Chapter Awards
For the past 20 years, AAW has awarded local woodturning chapters for Best Newsletter and Best Website. As local chapters continue to innovate and make more substantial impacts, AAW wants to shine the spotlight on their efforts. That’s why this year we are introducing two new Chapter Awards – The AAW Community Impact Award and The AAW Communications Excellence Award.
Application Deadline: April 1, 2026
Both awards share the same deadline, eligibility requirements, and submission process. See How to Enter below.
The AAW Community Impact Award
Woodturning is more than just a hobby. Many individuals and local chapters have used their talents to make significant contributions to their communities. This award recognizes chapters that have demonstrated a strong commitment to community service, outreach and positive societal impact. This award acknowledges the chapters that have used their skills and passion for woodturning to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others, whether through charitable projects, educational initiatives, environmental stewardship, or other community-oriented activities.
Recent winners: 2025 San Diego Woodturners · 2024 The Dakota Woodturners
What the judges look for
- Community Need – what inspired your chapter to implement a community impact project?
- Implementation Strategy – how did your chapter organize and execute your community project?
- Safety – how did your chapter emphasize safe woodturning practices with your community project?
- Innovation – what innovative or creative approaches did your chapter implement to reach your project goals?
- Results – what effect did your chapter have on your community?
- Supporting Evidence – what data or information can you provide that clearly shows your chapter had a positive impact on your community?
What to submit
- Your submission should clearly reflect how your chapter has made a strong commitment to community service, outreach, and positive societal impact. Provide as much detail as you can about the goals, execution and results of programs or initiatives your chapter has implemented to better your community.
- Demonstrate the results of your chapter’s projects with quantitative and qualitive information that provides clear evidence of community impact. This could include statistics, testimonials, case studies, stories, or before-and-after comparisons.
- Community impact comes in many forms. Some examples include charitable projects, educational initiatives, environmental stewardship, inclusion initiatives, or other community-oriented activities, but your submission is not limited to these examples.
- Your submission must include community impact projects that occurred between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025.
Apply for the Community Impact Award
The AAW Communications Excellence Award
Communication is essential to the growth and engagement of local woodturning chapters. This award honors chapters that demonstrate effective, creative and innovative communication through email newsletters, websites, social media, direct mail campaigns or video content. The objective is to recognize chapters that have excelled in disseminating information, educating, and entertaining their members and non-members, and promoting the art and craft of woodturning through compelling and creative communication methods.
Recent winners: 2025 First State Woodturners · 2024 The Woodworkers of Central New York
What the judges look for
- Creativity – are your chapter’s communications original and engaging enough to catch the attention of your intended audience?
- Design – are your communications designed with a contemporary and engaging look and feel?
- Quality – how clearly and effectively (without errors) did your chapter’s communications convey your message to your intended audience?
- Content – is the content in your chapter’s communications engaging, well written, and suitable for your audience?
- User Friendliness – are your chapter’s communications designed and implemented to provide a seamless and enjoyable experience for the users?
- Effectiveness – did the communication achieve its purpose?
- Safety – when applicable, did your chapter emphasize safe woodturning practices in your communications?
What to submit
- Your submission should clearly reflect how your chapter has excelled in disseminating information, educating, and entertaining their members and non-members, and promoting the art and craft of woodturning through compelling and creative communication methods.
- Types of communications to include: email newsletters, websites, social media, direct mail campaigns or video content. Quality over quantity is key. Provide samples of your best communications. Not all communication types are required to be eligible to win. A chapter with one amazing sample could win.
- Include samples of your communications. This can include links to online examples, or you can upload documents or image files. If your sample requires a username and/or password to access, please remember to include it with your entry.
- Your submission must include communications that occurred between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025.
Apply for the Communications Excellence Award
How to Enter
These requirements apply to both awards.
- Your chapter must be registered as an “AAW Chapter”.
- The award submission must be submitted by a chapter member.
- A member of your chapter must complete the online award application by April 1, 2026. Incomplete applications will not be judged.
- Previous first-place winners must wait three years before entering the same competition again.
Announcement of Winners
- One chapter will be selected for each award and notified by early April.
- Each winning chapter will receive one complimentary registration for the AAW International Woodturning Symposium so they can attend and accept the award.
- The winners will be announced at the 2026 AAW International Woodturning Symposium in Raleigh, N.C.
- An article about the winners will be featured in an issue of American Woodturner, on woodturner.org, and shared through email and social media.