Applications for the 2008 Niche Awards are now available online at www.AmericanCraft.com. Artists can download an application at the newly revamped Niche Awards Web page. Other information includes updated rules and guidelines, as well as information about the 2008 Niche Awards ceremony, special display and finalist notifications.

The Niche Awards, sponsored by Niche magazine, celebrate excellence and innovation in American and Canadian craft. Entry deadline for professionals is Aug. 31; entry deadline for students is Sept. 28.

Categories include Ceramics, Fiber, Glass, Metal, Wood, Jewelry, Home Furnishings, Goblets, Judaica, Mixed Media, Narrative, Recycled, Teapots and more. New categories include Handmade Beads and Polymer Clay. 

Judging is based on three main criteria:

* Technical excellence, both in surface design and form;

* Market viability; and

* A distinct quality of unique, original, and creative thought.

Finalists are invited to display their work in the Niche Awards exhibit at the February Philadelphia Buyers Market of American Craft, Feb. 15-18, 2008, and will be included in the Winter 2008 issue of NICHE magazine. Winners will be announced at the February 2008 Buyers Market and featured in the Spring 2008 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