2023 AWFS Fresh Wood winners announced

Posted by Michaelle Bradford

July 31, 2023 | 8:21 am CDT

LAS VEGAS – High school students took home the AWFS Fresh Wood Student Competition top prizes - Best of Show and People’s Choice - when winners were announced on July 27 during the AWFS Fair in Las Vegas. Gage Day, a Corner Canyon High School (UT) student, won the Best of Show award in the 2023 AWFS Fresh Wood student woodworking competition after judges reviewed 40 finalist projects from 20 different high schools and colleges in North America.

Gage Day won the Best of Show award in the 2023 AWFS Fresh Wood student woodworking competition.

Day was awarded a unique sculpture made by renowned chairmaker Brian Boggs, displayed at the Fresh Wood booth throughout the show. In addition, he received $2,000 and a copy of Cabinet / Closet Workshop software. The Best of Show award is sponsored by KCD Software. KCD also provided two additional copies of the Cabinet / Closet Workshop software to students in the competition.

Day also received First Place in the High School Seating category and High School Special Theme: Small Projects of the competition, which included another $1,000 prize.

The judges found the Best of Show award decision very difficult this year, with a tie between Gage’s project and The Apothecary Cabinet by Shepherd Zambonelli from Selkirk College, which led them to create a new award to recognize Shep’s project: The Judges’ Nod.

Fair attendees awarded the People’s Choice Award, and a $750 prize, to Alexander Murren Doherty at Dos Pueblos High School, for his Maloof Inspired Rocker. Zander’s project also received First Place in the High School Seating Category. Zander’s school will receive a PantoRouter thanks to People’s Choice sponsor PantoRouter.

MicroJig Tools sponsored a Bravo to Teachers award by presenting two GRR-RIPPER 2GO 3D push blocks to each teacher with a Fresh Wood finalist project.

The Fresh Wood 2023 judging panel – consisting of Ethan Abramson, Brian Boggs, Lois Snyder, Thomas Tuck, and Jamie Yocono – spent a full day at the AWFS Fair, carefully studying and discussing each project during the final scoring process.

First Place winners in each category and at each school level received a $1,000 prize, Second Place winners received $500, and Honorable Mention winners received $250. AWFS covers project shipping and most travel and hotel costs to bring the students and their teachers to Las Vegas.

List of 2023 Fresh Wood winners:

Award	Prize	Category	Title	Name	School Name	City	State	Country
first place	$1,000	2023 Special Theme: Small Projects - High School	Vertigo	Gage Day	Corner Canyon High School	Draper	UT	US
second place	$500	2023 Special Theme: Small Projects - High School	Yoshi Cup	Griffin Burnham	Tooele High School	Tooele	UT	US
first place	$1,000	Case Goods - High School	"Retro" Record Player Cabinet	Bryce Sanford	Oceanside High School	Oceanside	CA	US
second place	$500	Case Goods - High School	Tambour entertainment center	Gavin Richards	Fremont High School	Hesperia	MI	US
first place	$1,000	Design for Production - High School	Designer Chairs for Kids	Ethan Kleen	Lincoln East High School	Lincoln	NE	US
second place	$500	Design for Production - High School	The Millera Chair	Ruby Bunisky	Lincoln East High School	Lincoln	NE	US
first place	$1,000	Open Category - High School	Triple Threat	Ethan McWillis	Corner Canyon High School	Draper	UT	US
second place	$500	Open Category - High School	Refuge	Grace Farnsworth	Corner Canyon High School	Draper	UT	US
first place	$1,000	Seating - High School	Maloof Inspired Rocker	Alexander Murren Doherty	Dos Pueblos High School	Santa Barbara	CA	US
second place	$500	Seating - High School	The 1521	Braden Larsen	Alta High School	Sandy	UT	US
first place	$1,000	Tables - High School	Mind Winder	Gage Day	Corner Canyon High School	Draper	UT	US
second place	$500	Tables - High School	Torri Torri	Levi Ericson	Corner Canyon High School	Draper	UT	US
first place	$1,000	2023 Special Theme: Small Projects - Post Secondary	Cabinet of Atomic Light	Boyd Boyd	Vermont Woodworking School at Northern Vermont University	Burlington	VT	US
first place	$1,000	Case Goods - Post Secondary	Apothecary Cabinet	Shepherd Zambonelli	Selkirk College	Nelson	BC	Canada
second place	$500	Case Goods - Post Secondary	Torii Table	Julian Hengsbach	Selkirk college	Nelson	BC	Canada
first place	$1,000	Design for Production - Post Secondary	The Sabi Sling Chair	Ainsley Bauer	University of Idaho	Spokane	WA	US
first place	$1,000	Open Category - Post Secondary	Mirror, Mirror	Anneliese King	Center for Furniture Craftsmanship	Philadelphia	PA	US
second place	$500	Open Category - Post Secondary	The Sword of Kahless \| Klingon Bat'leth	Paul Fisher	El Camino College	San Pedro	CA	US
first place	$1,000	Seating - Post Secondary	Lounge Chair	Jeremy Zerger	ArtCenter College of Design	Downey	CA	US
second place	$500	Seating - Post Secondary	Hemispheres	Pacey Berken	Fox Valley Technical College	Appleton	WI	US
honorable mention	$250	Seating - Post Secondary	Abbraccio	Jenny(Jiening) Chen	ArtCenter College of Design	Diamond Bar	CA	US
honorable mention	$250	Seating - Post Secondary	Maloof low back chair	Paul Linden	Palomar College	Carlsbad	CA	US
first place	$1,000	Tables - Post Secondary	Hug Table	Shirley Hsu	Cerritos College	South Pasadena	CA	US
second place	$500	Tables - Post Secondary	Lego Table	Alex Morrison	Selkirk College	Whitehorse	Yukon	Canada
honorable mention	$250	Tables - Post Secondary	Nautilus Table	Chip McCarthy	Cerritos College	Long Beach	CA	US

Judges' Nod	no cash prize	Case Goods - Post Secondary	Apothecary Cabinet	Shepherd Zambonelli	Selkirk College	Nelson	BC	Canada
Best of Show, sponsored by KCD Software	$1,000	Tables - High School	Mind Winder	Gage Day	Corner Canyon High School	Draper	UT	US
People's Choice, sponsored by PantoRouter	$750	Seating - High School	Maloof Inspired Rocker	Alexander Murren Doherty	Dos Pueblos High School	Santa Barbara	CA	US
	+ Students' school receives PantoRouter
Bravo to Teachers, sponsored by MicroJig	All teachers receive two (2) MicroJig GRR-RIPPER 2GO 3D Push Blocks

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About the author

Michaelle Bradford, CCI Media, is Editor of Closets & Organized Storage magazine and Woodworking Network editor. She has more than 20 years of experience covering the woodworking and design industry, including visits to custom cabinet shops, closet firms and design studios throughout North America. As Editor of Closets & Organized Storage magazine under the Woodworking Network brand, Michaelle’s responsibilities include writing, editing, and coordinating editorial content as well as managing annual design competitions like the Top Shelf Design Awards. She is also a contributor to FDMC and other Woodworking Network online and print media owned by CCI Media.

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