I’ve been a massive fan of Etsy for years. In fact, I don’t think I’ve stopped shopping from its sellers since I discovered it, including half my wedding (read about my top finds here)! So I was really honoured to be asked to be a judge of this year’s Etsy Design Awards and I can’t wait to discover some new local makers and small businesses. As a fellow online business owner and supporter of Australian creatives (we’ve featured many Etsy store owners on the blog), it’s something close to my heart. I’m pretty much a disaster zone when it comes to making stuff, so I have huge admiration for these clever folk!
Now in itsย second year, submissions just opened and you can enter up until 13 July 2015. This year, the awards are also open to New Zealand sellers.
This year’s categories are:
- Art, Illustration & Papergoods
- Home & Lifestyle
- Fashion & Accessories
- New Talent
- Business As Unusual.
A winner will be selected from each category, along with a sixth Communityโs Choiceย winner voted by the public.ย The Business As Unusual category rewards sellers that run their shop and create items in ways that areย socially and environmentally responsible, a nod to the Etsy mission: โto reimagine ecommerce in ways thatย build a more fulfilling and lasting worldโ. The New Talent category aims to showcase creatives new to Etsyย who have opened their shop in 2015.
Last year’s new talent winner Carl Holder (above) of Foreply, says: “Winning the award and the resulting media exposure generated masses of interest in my Etsy shopย โ I went from a few dozen visits a day to literally thousands with interest and encouragement coming from allย over the globe.โย Itโs given me confidence to continue what I am doing and allowed me to venture into sellingย my pieces outside of Australia.โ
Helen Souness, managing director, Etsy Australia and Asia, says: “We were so thrilled to see that the Etsy Design Awards, in their inaugural year in 2014, really helped theย finalists and winners to grow their creative businesses on the Etsy platform. Perhaps as importantlyย it gave many emerging talents the confidence to know their work was world-class and that they reallyย could make a living from pursuing their passion for making. We hope to discover many new talents in thisย year’s Awards and welcome new makers and designers ontoย Etsy.”
This year’s awards are in association with Inside Out magazine. Editor in chief Claire Bradley says: “These kinds of awards are a rare opportunity for smaller businesses to have their beautifully craftedย products seen by a designโfocused audience. Itโs exposure to the very people who treasure trueย craftsmanship and attention to detail and itโs an acknowledgment of whatโs often been years of hard workย and sacrifice.ย Personally, Iโll be looking for entries that raise the bar in terms of materials and finishing details. Qualityย execution is a must for me. And of course, style that moves past what weโre currently seeing in the market.”
Alongside Claire, Helen and I,ย Ewanย McCoin, senior curator at the National Gallery, makes up the judging panel. We can’t wait to see the entries!
