AWFS 2021 Student Design Competition winners announced
Jinsoo Kim sideboard

Jinsoo Kim, a student at Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, won the Best of Show award in the 2021 AWFS Fresh Wood Competition.

LAS VEGAS - Winners of the 2021 AWFS Student Design Competitions were announced July 22 during the AWFS Fair in Las Vegas.

Jinsoo Kim, a student at Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, won the Best of Show award in the 2021 AWFS Fresh Wood Competition after judges reviewed 24 finalist projects from 12 different high schools and colleges in the U.S. All 24 Fresh Wood student finalists went home with monetary prizes ranging from $250 to $1,000, along with trophies and software prizes.

Kim was awarded an iconic sculpture made by renowned woodworker and artist Scott Grove, which was displayed at the Fresh Wood booth throughout the show. He received $3,000 total and a KCD Software Package. He also received First Place in the Post-Secondary Case Goods and Tables category of the competition, which included another $2,000 prize and a Certificate of Merit. The Best of Show award is sponsored by KCD Software.

Fair attendees awarded the People’s Choice Award, and a $750 prize to Mohammed Al-Yaseen at Lincoln East High School, for his project The Nest. Al-Yaseen spent much of his time at the Fresh Wood booth demonstrating the mechanics of his chair as the entire piece is able to fold down flat.

A new Bravo to Teachers award was given out, thanks to sponsor MAKESafe Tools, who presented Roy Castillo from San Jacinto High School in California with a Power Tool Brake. Roy’s student Fernando Cantu Pirelli also won Second Place in the Case Goods Category for his Walnut Entertainment Credenza.

The Fresh Wood 2021 judging panel - consisting of Harold Greene (Harold Greene Fine Furnishings), Alan Harp (Alan Harp Designs), and Taryn Schwartz (Ballard Design) - provided a variety of perspectives to the judging process.

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 102 entries from schools in the United States. The complete list of Fresh Wood winners is listed in the table below.
 

2021 Fresh Wood winners    
2021 Special Theme: Remote Woodworking - High School First Place Shaker Bedside Table  Andrew Tondu, Frankfort High School  
andrew tondu table
2021 Special Theme: Remote Woodworking - High School Second Place Outdoor Furniture Ashley Wong, Mark Keppel High School
Ashley Wong
Case Goods - High School First Place Juke Box Dakota Kelley, Rolla Technical Institute  
Dakota Kelley Juke
Case Goods - High School Second Place Walnut Entertainment Credenza Fernando Cantu, Pirelli San Jacinto High School  
Fernando Pirelli credenza
Design for Production - High School First Place Lumbarest Josiah Miles Lincoln East High School  
Josiah Miles lumbarest
Design for Production - High School Second Place Some Assembly Required  Mohammed Al-Yaseen, Lincoln East High School  
Muhammed Al-Yaseen ply chair
Open Category - High Schools First Place Sundown Katie Farnsworth, Corner Canyon High School  
Katie Farnsworth guitar
Open Category - High Schools Second Place Blue Grace Savannah Richards, Corner Canyon High School  
Savannah Richards guitar
Seating - High School First Place The Nest Mohammed Al-Yaseen, Lincoln East High School  
Mohammed Al-Yaseen nest
Seating - High School Second Place Adirondack Chair David Olson,  Saint Croix Central High School  
David Olson chair
Tables - High School First Place Queen Anne Tilt Top Pie Crust Table Wyatt Thaller, Benzie Central High School  
Wyatt Thaller
Tables - High School Second Place Contemporary Table Jacob Farnsworth, Corner Canyon High School  
Jacob Farnsworth table
2021 Special Theme: Remote Woodworking - Post Secondary First Place Nested Console Tables Jenny Hefferan, Madison College  
Jenny Hefferan tables
2021 Special Theme: Remote Woodworking - Post Secondary Second Place And The Rabbit Jumped Over The Moon Madelaine Nelson, Selkirk College   
Madelaine Nelson
Case Goods - Post Secondary First Place Sideboard with a Void Jinsoo Kim, Center for Furniture Craftsmanship  
Jinsoo Kim sideboard
Case Goods - Post Secondary Second Place Arches Sideboard Glen Gordon, Center for Furniture Craftsmanship  
Glen Gordon sideboard
Open Category - Post Secondary First Place Abulafia Lectern Dotan Appelbaum, Center for Furniture Craftsmanship  
Dotan Applebaum lectern
Open Category - Post Secondary Second Place Revolution Mirror Susan Koloski, SUNY Buffalo State College  
Susan Koloski
Seating - Post Secondary First Place Harp Back Chair Avrom Tobin, North Bennet Street School  
Avrom Tobin chair
Seating - Post Secondary Second Place Joined Arts & Crafts Chair in Walnut & Leather Daniel Osach, North Bennet Street School  
Daniel Osach chair
Seating - Post Secondary Honorable Mention Queen Anne Chair Joseph Thibeault, North Bennet Street School  
Joseph Thibeault chair
Tables - Post Secondary First Place Flying Table Jinsoo Kim, Center for Furniture Craftsmanship  
Jinsoo Kim table
Tables - Post Secondary Second Place Zig-Zag Stardust Coffee Table Aleasha Carr, Selkirk College  
Alesha Carr table
Tables - Post Secondary Honorable Mention The Truman Table Shaun Belliveau-Thompson, Selkirk College  
Shaun Belliveau-Thompson table

AAW Turning to the Future students honored

Meanwhile, five students received awards and prizes in the American Association of Woodturning (AAW) Turning to the Future Competition. Thanks to the contest sponsors, the Grand Prize winner received a $750 Gift Card to Woodworker’s Emporium and category winners received cash prizes of $500 (First Place) and $100 (Second Place). Judging was completed by professional and recognized woodturners Stuart Batty, Christian Brisepierre, Scott Grove, and Tib Shaw. The Turning to the Future winners are as follows:

Grand Prize
Breath, Terror by Brett Garrett, Iowa State University
High School - First Place
Ablaze by Charlie Hamilton, Mills E. Goodwin High School
High School - Second Place
Hidden Beauty by Sebastian Montagano, Abington Junior High School
And Post-Secondary – First Place
Turn to the Future by Noah Schuerman, University of Idaho
Post-Secondary –Second Place:
Golden Waves by Joyce Kunz, Brigham Young University
 

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About the author
Michaelle Bradford | Editor

Michaelle Bradford, CCI Media, is Editor of Closets & Organized Storage magazine and Woodworking Network editor. She has more than 20 years of experience covering the woodworking and design industry, including visits to custom cabinet shops, closet firms and design studios throughout North America. As Editor of Closets & Organized Storage magazine under the Woodworking Network brand, Michaelle’s responsibilities include writing, editing, and coordinating editorial content as well as managing annual design competitions like the Top Shelf Design Awards. She is also a contributor to FDMC and other Woodworking Network online and print media owned by CCI Media.