Heritage Crafts Awards
recognition for master craftspeople and emerging talent
We are open for nominations
Established in 2012, the annual Heritage Crafts Awards are a range of awards each year which shine a spotlight on those individuals who champion heritage crafts skills and trades. We are indebted to our partner organisations who provide funding for our unique suite of awards and bursaries specifically for traditional crafts, and who make this possible.
The Heritage Crafts Awards celebrate and highlight the traditional living crafts made in the UK that contribute to our national heritage, such as silversmithing, dressmaking and tailoring, upholstery, weaving, leatherworking, metalworking, stained glass, green woodworking, embroidery and similar crafts where there is a significant degree of hand skill at the point of manufacture.
- Patron’s Award for Endangered Crafts
- England Maker of the Year
- Northern Ireland Maker of the Year
- Scotland Maker of the Year
- Wales Maker of the Year
- Precious Metalworker of the Year
- Fashion Textile Maker of the Year
- Woodworker of the Year
- Emerging Building Craftsperson of the Year
- Emerging Leatherworker of the Year
- Emerging Upholsterer of the Year
- Emerging Weaver of the Year
- Emerging Green Woodworker of the Year
- Emerging Stained Glass Maker of the Year
- Emerging Embroiderer of the Year
- Emerging Metalworker of the Year
- Trainer of the Year
- Trainee of the Year
- Community Catalyst of the Year
- Lifetime Achievement Award
- Environmental Sustainability Awards (to follow)
Before nominating yourself or someone else, we encourage you to take time to read through these important links:
- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – please read for useful tips
- NOMINATION QUESTIONS – for your reference
- Join our Live Q&A Session on grants, awards and bursaries on Tuesday 7 April
- Watch the recording of our previous Q&A session here
Please note that all Awards nominations now use the same nomination form, so you can nominate yourself or someone else for multiple awards all at once from just one form.
To nominate, please click on one of the relevant Awards above
DEADLINE: 5pm, Friday 21 August
Video or audio nominations:
Alternatively, you are welcome to submit a video or audio nomination, addressing all the questions in the form – You can download the questions here. The recording ideally needs to be no more than 15 minutes in length, then emailed to Rae at [email protected].
Nominate yourself or someone else
Patron’s Award for Endangered Crafts
England Maker of the Year Award
Northern Ireland Maker of the Year Award
Scotland Maker of the Year Award
Wales Maker of the Year Award
Precious Metalworker of the Year Award
Fashion Textile Maker of the Year Award
Woodworker of the Year Award
Emerging Leatherworker of the Year Award
Emerging Upholsterer of the Year Award
Emerging Weaver of the Year Award
Emerging Green Woodworker of the Year Award
Emerging Stained Glass Maker of the Year Award
Emerging Embroiderer of the Year Award
Emerging Metalworker of the Year Award
Trainer of the Year Award
Lifetime Achievement Award
Community Catalyst of the Year Award
Trainee of the Year Award
Emerging Building Craftsperson of the Year Award
Message from HM The King
“As Patron of the Heritage Crafts Association, I am delighted to endorse this new awards scheme which supports and rewards excellence in the heritage craft sector.
Crafts are such a vital part of our British heritage and I have always been passionately concerned to promote the best aspects of our country’s traditions ― and, equally importantly, to enable these highly specialised skills to be transferred from one generation to the next.
These new awards for heritage craft celebrate excellence across the sector in a variety of ways. They reward those who give so much by volunteering to support the many different crafts, those who pass on their skills, those who wish to improve their craft skills and those who continue to produce great British craft.”
Previous award winners
Owen Bushell, Millwright
Lorna Singleton – Oak swill basket maker
Nikki Laird, Kilt Maker
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Have you been watching this series of BBC Repair Shop on the Road? Presented by Heritage Crafts Ambassador @williamkirkrestoration along with @dominicchinea and the rest of the team (including Heritage Crafts Trustee and scissor maker Jonathan Reid), the series has featured Heritage Crafts members @fantheglorywithtori, @buddyollie, @juliegurrwillowweaver, @themarchmontworkshop, @dockyard.chatham and more!
Catch up on BBC iPlayer.
Are you (or is someone you know) the future of heritage crafts? The Heritage Crafts Trainee of the Year Award, supported by @marshawards, is now open for nominations!
Traditional skills only survive if we have dedicated people willing to learn them. Whatever craft you are learning, we want to celebrate your journey.
🔍 Who can be nominated?
Nominees could be on a formal apprenticeship scheme, a less formal traineeship, an institution-based course with a high degree of practical training, or even be pursuing ‘portfolio-style’ training comprising of short-courses and workshops, as long as training has formed a significant part of at least twelve months prior to applying.
🏆 The Prize
The winner will receive a £1,000 prize and will be celebrated at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November 2026. Plus, we will award a Trainer of the Year Award for the best craft teacher, also currently open for nominations.
📅 Deadline: Friday 21 August 2026 (at 5pm)
➡️ Nominate someone (or yourself) today via the linktr.ee in our bio or directly at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-awards/trainee-of-the-year/. Let’s make sure these vital skills continue to inspire and thrive! 🧶🏺🔨
📷 2025 winner @ash.appadu with trainer @buddyollie
#heritagecrafts #crafttraining #crafttrainee #craftapprentice #craftskills
We are delighted to be official supporters of the British Cræft Prize, a new national award led by @nationofartisans.
Offering a total fund of £60,000, the prize invites maverick engineers, makers, technologists and designers to innovate products and processes that fuse the deep wisdom of heritage craft with cutting-edge technology. In tune with our mission at Heritage Crafts, the prize exists `not to preserve ashes, but to light a new fire`. By combining traditional knowledge with emerging technology, it aims to reassert British identity and innovation through a new mode of AI – Artisanal Intelligence.
The term ’cræft’ is an Anglo-Saxon word revived by Heritage Crafts Ambassador Dr Alex Langlands in his 2018 book of the same name. It represents more than just the manual skill required to make an object – it is the deep know-how gained through intimate familiarity with our material environment, a resourcefulness that gives us the confidence to face unknown future challenges head on.
For more details visit https://www.nationofartisans.com/prize or via the linktr.ee in our bio.
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Timber Frame Site Crew
Location: Hereford
Deadline: 20 June 2026
As part of the Site Crew at Oakwrights, you’ll be hands-on in bringing exceptional timber buildings to life on sites across the UK. Working in small, highly-skilled teams, you’ll help erect beautiful green oak frames alongside modern softwood timber frame systems, including its award winning, pre-insulated panel systems.
You’ll travel to a mix of local and national sites, working closely with your foreman and teammates to assemble structures safely, accurately and efficiently. Every day is practical and varied, reading drawings, setting out, lifting and fixing structural elements, and solving challenges as they arise. You’ll take real pride in delivering high-quality workmanship that reflects Oakwrights’ reputation for excellence.
This role suits people who enjoy working outdoors, value teamwork, and are motivated to keep learning. For the right candidates, Oakwrights offer trainee opportunities, with training and support to help you grow within the team.
Find out more including how to apply at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/matchmaker.
#matchMAKER is the online platform for work-based training and entry-level employment opportunities hosted by @heritagecrafts and supported by @soanebritain.
Green woodworking is one of our most ancient and sustainable traditions, and we are looking for the next generation of talent to lead it into the future. Nominations are now OPEN for our new Emerging Green Woodworker of the Year Award supported by @woodsmith_uk! 🪓🌳🪵
This new award celebrates those in the first five years of their professional practice who are breathing new life into freshly cut wood, be that bodging and chair making, pole lathe turning, bowl and spoon carving, timber framing, hurdle making, shingle making, split wood basketry… or others.
We are looking for early-career practitioners who demonstrate a high level of skill and a dedication to sharing their craft. We want to recognise those who have made an outstanding start to their career, perhaps overcoming setbacks along the way to ensure long-term success.
There is a £1,000 prize for the winner to be presented at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November. Plus, we are also running similar awards in crafts, such as building crafts, with additional prizes of £1,000 provided by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and others.
📅 Deadline: Friday 21 August 2026 (at 5pm)
➡️ Nominate someone (or yourself) today via the linktr.ee in our bio or directly at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-awards/emerging-green-woodworker-of-the-year-award/
📷 2025 England Maker of the Year finalist Flo Hamer @flohamer
#heritagecrafts #greenwoodworking #spooncarving #polelathe #timberframing
This week’s #craftfocus is sgian dubh and dirk making.
A sgian dubh is a ceremonial knife typically worn with full Scottish highland dress. The name means ‘black knife’ or ‘black dagger’. There are differences in opinion on the origins of this name; it could be because of the black wood used in the handle, or it could refer to its original use as a concealed weapon.
Sgian dubhs are worn as part of Scottish national dress, while horn sgian dubhs would have been worn during the day as a working knife. Dirks are long bladed daggers that are now a symbolic traditional and ceremonial weapon worn by officers, pipers and drummers of Scottish Highland regiments.
Techniques include bladesmithing, scabbard making and hilt making. The most highly-prized knives have hand-carved ebony, bog wood (hence black knives), antler or bone hilts, sterling silver fittings and may have pommels set with precious or semi-precious stones.
Sgian dubh and dirk making is classified as endangered on our Red List of Endangered Crafts. Threats to the craft include the fact that many sgian dubh are now made overseas for the mass market and are significantly cheaper than the handmade knives. Plastic components are now often used in the mass production of knives and, again, are significantly cheaper than handmade versions.
https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/craft/sgian-dubh-and-dirk-making/
Images: Frederick Alexander Graham @haywardandstott
#heritagecrafts #craftfocus #sgiandubhmaking #dirkmaking
🏴 Wales is home to an incredible wealth of traditional skills. We are thrilled to announce that nominations are now OPEN for the Wales Maker of the Year Award 2026 supported by @hiutdenim.
We want to recognise a heritage craftsperson in Wales who has made an outstanding contribution in the past 12 months. Whether you’ve pushed your craft to new heights or worked tirelessly to promote its survival, we want to champion the simple, humble and essential skills that define our communities.
There is a £1,000 prize for the winner to be presented at a high-profile Winners’ Reception in November. Plus, one winner from the four UK nations will have their prize topped up to £2,000, supported by the Marsh Charitable Trust.
📅 Deadline: Friday 21 August 2026 (at 5pm)
➡️ Nominate someone (or yourself) today via the linktr.ee in our bio or directly at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/our-awards/wales-maker-of-the-year-award/
📷 @raunihigson MBE
#heritagecrafts #craftskills #walesmaker #madeinwales #traditionalskills
#matchMAKER opportunity!
Apprentice Sewing Machinist
Location: Manchester
Deadline: 27 May 2026
From hotels to guest houses, holiday lets to student accommodation, chalets to cruise ships, restaurants, spas, palaces, private jets and super yachts, Richard Haworth Ltd has been supplying a wide range of linens for over 140 years.
The company is currently seeking an Apprentice Sewing Machinist with good communication skills, punctuality and a strong work ethic. This is an 18 month apprenticeship leading to a Sewing Machinist (level 2) qualification.
The role will involve:
• Learning different sewing techniques using an industrial sewing machine, such as flat sewing, overlocking etc.
• Following instructions on a manufacturing specification
• Conducting quality checks throughout the production process
• Maintaining machinery
Find out more including how to apply at https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/matchmaker.
#matchMAKER is the online platform for work-based training and entry-level employment opportunities hosted by @heritagecrafts and supported by @soanebritain.
