Awards

As part of our ten year anniversary celebrations, the Benchpeg Awards have changed for 2016 and are now open to entry by all current students, recent graduates and new businesses.

Previous awards reception at City Lit

The Aim of the Benchpeg Awards
The Benchpeg Awards have always been aimed at helping students and fledgling businesses, or those emerging to create a new career in jewellery. The emphasis of the Benchpeg Awards are to provide an opportunity to accelerate the trajectory of the winner’s careers and give them a helping leg up on the first rung of the career ladder.

How the Awards are Made Possible
The Benchpeg Awards are made possible by all our friends, supporters and those businesses who advertise with us. In this way their affiliation with Benchpeg assists in the philanthropic 'giving back' to industry which we've been doing for the past ten years and the benevolence of supporting the next generation of the industry.

For many years Benchpeg partnered with the fantastic City Lit and limited entry to their current student intake. However, this year, in celebration of our 10 year anniversary, we have decided to make the award accessible to the wider audience of Benchpeg readers.

Previous awards reception at City Lit

The Benchpeg Awards 2016 in Partnership with the Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office

The Make Your Mark event at Goldsmiths' Hall

Benchpeg Awards 2016
This year Benchpeg is fantastically excited to be partnering with the Goldsmiths' Company Assay Office. 

The Benchpeg Awards and competition element will be held in conjunction with the Make Your Mark event, held at Goldsmiths' Hall on the 1st and 2nd of November 2016.

Shortlisted entries for the competition will be showcased at Goldsmiths' Hall over the duration of the event, which focuses on the options available to students and early career jewellers and silversmiths working in precious metals.

There will be an evening reception and networking event held to which shortlisted entrants will be invited along with VIPs of industry. The evening event will present an opportunity for shortlisted entrants to mingle with industry professionals, and be present when the award winners are announced.

During the evening the Goldsmiths' Company will also announce the winners of the Make Your Mark competition based around the creative application of a hallmark to a piece of jewellery or silver, which will also have a selection of prizes available (for more information see below).

The Make Your Mark event held at Goldsmiths' Hall in November 2016

*Entries are now closed for the Benchpeg Awards 2016*

Competition Categories

There were three categories to enter as part of the competition:

• Design for Manufacture: CAD or Craft Skills
  This category invites entries which have used either technology or hand craft skills to manufacture and create a high quality finished piece taking into account construction processes.
• Design for Commercial Sales: Competitive Retail
  This category invites entries which have been designed specifically to have price points for commercial markets and be produced in batch production or mass manufacture.
• Design for Creativity, Innovation or Disruption: Something which hasn’t been seen before
  This category invites entries which display design and or creativity in a disruptive manner to create a piece which is completely unique. 

Prizes

Prizes are aimed at career enhancing opportunities which money can’t buy. We like the term 'gift of promises'. We have worked with the crème de la crème of Industry Experts and Professionals to create 'vouchers' of pre-paid time to be spent by prize winners. Prize breakdown...

Design for Technology: CAD and Manufacture

1. Announcement of Winner
   The announcement of the winner will be given at a VIP reception at Goldsmiths' Hall
2. Showcase Exhibition
   The winner will be showcased as part of the Make Your Mark event at Goldsmiths' Hall, London.
3. Design Consultancy & Mentoring
   One day to be spent with the current Jewellery Designer of the Year, and previous Bridal Jewellery Designer of the Year, Fei Liu, who will offer design consultancy, guidance and mentoring for the winner.
4. Project Management Consultancy
   Miracca London will give project management consultancy to help get the winner from design stage to the manufacture of their range. This will include achieving realistic costing of pieces to fall within the desied RRP. This consultancy voucher will also include introudcing the winner to 'the correct people' at every stage of the manufacturing process in order to create an ongoing production chain for the winner's future growth.
5. Photography
   A full photography package from AdShot is on offer to represent the winners' collections at their best. The shoot will be led by Creative Director Gianluca De Girolamo who has previously worked with such clients as Vivienne Westwood, Swarovski and Fabergé. 
6. Mentoring

   A one day mentoring session at the School of Jewellery's Centre for Digital Design and Manufacturing (DDM) that can be tailored and timed to suit the winner's particular needs and requirements.
   The can learn about many of the current 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing technologies currently being used in the UK jewellery industries and can also have an update into the most recent developments in the various CAD programmes available to the jewellery designer.
   Additionally the winner can also negotiate with the DDM to have a number of their own CAD files printed on a suitable technology as part of their prize. (How many will be dependent on size and complexity)

7. Micro Setting
   The winner will get a voucher for 150 pave stone settings set in a piece of their design with one of the UK's best micro setters. (This prize has a monetary value of £525 + VAT.)

8. PR Guidance & CV Review
   This prize will provide the winner with PR advice and a CV review from the Benchpeg team.

9. Feature in Benchpeg
   The winner will get a feature article to be published in Benchpeg.

Design for Commercial Sales: Competitive Retail

1. Announcement of Winner
   The announcement of the winner will be given at a VIP reception at Goldsmiths' Hall.
2. Showcase Exhibition
   The winner will be showcased as part of the Make Your Mark event at Goldsmiths' Hall, London.
3. Design Consultancy & Mentoring
   One day to be spent with the current Jewellery Designer of the Year, and previous Bridal Jewellery Designer of the Year, Fei Liu, who will offer design consultancy, guidance and mentoring for the winner.
4. Project Management Consultancy
   Miracca London will give project management consultancy to help get the winner from design stage to the manufacture of their range. This will include achieving realistic costing of pieces to fall within the desied RRP. This consultancy voucher will also include introudcing the winner to 'the correct people' at every stage of the manufacturing process in order to create an ongoing production chain for the winner's future growth.
5. Micro Setting
   The winner will get a voucher for 150 pave stone settings set in a piece of their design with one of the UK's best micro setters. (This prize has a monetary value of £525 + VAT.)
6. Photography
   A full photography package from AdShot is on offer to represent the winners' collections at their best. The shoot will be led by Creative Director Gianluca De Girolamo who has previously worked with such clients as Vivienne Westwood, Swarovski and Fabergé. 
7. Mentoring

   A one day mentoring session at the School of Jewellery's Centre for Digital Design and Manufacturing (DDM) that can be tailored and timed to suit the winner's particular needs and requirements.
   The can learn about many of the current 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing technologies currently being used in the UK jewellery industries and can also have an update into the most recent developments in the various CAD programmes available to the jewellery designer.
   Additionally the winner can also negotiate with the DDM to have a number of their own CAD files printed on a suitable technology as part of their prize. (How many will be dependent on size and complexity)

8. CAD Modelling
   Miracca London will create 1x CAD model of the winner's design ready for casting.
9. PR Guidance & CV Review
   This prize will provide the winner with PR advice and a CV review from the Benchpeg team
10. Feature in Benchpeg
    The winner will get a feature article to be published in Benchpeg.

Design for Creativity, Innovation or Disruption: Something which hasn’t been seen before

1. Announcement of Winner
   The announcement of the winner will be given at a VIP reception at Goldsmiths' Hall.
2. Showcase Exhibition
   The winner will be showcased as part of the Make Your Mark event at Goldsmiths' Hall, London.
3. Design Consultancy & Mentoring
   One day to be spent with the current Jewellery Designer of the Year, and previous Bridal Jewellery Designer of the Year, Fei Liu, who will offer design consultancy, guidance and mentoring for the winner.
4. Project Management Consultancy
   Miracca London will give project management consultancy to help get the winner from design stage to the manufacture of their range. This will include achieving realistic costing of pieces to fall within the desied RRP. This consultancy voucher will also include introudcing the winner to 'the correct people' at every stage of the manufacturing process in order to create an ongoing production chain for the winner's future growth.
5. Micro Setting
   The winner will get a voucher for 150 pave stone settings set in a piece of their design with one of the UK's best micro setters. (This prize has a monetary value of £525 + VAT.)
6. Photography
   A full photography package from AdShot is on offer to represent the winners' collections at their best. The shoot will be led by Creative Director Gianluca De Girolamo who has previously worked with such clients as Vivienne Westwood, Swarovski and Fabergé. 
7. Mentoring

   A one day mentoring session at the School of Jewellery's Centre for Digital Design and Manufacturing (DDM) that can be tailored and timed to suit the winner's particular needs and requirements.
   The can learn about many of the current 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing technologies currently being used in the UK jewellery industries and can also have an update into the most recent developments in the various CAD programmes available to the jewellery designer.
   Additionally the winner can also negotiate with the DDM to have a number of their own CAD files printed on a suitable technology as part of their prize. (How many will be dependent on size and complexity)

8. PR Guidance & CV Review
   This prize will provide the winner with PR advice and a CV review from the Benchpeg team
9. Feature in Benchpeg
   The winner will get a feature article to be published in Benchpeg.

2015 and 2014 award winners from beginners, intermediate and advanced City Lit courses

Competition Entry Criteria
One of the founding principles of Benchpeg has always been to support the UK jewellery industry and its allied trades. This is reflected in our new national emphasis and elegibility for entrants. The competition is open to anyone 

• currently in full time education or training over the age of 18
• studying in the UK and on a jewellery or allied trades related course
• having graduated from a higher education qualification post 18 in the last four years
• having completed an apprenticeship in the last two years
• or having started a new business within the last year

Entrants must be residing at the time of current study, or permanently living in the UK after study and embarking on their career in the UK jewellery industry to be eligible for entry.

Previous City Lit runners up from beginners, intermediate and advanced courses

How to Apply

*Entries are now closed for the Benchpeg Awards 2016*

How Selection is Made
There will be three rounds of selection for the competition.
Round 1
Round one is to enter a digital image of your entry.
Once the deadline for entries has expired, a shortlist will be made up by a panel of industry experts.
Round 2
If you have made the shortlist, you will be invited to send your physical finished piece to us for showcasing at the Make Your Mark event at Goldsmiths' Hall in the first week of November 2016.
Round 3
During the event (2nd & 3rd November) the panel of judges foe each category will preside over the selection of winning entries from the finished submitted pieces in Round 2.

Awards Schedule
Competition submission deadline: Sunday 16th October 2016
Judging for Round 1 commences: Week commencing 17th October 2016
Notification of shortlist for Round 2: Week commencing 24th October 2016
Deadline for delivery of physical submissions at Golsmiths' Hall: Monday 1st Novemeber 2016
Notification of overall winners of Round 3: Tuesday 2nd November 2016

Read about the Benchpeg Award Judges 2016 here.

If you would be interested in sponsoring the awards, please email us