Award of Excellence

The American Tapestry Alliance Award for Excellence was established to recognize weavers who pursue tapestry with the intention of achieving excellence in design, creative concept and technical execution.

Award for Excellence Criteria

The Award for Excellence may be presented at any show either physical or online in which the number of tapestries exhibited comprises at least 10% of the total entries accepted to an exhibition or a minimum of four entries. The juror for the Award of Excellence must have a knowledge of contemporary tapestry and ensure each tapestry considered for the award meets ATA’s definition of tapestry: a handwoven weft-faced fabric with discontinuous wefts. The juror may select the most deserving tapestry based on excellence in design, creative imagery, technical execution, and the usage of color.  The juror may decide that no work reaches the required degree of excellence, and not make an award. Organizations are requested to contact the Awards Director at ataaward(at)americantapestryalliance.org before the exhibition dates with details of the name and email address of the juror.

ATA reserves the right not to present an award if, in the opinion of the juror: 1) no piece meets the definition of tapestry; 2) no tapestries show an understanding and accomplished execution of the art form, or; 3) if the number of tapestries does not comprise at least 10% of the total entries accepted or a minimum of four entries.

The Award

The winner will receive a certificate, a color catalog of one of the exhibitions sponsored by ATA, and a one-year membership in the American Tapestry Alliance. Award winners who are not ATA members will receive a one-year Basic level Membership. Award winners who are current members will have their membership extended for one year at their current level of membership. In addition, the tapestry will be featured on ATA’s digital platforms and in Tapestry Topics, ATA’s triannual publication. A presentation statement will be sent to the exhibition organizers prior to the opening of the exhibition.

Presentation of the Award

The award should be mentioned on the wall label for the winning tapestry. ATA requests that a brief announcement be made at the awards ceremony or general meeting of the conference. The presentation statement can be located here: ATA Award for Excellence Presentation Statement (pdf).

Follow Up

After the exhibition, the winner must fill out the Biography/Artist Statement Information Form. Use our online form for submitting this information. The catalog, certificate, and membership information will be sent to the award winner upon receipt of the Biography/Artist Statement Information Form.

Information: ataaward(at)americantapestryalliance.org

Past Award of Excellence Recipients