Orkney sail maker wins Scotland and UK Maker of the Year Awards 2025

Sail maker Mark Shiner has won both the Scotland Maker of the Year Award, supported by the William Grant Foundation, and UK Maker of the Year Award, supported by the Marsh Charitable Trust. Each was accompanied by a £1,000 prize, awarded at a special presentation at Wentworth Woodhouse on Monday 17 November 2025.

The awards celebrate a heritage craftsperson in Scotland and the UK who has made an outstanding contribution to their craft within the previous year. It recognises a contribution that is far beyond the ordinary, either in pushing their craft to new levels, contributing to its promotion or continuation in an exceptional way.

Mark Shiner is a traditional sailmaker and Curriculum Leader for Maritime Studies in the Orkney Islands. He runs Scotland’s only traditional sailmaking course, where he teaches the ancient art of ‘floor lofting’ using arithmetic and hand skills rather than computer design. In the last year, this expertise was internationally recognised when he was invited to the Mystic Seaport Museum in the USA to train their traditional sailmaking team and research lost 19th-century techniques.

The two other finalists for the Scotland award were Richard Platt and Sam Cooper, chair makers who operate the Marchmont Workshop to continue the tradition of rush-seated ladder-back chair making, and Rachel Frost, a craftsperson focusing on historical British crafts and specialising in hats.

The three other finalists for the UK award were silversmith Angela Cork (England Maker of the Year), damask linen wever Deborah White (Northern Ireland Maker of the Year) and charcoal sculptor Billie Ireland (Wales Maker of the Year).

The William Grant Foundation is a funder of good causes connected to one of Scotland’s leading family-owned businesses, with a vision of a Scotland where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. The Marsh Charitable Trust runs a portfolio of awards with a number of nationally and internationally recognised partners to celebrate the outstanding contributions of people who are committed to social, cultural and environmental causes.

Photo: Mark Shiner, winner of the 2025 Scotland and UK Maker of the Year Awards, and Jo Sealy, Heritage Crafts Vice-Chair. Photo by Robert Wade.