The National Taiwan Craft Research and Development Institute (NTCRI) has announced the winners of the 2023 Taiwan Craft Award. This year, the award is divided into two sections: the Creativity Award, which attracted 743 entries; and the Collaborative Award, which received 103 submissions. After multiple rounds of voting, 80 finalists were selected for the Creativity Award, while six winners were honored with the Collaborative Award.
For the first prize of the Creativity Award, the judging panel reached a consensus after several rounds of discussions and unanimously resolved that it should be vacant this year. This decision is based on the observation that the theme of this year’s competition – “Natural, Recycle, and Sustainable” – was not fully demonstrated by the contestants. The panel's intention is to encourage craft makers and viewers to reflect on contemporary and future environmental challenges through their creations.
Among the 80 finalists, Chiang Mei-fang’s (江枚芳) metalwork piece titled “Faramita (彼岸)” and Ting Kuan’s (丁冠云) fiber art piece titled “Vessel Space (容器太空)” both received the second prize of the Creativity Award category. The judging panel noted that these two pieces are in a dead heat, which is why they both awarded the second prize.
At the same time, the newly established Collaborative Award aims to recognize individuals, groups, or events that have consistently supported craft creation using their own resources. The recipients are Taiwan Yuan Li Handiwork Association (臺灣藺草學會), Hsinchu County Persimmon Dye Cultural Association (新竹縣柿染文化協會), Hualien County Kavalan Tribe Development Association (花蓮縣噶瑪蘭族發展協會), Taiping Blue (財團法人水源地文教基金會), HDG Foundation (林東陽/財團法人懷德居文化基金會), and artisan Tang Wen-chun (湯文君).
From Nov. 15 to 25, the works of the 80 finalists of the Creativity Award and the six Collaborative Award winners will be exhibited at the Taiwan Contemporary Culture Lab (C-LAB) in Taipei. Following the award ceremony that will take place on Nov. 17 at 2 p.m., the exhibition will move to the 6th floor of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Tainan New Place, where it will be held from Dec. 7 to 18.
For more information, please visit the Taiwan Craft Award website.