ATLANTA — Winners of the IWF Design Emphasis 2024 student design contest will be announced Aug. 7 at 10 a.m. in the Design Emphasis Gallery, located in Building C of the Georgia World Congress Center. Forty-one finalist projects in five categories are vying for a share of more than $10,000 in prize money.

A biennial competition, Design Emphasis is for students enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at an accredited college or university. Sponsored by IWF and its owner, WIA (Woodworking Industry Association), the competition gives students a platform to showcase their talents to the industry. 

Cash prizes will be awarded to the best of show ($1,500), and to the winners ($1,000), merit ($500) and honorable mentions ($250) in each category. The five categories are: Accent Furniture, Case Goods, Commercial/Hospitality Furniture, Design Creativity, and Seating. 

Projects will be on display in the Design Emphasis Gallery throughout IWF. North America's largest woodworking event takes place Aug. 6-9 in Atlanta. 

By category, the 41 finalist projects are: 

Accent Furniture: Michael Aehle I Sonia Coffee Table (Kansas State University- APDesign); Thomas Argauer I Dual Forces (Kansas State University); Diana Valeria Beltran Mejia I Entre Lazados (Appalachian State University); Toryn Black I Janus (Haywood Community College); Bridget Connor I Arched (Kansas State University); Bridget Connor I Lotus (Kansas State University); Armando Cruz I Project Expansion (Fox Valley Technical College); Blake Dodson I Levita (Kansas State University); Carolyn Fairchild I Aero Aura (Kansas State University); Haley Grimbeek I Vega (Appalachian State University); Kyle Haggerty I Resonance (Georgia Institute of Technology); Aviyah Pepperstone I Artisanal Coffee Table (Kansas State University); Jen Schmidt I Barrel Manilow (Haywood Community College); Orko Sen I Luma (Appalachian State University); and Tanner Sims I Vulcan Table (Kansas State University).

Case Goods: Mason Barksdale I Coalescent (Appalachian State University); MaKayla Koon I Fluidity within Rigidity (University of Kentucky); Allen Kromer I Flicker Cabinet (Haywood Community College); Haoren Men I PAC-MAN Bookshelf (Auburn University); Meredith Metz I Ash and Sapela Credenza (Haywood Community College); and Orko Sen I DLW Station (Appalachian State University).

Commercial/Hospitality Furniture: Grayson Hall I Poppi (Purdue University); Noah Martin I Villains Chateau (Appalachian State University); Megan Parrott I Arched Waves (Kansas State University); Tanner Sims I Connect Table (Kansas State University); Vic Stocker I Eyry (Appalachian State University); and Vic Stocker I Luna (Appalachian State University).

Design Creativity: Annissa Dougherty I Coffee Table A (Kansas State University); Katelyn Kurovski I Arazi (Kansas State University); Jessica Pearson Brantley I HexaGrain Console (Haywood Community College); Jen Schmidt I Barrel White (Haywood Community College); Katherine Semler I Serpentine Cellar (Auburn University); Genevieve Smith I Prismatic (SUNY Buffalo State University); and Matt Teahan I Sculpting Verdant Visions (University of Kansas).

Seating: Tamri Allen I Tamri Lounge Chair (Brigham Young University); Kyle Haggerty I Enclave (Georgia Institute of Technology); Jen Schmidt I Schmidtsmachine (Haywood Community College); Hantao Shao I Tri-Chair (Auburn University); Katie Sturm I Lou (Appalachian State University); Tiffany Tong I Cuna Images (Art Center College of Design); and Grace Tseng I Yun (Georgia Institute of Technology).

The panel of judges is chaired by Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of Public Relations and Marketing for the American Home Furnishings Alliance, and includes member the manufacturing industry, design/media community and academia. Products are judged by the panel for design (40 percent), manufacturing, i.e., adaptable or suitable to volume production methods (20 percent), marketability (20 percent) and workmanship (20 percent). 

Registered schools in 2024 Design Emphasis competition include: Appalachian State University, Art Center College of Design, Auburn University, Brigham Young University, Fox Valley Technical College, Georgia Tech, Haywood Community College, Kansas City Art Institute, Kansas State University, Pennsylvania West University-Edinboro, Pittsburg State University, Purdue University, Snow College, SUNY Buffalo State University, The Krenov School, Mendocino College, University of Kansas, University of Kentucky, and Vermont Woodworking School at Northern Vermont University.

For more information, visit IWFAtlanta.com.