Fresh Wood 2027

freshwood Student Competition 2027 Submission End Date April 15, 2027 @ 11:59 pm PDT Show Venue The 2027 Fresh Wood Student Design Competition will be featured at the 2027 AWFS®Fair at the Las Vegas Convention Center July 13-15, 2027 (Las Vegas, NV, USA). Go to awfsfair.org to learn more. Fresh Wood 2027 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 the United States. There is no entry fee. The Fresh Wood Competition will culminate at the AWFS®Fair, a live, in-person industry trade show, July 13-15, 2027 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. 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 and younger than 35 years of age by July 13, 2027. 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 2025 and April 2027; 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. 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.Entry should not exceed forty-eight (48) inches in length or width when fully assembled. 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.Digital Fabrication: Utilize digital software and fabrication technology to bring creative ideas to life. Eligible methods may include CNC machining, 3D printing, laser cutting, and other digital fabrication processes.Entries must demonstrate the student's design process by including a screenshot of the software in use and providing relevant design details in the submissions questions.Students may use AI and other available tools but must disclose how those tools contributed to their projects.Projects will be evaluated on design, innovation, technical execution, and the successful application of digital technologies to create a finished product.Musical Instruments: Includes string, percussion, woodwinds, and other musical instruments designed to produce sound.Emphasis is on originality, craftsmanship, design, functionality, and the quality of construction.Instruments should be playable or demonstrate their intended musical function. Open: 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 lighting, games, and clocks. 2027 Special Theme - Sports & Games: This is the category for anything related to sports and games. You could enter a tennis racket, hockey stick, fishing equipment, hunting equipment, canoe, dart board, card table, pool table, ping pong table, chess set, and more! 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: Judges receive anonymous online submissions consisting of images and the students’ responses to the online questions. Judges score