art and union apprenticeship schools. Specialty schools or programs may be accepted on a case-by-case basis by the Fresh Wood Committee.)
Students must be at least 16 years of age by July 25, 2023.
All students, including those who have graduated, must have the support of their instructor and school, or program, where the work was completed.
Those that make their living (or substantial income) from woodworking careers are not eligible.
Each student may be a finalist in the Fresh Wood competition no more than three times at the Post-Secondary level.

Projects:

Entries are restricted to ten (10) per school and two (2) per student.
One student representative per entry.
Projects must be composed of at least 50% wood or wood composite, except for pieces in the “Open” category and upholstered pieces which may have a higher ratio of non-wood material.
Project must have been built between May 2021 and April 2023; projects must not have been previously entered in any other national competition.
Project construction must be complete at the time of entry. The project may be lacking the finish coating. If selected as a finalist, the project must be completely finished in time for shipment to the AWFS®Fair (approx. July 1, 2023).
Projects may be entered in only one category.
If you are submitting a prototype, it must be fully functional and finished.
Students are expected to have created their own plan of procedure.
Glass components must be tempered and properly secured when assembled.
Students must disclose if they have used manufactured parts or if they have involved any other persons or companies in their process (such as for upholstery, veneering, metalwork, turned pieces, instrument components, etc.)
A student may submit a maximum of two (2) projects.
AWFS® reserves the right to limit the amount of entries weighing over 400 pounds due to space constraints and a limited shipping budget.

Categories:

Seating

Includes chairs and other seating pieces such as ottomans, benches and settees. Piece may be upholstered. Comfort, Stability and aesthetics are primary. NOTE: Seating pieces must function as such. Judges WILL test the strength of joints by sitting on chairs (however general public access to all pieces on display during the AWFS®Fair will be prohibited).

Tables

Includes functional, decorative occasional tables, gaming tables, stands. Emphasis is on design integrity, craftsmanship, joinery, and aesthetics.

Case Goods

Includes bedframes, shelving and storage systems, dressers, desks, cabinets. Choice of materials, construction methods and joinery will be considered.

Design for Production

Design a functional item manufactured out of one 4’ x 8’ piece of plywood. All structural wood components must nest inside of, and be CNC cut from, the same 4’ x 8’ sheet. Thickness of plywood at full scale should be 1/2” to 1” thick.

High School - Include images of the following in your submission:

1. A Dimensioned CAD drawing of your design

2. Three (3) Images of either a 3D Rendering, a Scale Model, or a Full-scale Prototype

3. A 2D CAD drawing of the plywood parts nested (arranged) on a 4’x 8’ sheet

You may incorporate common fasteners into your design, but not custom fabricated parts. If selected as a Finalist, you may choose to ship a full scale prototype if you have access to a CNC machine, or AWFS® will work with you and a manufacturer to produce a full scale prototype of your design to be judged at the AWFS®Fair! If planning to have AWFS® manufacture the entry, you must base your design off a 18mm x 4’ x 8’ sheet of birch plywood. Also include a 1/2” or more between all nested parts and between parts and the edge of the plywood sheet on your 2D CAD drawing.

Post-Secondary - A full scale functional item, sanded and finished. It may be permanently assembled or flat packed. You may incorporate fasteners, custom fabricated parts (3D printed, metal, etc.), and upholstery into your design.

2023 Special Theme: Small Projects

Traditional large furniture or woodworking pieces aren’t feasible for everyone, and small items can be just as impressive - we want to see your Small Projects! This category is for any project that is 1 cubic foot in overall size or less. No restrictions on style, but it should be made primarily of wood.

Open Category

Anything Goes! No restrictions on style, minimum size, materials or percent of wood used. Pieces should have originality and be functional. This is the place for projects that don’t easily fit other categories, such as musical instruments, lighting, and clocks.

Judging

Judging is done by panel of professionals representing various sectors of the industry. All entries are reviewed by the judges prior to the AWFS®Fair to determine the finalists to be exhibited at the show. Judges reserve the right to reassign an entry to a different category if they deem it appropriate.

The Judging Process:

1. Judges receive anonymous online submissions consisting of images and the students’ responses to the online questions.

2. Judges score projects on a scale of 1-5 for each of the 5 criteria listed below.

3. Scores are tallied and projects with the highest scores within their category are selected as finalists.

4. Finalist projects are judged in person at the AWFS®Fair on a scale of 1-5 for the criteria below.

5. Scores are tallied and projects with the highest scores within their category may be selected as winners as agreed upon by the judging panel.

Judging criteria:

1) Design innovation on original pieces; or quality of execution of a known style or variation.

2) Craftsmanship of the piece including construction quality, material choice and use, detailing, sanding quality, finishing quality.

3) Functionality, stability, comfort, and if applicable manufacturability and marketability.

4) Construction techniques, appropriateness of the technique, joinery, lamination veneering, or upholstery.

5) Aesthetics, scale, proportion, balance, rhythm, emphasis and unity.

*One additional point will be given during final judging if the Presentation Board is completed following the instructions correctly.

One point can make the difference for a win!*

NOTE: Judging criteria and emphasis will vary for the “Design for Production” category, with a higher emphasis on particular criteria

Awards:

High school and post-secondary school entries are judged and awarded separately.

First Place………………………………….……………….........................…$1,000

Second Place…………………………………………………........................$500

Honorable Mention (Given at the discretion of the judges) …..$250

Best of Show (Student receives the Best of Show trophy)…...... $1,000

People’s Choice………………………………………………......................$750

First and Second Place given in every category, Honorable Mention given at judges’ discretion.

Entry Instructions

1. Schools/instructors must complete the online School Registration Form at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/wood23 by May 1, 2023 for student entries to be accepted. Instructors may also request the PDF version of this form for student distribution and complimentary Fresh Wood / Turning to the Future posters.

2. Students must register on this website (Artcall) and create a User Profile.

3. After a User Profile is created, log into the Artcall website. Once you are logged in, click on the Add New Submission button. Here you will choose either High School or Post Secondary from the Category drop-down menu. Next choose either Seating, Tables, Case Goods, Design for Production, 2023 Special Theme: Small Projects, or Open Category from the Sub-Category drop-down menu. Type in the name of your project in the Title section. Type in the Dimensions of your project in inches and the Weight of your project in pounds.

4. Students must answer the online questions. Do NOT include your name, your school’s name, your location, or any other information that may identify you, your teacher, or your woodworking program when answering the Online Questions. The

questions are as follows:

1.) What is your inspiration for this piece? OR If the piece is a reproduction, explain whether your intent was to make an

authentic reproduction or if you have intentionally changed some details?

2.) What are your project goals? Did you use a unique process, design element, or construction method?

3.) Did you experience any design or construction challenges? How did you solve them?

4.) What type of wood(s) did you use? What wood products did you use? What type of finish did you use? (or intend to use if finish coat is not yet applied at time of entry)

5.) Did you use of any special equipment, design software, jigs, or hardware? Were any of these new to you?

6.) List if any manufactured parts were used, or if any other persons or companies were involved in the process (i.e. upholstery, veneering, metalwork, turned pieces, etc.), THIS MUST BE DISCLOSED!!!

NOTE: It may be a good idea to type your answers in Microsoft Word first, then copy and paste your answers into the online form.

5. Photos: Upload four (4) photos of the completed project using the Add Attachment button on the Add Entry Attachments

page of the submission. Three (3) from different views plus one (1) detail shot. Note: Preliminary review by judges is heavily reliant on the photos. It is to your advantage to submit the best quality possible. (Many students hire a

professional photographer or employ the services of their instructor or the photography department at their school for this task.) When submitting photos, crop, blur, or remove people from the images.

6. Construction Photos/Documentation: Upload at least one (1) additional image showing the project during construction, or project plans, drawings, or working sketches. (Judges will not score based on the quality of construction documentation, but will use them as reference). When submitting photos, crop, blur, or remove people from the images.

NOTE: You should have five (5) total attachments in your submission on the contest entry website.

7. Once you register for the contest on Artcall (this website) you will be able to download the Fresh Wood 2023 Student Release Form. You, your instructor, and your parent or guardian (if you are under 18) must sign this form to enter this
contest. After you get all of the signatures, scan the Release Form and use the Upload Agreement button to attach it to
your contest submissions.

8. Only complete submissions will be accepted. You may edit your answers and/or submission photos and documents at any
time until the May 1, 2023 deadline. After the deadline no submissions or changes will be permitted.

The Fresh Wood Competition will culminate at the AWFS®Fair, a live, in-person industry trade show, July 25-28, 2023 at the Las Vegas Convention Center (Las Vegas, Nevada, USA). Finalist attendance at the AWFS®Fair is not required but is strongly encouraged. AWFS®Fair Show Management reserves the right to make changes and adjustments to the Fresh Wood Competition at any point throughout the process.

Key Competition Dates

May 1, 2023: Entry Application Deadline

May 19, 2023: Finalists notified

June 9, 2023: Deadline for coordinating shipping to Las Vegas Convention Center

July 23, 2023: Day to personally deliver furniture to Las Vegas Convention Center

July 24, 2023: Final on-site judging

July 25-28, 2023: AWFS®Fair; Finalists’ projects on display during the Fair, winners selected and announced

Fresh Wood 2023 > Register & Apply