The Craft Skills Awards acknowledge excellence in teaching, maintaining and developing the craft skills of the craftsperson as well as those of others. Passing on and developing craft skills are vital for creating and maintaining crafts for the future and to ensure that crafts survive and flourish as a vibrant part of our economy.

The enthusiasm, knowledge and experience of craftspeople, groups and organisations have a real influence on the number and quality of skilled craftspeople in the UK. Identifying and celebrating the very best of good craft practice by the Craft Skills Awards should encourage others to support the next generation of makers.

The Crafts Skills Awards are about just that; they are not about craft objects or artefacts.

These awards will:

• Celebrate the great work that is already being done in craft to support future makers’ development.
• Encourage others to get involved and support the next generation of makers by passing on their skills.
• Raise the public profile of craft, and its status, and encourage people to consider it as a career choice.

Award winners could be an individual craftsperson or master, a company or institution, teacher, tutor or workshop leader.

The specific activity celebrated could include anything from academic courses and professional apprenticeship programmes to one-to-one advice, taster sessions for beginners and masterclasses for experienced professionals.