NICHE magazine has opened the 2009 NICHE Awards competition. The entry deadline for professionals is Aug. 30. Deadline for student entries is Sept. 30.

Application forms, rules, and guidelines for the 2009 program are now available for download at www.AmericanCraft.com.
 
The NICHE Awards annually celebrate excellence and innovation in American and Canadian craft. Categories include Ceramics, Fiber, Glass, Metal, Wood, Jewelry, Home Furnishings, Judaica, and Recycled. New categories added to the professional division this year are Art Quilts and Fashion Accessories.
 
Judging of entries is based on three main criteria:

* Technical excellence, both in surface design and form;
* Market viability (professional entries only);
* Unique, original, and creative thought.
 
Finalists are invited to display their work in the NICHE Awards exhibit at the February Buyers Market of American Craft, Feb. 13-16, 2009, and will be included in the Winter 2009 issue of NICHE magazine. Winners will be announced at a special ceremony held during the Buyers Market and featured in the Spring 2009 issue of NICHE magazine.
 
NICHE magazine, the quarterly trade publication for fine American and Canadian craft retailers, is published by The Rosen Group, a Baltimore-based arts marketing, publishing, and advocacy firm. In addition to NICHE, The Rosen Group publishes AmericanStyle magazine, a bimonthly consumer arts and lifestyle magazine for collectors of American art and fine craft, and produces the biannual Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft, the nation’s largest wholesale craft tradeshow.

JCK