Baltimore, Md. — NICHE magazine, the exclusive trade publication for retailers of fine American- and Canadian-made craft, announces today the finalists for its 2014 NICHE Awards competition.

Each year, the NICHE Awards recognizes excellence and innovation in North American fine craft. In the professional division, judging is based on three main criteria: technical excellence, both in surface design and form; market viability; and a distinct quality of unique, original and creative thought.

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.

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. Finalists are determined by the editors of NICHE magazine, as well as American Made Show staff.

In the professional division, jurors selected 174 finalists out of nearly 1,000 entries in 35 categories; in the student division, jurors selected 85 finalists out of nearly 600 entries in 17 categories. A complete list of finalists is now available atwww.NICHEAwards.com.

All finalists are invited to display their work in the NICHE Awards Finalist Gallery at the American Made Show, the nation’s largest wholesale trade show of fine arts and craft. The American Made Show will take place January 18 through January 21, 2014 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Finalists in the professional division will also be featured in the winter 2014 issue of NICHE magazine. Award winners will be announced at American Made Show during a special awards ceremony on January 19 and will also be featured in the Spring 2014 issue of NICHE magazine.

# # #

NICHE magazine, www.NICHEmagazine.com, is the exclusive trade publication for independent retailers of American and Canadian fine craft. NICHE is published by The Rosen Group, a Baltimore-based arts marketing, publishing and advocacy firm. The Rosen Group also produces the American Made Show, www.americanmadeshow.com, the nation’s largest wholesale tradeshow of fine craft made by U.S. and Canadian artists.

Source: NICHE magazine