The Wood Awards has now launched its 2020 call for entries. 2020 is the 50th anniversary of this prestigious competition, which celebrates excellence in British architecture and product design using wood. Anyone involved in a UK-based wood project is invited to enter and has until 22nd May to submit their applications.
There is no entry fee and entrants may submit more than one project. Established in 1971, the Wood Awards recognises, encourages and promotes outstanding design,
craftsmanship and installation throughout the UK. The Wood Awards’ elite independent judging panel not only judges all submitted entries but also visits the shortlisted projects in person, making the Wood Awardsa uniquely rigorous competition.
2019 EDUCATION & PUBLIC SECTOR Winner: Cambridge Central Mosque / Marks Barfield Architects
With permission from the owner, anyone associated with a building or product completed in the last two years, can enter. Buildings must be located within the UK whilst furniture and other products must have been either designed or manufactured in the UK. Fitted furniture must be in the UK. There are no restrictions on the size or budget of a project. Entries must be submitted via woodawards.com.
The Wood Awards shortlist will be announced in July and the winners will be announced a ceremony held on 25th November at Carpenters’ Hall in London. The shortlisted projects will be on display at the ceremony and during the London Design Festival in September.
2019 STRUCTURAL AWARD winner – House in a Garden. Gianni Botsford Architects.
The Furniture & Product competition will be split into Bespoke, Production Made and Student Designer which is open to anyone who is currently in education or who has left education within the past 12 months. Within the Student category there are two cash prizes (£1,000 for the Winner and £500 for the People’s Choice). The 2020 buildings categories will be confirmed later this year, but they are likely to be Commercial & Leisure, Education & Public Sector, Interiors, Private and Small Project. Other awards, such as Structural and Existing Building awards, can be given at the judges’ discretion. The Gold Award is given to the project that the judges deem to be the winner of winners.
JUDGES
The buildings panel is led by three-time Gold Award winner Stephen Corbett of Green Oak Carpentry. The panel includes Jim Greaves, Hopkins Architects; Kirsten Haggart, Waugh Thistleton Architects; Andrew Lawrence, Arup; Jonas Lencer, dRMM; David Morley, David Morley Architects; journalist Ruth Slavid and Nathan Wheatley, engenuiti. The furniture and product panel is led by design critic, curator and journalist Corinne Julius. The panel includes Oliver Stratford, editor of Disegno magazine; Rod Wales of Wales & Wales; and previous winners Sebastian Cox, Eleanor Lakeland and Yael Mer of Raw Edges.
SPONSORS
As a not-for-profit competition, the Wood Awards can only happen with collaborative industry sponsorship. Major Sponsors of the Wood Awards 2020 are American Hardwood Export Council and The Carpenters’ Company. Other current sponsors include American Softwoods, Arnold Laver, Timber Trade Federation, and TRADA.
