NOW OPEN! Maker of Year 2026

Maker of the Year Awards is back for 2026 with an expanded range of categories and a $20,000+ prize pool on offer!

Maker of the Year, presented by Hare & Forbes, is an annual celebration of fine woodworking that is open to makers all over the world. Earlybird entry is available for a limited time only.

As soon as you enter, your work is displayed on the new Maker of the Year website at www.makeroftheyear.com.au. This website is where you can enter the competition and find all the information you need.

Maker of the Year, presented by Hare & Forbes, is open to amateur, professional and student woodworkers all over the world. In 2025, Maker of the Year received entries from 44 countries around the world making it a truly global platform for sharing and viewing the most creative and current work in fine woodworking.

This year the competition has six categories. You can enter as many times as you wish, and the same piece can be entered in more than one category. All categories are open to Australian and international entrants. Our Top 100 entries will be published in Wood Review's end of year edition.

Categories include Furniture, Art & Objects, Recycled & Rescued, Musical Instruments, Woodturning and Student. See a run-down of the awards and prizes for each.

Register for our fortnightly enewsletter to receive competition updates and see entrant features throughout the year. We’ll also feature selected entries on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

In 2026, Maker of the Year is presented by Australia’s premier supplier of woodworking machinery and equipment, Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse. Our highly valued supporting sponsors include American Hardwood Export Council, Carbitool, Whittle Waxes,Felder Group and Tormek.

Cover image credits: Maker/photographer, top row: Elliot Gorham (photo Michael Hill), Rytis Zaveckas, Ruby Pike. Bottom row: Sophia Jarlov (photo Daniel Allen), Catherine Gorrie, Vivian Chiu

MORE INFORMATION HERE