ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Association of Woodworking & Furnishings Suppliers has announced the judging panel for the 2019 Fresh Wood competition. This year 188 entries were received by Fresh Wood from high school and post-secondary students throughout the United States and Canada. Forty-two projects were selected for the final round of judging which will take place at the AWFS Fair in Las Vegas.

The students and their instructors whose projects advanced to the final round are invited to attend the AWFS Fair in person, with a majority of the travel costs covered by AWFS.

The Fresh Wood Judges panel is made up of distinguished woodworking professionals from different sectors of the industry:

• Bob Barone, a woodworker and guitar maker who is currently the vice president at Precision Drive Systems in Charlotte, North Carolina.

• Judson Beaumont, owner of Straight Line Design Inc. in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Beaumont’s furniture is recognized for its creative and sculptural style.

• Scott Grove, owner of Imagine Grove in Canandaigua, New York. Grove is a recognized artist, sculptor, and furniture maker who is known for his advanced woodworking techniques.

• Wendy Maruyama, a renowned furniture maker and artist from San Diego, California. Maruyama also led the Furniture and Woodworking program at San Diego State University from 1989-2014.

• Jim Wellever, department head of the Cabinetmaking/Millwork Training program and Director of the Midwest Advanced Woodworking Technology Center at Michigan Career & Technical Institute.

Fresh Wood judge Judson Beaumont will also create the 2019 Fresh Wood Best of Show Trophy.

“We asked Judson to design a trophy that embodied his own design language,” says AWFS® Education Manager Adam Kessler. “We are thrilled with what he came up with, and we can’t wait to find out which student wins the prize.”

From 1999 to 2013, the original Fresh Wood Best of Show Trophy was made by Sam Maloof and after his passing, Sam Maloof Woodworker Inc. In 2015, AWFS invited master craftsman and marquetry expert, Paul Schürch, to design a trophy, which beautifully represented his trademark inlaid veneer style of work. In 2017, AWFS gave Garry Knox Bennett free reign to create something symbolic of his impressive body of work.

The trophy will be unveiled and presented to the Best of Show winner by Judson Beaumont at the Student Awards Ceremony, 4:00 p.m. on Friday, July 19 at the AWFS Fair in room N-109/N-110. All registered fair attendees are invited to attend the student awards ceremony, where winners of the Fresh Wood student competition and the American Association of Woodturners, Turning to the Future student woodturning competition, will be announced. No registration is required but seating is limited. See http://AWFSFair.org.