Meet the Judges for Maker of the Year 2025!

6 August 2025

Maker of the Year, presented by Carbatec is Australian Wood Review’s annual showcase for the latest and best in fine woodworking and wood art. The competition is open to woodworkers all over the world – amateur, pro and student.

Award winners will share in a A$19,500 prize pool which includes A$11,500 cash. There are three categories and 12 awards – for more information see here. Maker of the Year, presented by Carbate, closes for entries on 4 September 2025 and culminates with the announcement of the winners in a special Maker of the Year edition of Australian Wood Review magazine in December 2025 which features the Top 100 entries. Winners and runners up will also be announced at www.woodreview.com.au

Meet the judges for 2025

Our judging panel draw on decades of experience as makers, designers, educators and curators. It's our pleasure to introduce them!

Ashley Jameson Eriksmoen @the_ashsmoen

Ashley Eriksmoen is a visual arts researcher with more than 20 years of experience and since 2012 has been Senior Lecturer at the School of Art & Design at Australian National University. Over the past decade, Ashley has been salvaging timber and appropriating discarded wood furniture to construct her artworks. Her work addresses deforestation, reduction of wildlife habitat, contested/shared landscapes, natural resource use, consumerism and waste. She is a strong believer in the power of contemporary craft and design as a means of tackling pressing environmental and societal issues. Ashley’s work is exhibited nationally and internationally and she was the winner of both the 2021 Clarence Prize for Excellence in Furniture Design, and the 2022 Australian Furniture Design Awards. Her work is in the collections of the NGV (Melbourne), the RISD Art Museum (Providence, USA) and The Center for Art in Wood (Philadelphia).

Will Acland, designer maker and teacher

Alongside his own practice, Will Acland is partner in the internationally renowned school for furniture makers which also goes under the banner of Waters & Acland which is situated in the Lake District of England. The ethos of Waters & Acland is “perfection in the making” and that attitude is evident in the free-flowing bespoke sculptural works which are made in the workshop of Will Acland and Oliver Waters. Read an interview with Will Acland here.

“A well resolved design that shows that great care has been taken to fully resolve and refine the design. I’ll also be looking for quality over quantity. I’ll also be looking for quality over quantity. I’m interested in subtlety not superfluousness, and also coherence – as incongruity without justification is a problem.” – Will Acland

Pam Erasmus, designer maker and educator

Thirty years making and designing furniture as well as teaching privately and at the Dwellingup School of Wood in WA, the Australian School of Fine Furniture in Tasmania and currently Sturt School for Wood in NSW, have given Pam Erasmus a unique understanding of woodwork and woodworkers. She designed and made The 2 B Used range which sold through Bungendore Wood Works Gallery and Naturally Australian at the Rocks in Sydney. From 2000, Pam taught an introductory Woodwork for Women course and a later a group called Women Working with Wood (W4W). Read an interview with Pam Erasmus here. We asked Pam: What defines an award-winning piece in a competition such as this?

“Originality. Function. Appropriate construction. Attention to detail. Finish. A striking yet unpretentious piece that catches one’s eye and begs for closer inspection. Seeing as this is a visual-only competition through photographs, high quality photos are a must, showing true colour and texture of the wood. Detailed shots of the joinery and other elements of the design.”

Jono Everett @everett_creative. Photo: Edwina Richards

Jono Everett is a furniture maker, artist and designer and co-manages the Soap Factory arts collective, Newcastle. He was profiled in Australian Wood Review #123 and has written about his five principles of design as applied to his Tuned Table. In AWR#127 Jono wrote about a large-scale collaborative project called Morphology that he co-directed with Hannah Cheetham. You can read the AWR profile of Jono Everett here.

“I’m all about design and originality. I see the difference between a good and a great piece is the strength of the concept and the clarity of its execution.” – Jono Everett

Michelle Boyde, Artistic Director, Design Tasmania. Photo: Kishka Jensen

Michelle Boyde is a multi-disciplinary designer, curator and mentor, trained at RMIT’s School of Architecture and Design. Since founding her consultancy and studio BOYDE, she has worked with major cultural institutions in hospitality, tourism, and the arts across Tasmania and nationally.

Appointed the inaugural Artistic Director of Design Tasmania in 2022, Michelle brings a long-standing relationship with the organisation, as a designer, exhibitor, and curator As Artistic Director, she leads the annual Artistic Program and co-stewards the internationally recognised Design Tasmania Wood Collection – an 80-piece collection of Tasmanian timber works, central to Australia’s contemporary design history. Her programs champion Tasmanian designers, women, sustainability and local industry-connected design practice.

“In particular, I’ll be looking for work that reflects a strong sense of place through provenance and thoughtful choice of timber; a clear, original design concept that tells a story with economy and elegance; and craftsmanship that shows skill with attention to detail. I’m excited by who I might discover through this process!” – Michelle Boyde

Andrew Ward, designer, maker and Overall Maker of the Year 2024. Photo: Anthony McKee

Andy Ward is a Melbourne-based furniture designer, maker, and craftsman known for his bespoke furniture design, architectural building renovations, and fit-outs. His commitment to client-centric design has resulted in a diverse portfolio of high-quality, custom-made furniture pieces and meticulously crafted architectural projects. In 2024, Andy Ward was awarded Overall Maker of the Year. This year, Andy Ward curated Goodbye London Plane, a group exhibition which looked at the viability of London plane as an urban timber resource for furniture makers. Read an interview with Andy here.

“As last year’s MOTY winner, I’m a strong advocate for the platform and the ‘you’ve got to be in it to win it’ mindset. Even just entering can drive personal progression, having a deadline and a reason to be ambitious is a healthy push. As a judge this year, I’ll be looking for work that not only showcases craftsmanship and skill, but also expresses a clear design voice, something thoughtful and resolved.” – Andy Ward