MASTER JOINERS ANNUAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS
We Celebrate Timber Joinery
The Master Joiners Annual Excellence Awards celebrate excellence in timber joinery manufacturing across New Zealand. Organised by Master Joiners Inc., this prestigious annual event recognises the skill, craftsmanship, and innovation of Registered Master Joiners and talented timber joinery apprentices.
Open to Registered Master Joiners and any apprentice currently enrolled in a timber joinery or cabinetry apprenticeship, the awards are an opportunity to showcase outstanding work in a thriving and respected profession. Winning entries not only gain national recognition but also raise the profile of both the member or apprentice and the art of timber joinery in New Zealand.
Celebrate With Us – Join the Master Joiners Awards Dinner
All professionals in the timber joinery industry are warmly invited to attend the Annual Master Joiners Excellence Awards Dinner — an inspiring evening that honours the very best in New Zealand joinery craftsmanship.
This year’s gala event will be held at Te Puia, Hemo Road, Whakarewarewa, Rotorua on 20th September 2025. It’s the perfect chance to connect with fellow professionals, celebrate exceptional achievements, and support the future of timber joinery in Aotearoa.
The awards program is open for entries and will close for entries on 25th July 2025. Scroll down to find templates and guides on how to enter.
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Get everything you need to prepare your entry by downloading the entry template guide, program guide, and consent forms.
Once you’re all set, just click here to jump into the entry process.
Timber Award Categories
Recognises the range and effect of timber-manufactured products in non-residential spaces demonstrating the versatility of timber products. Entries will be judged on workmanship, skill, innovation, technical competencies and any standards related to the manufactured.
Open to all Registered Master Joiners. Entries boards must include production and completion images, narration on the project specifications, challenges and techniques applied.
Proudly sponsored by Halswell Timber
Recognises and celebrates a timeless timber product and the advantages of timber staircases for durability, flexibility, sustainability, and overall effect on the space. Project entries must have 80% of timber in the product manufactured. Entries will be judged on workmanship, skill, innovation, technical competencies, and any standards related to the manufactured.
Open to all Registered Master Joiners. Entries boards must include production and completion images, narration on the project specifications, challenges and techniques applied and reference required standards for manufacturing.
Proudly sponsored by Biesse
Recognises the availability and range of compliant timber door and window products and the advantages of choosing compliant timber doors and windows as legacy timber products for modern and restored spaces.
Entries will be judged on workmanship, skill, innovation, technical competencies, and any standards related to the manufactured product.
Open to all Registered Master Joiners. Entries boards must include production and completion images, narration on the project specifications, challenges and techniques applied and reference required standards for manufacturing. If the product is tagged as being NZS 4211 compliant, one photo image must clearly show the tag.
Proudly sponsored by Thermawood
This category acknowledges the creative benefits, versatility, and accessibility of different timber species used in the manufacturing of timber products. It is open to projects that showcase the use of timber species that significantly impacted the project outcome and showcased the effectiveness of joinery techniques.
Open to all Registered Master Joiners. Entries boards must include production and completion images, narration on the project specifications, challenges, techniques applied, and reference required standards for manufacturing. Judging includes workmanship, skill, sustainability, and ethical sourcing practices.
Proudly sponsored by Halswell Timber, your timber yard!
Best Timber Project recognises the use of timber and timber joinery manufacturers as a material and supplier of choice for modern residential and commercial projects. The category is open to timber projects where multiple timber products manufactured by the Registered Master Joiner have been included in the overall project showcasing durability, sustainability, flexibility, ease of care and timelessness of the choice. Entries will be judged on workmanship, skill, innovation, technical competencies, and any standards related to the product.
Open to all Registered Master Joiners. Entries boards must include production and completion images, narration on the project specifications, challenges and techniques applied and reference required standards for manufacturing.
Proudly sponsored by Allegion
This category recognises timber as the material of choice for joinery products. Winning entries from all other timber categories are entered into the Supreme award category.
Cabinetry Award Categories
This category is open to all Registered Master Joiners in the house design team*. The award is to demonstrate competency, maturity and excellence of quality service, competent manufacture, and supply of materials services throughout the design process. Entries shall submit narration of time indication from concept to pre-production of design, client requirements, floor plan, materials used, and narration of solutions applied to challenges represented by the client and techniques used in the manufacturer. Judging criteria include sustainability elements, solutions that speak to resolving and addressing challenges.
*Project entry must be the work of the inhouse design team of the manufacturer.
Proudly sponsored by Blum
This category recognises and celebrates excellence in the manufacture of small cabinetry products (or projects) that showcase what can be achieved in cabinetry beyond kitchens.
Open to all Registered Master Joiners. Entries can be any cabinetry project that is not a regular kitchen. Entry boards should describe the lifestyle value of the product, the problem it was solving along with techniques and material choices used to manufacture the product.
This category recognises the manufacture of cabinetry for kitchen projects under 30K (including GST). Open to all Master Joiners, entries are kitchens which are manufactured to Master Joiner standards up to the value of $30K. Entry boards must include a narration on the project, production and completion images, specifications and techniques applied. Judging will include materials, sustainability, quality and practicality, innovative solutions, re-use of space, adaptation for change in lifestyle and workmanship.
Cost validation by way of invoice (GST inclusive) to be submitted at time of entry.
Proudly sponsored by Laminex
This category recognises excellence in the manufacture of cabinetry for kitchen projects of $30-50K including GST. Entries are kitchens that demonstrate techniques, material solutions, lifestyle factors and sustainability elements in the project. Judging will include materials, sustainability, quality and practicality, innovative solutions, re-use of space, adaptation for change in lifestyle and workmanship. Entry boards must include a narration of the project, production and completion images, specifications and techniques applied.
Cost validation by way of invoice (GST inclusive) to be submitted at time of entry.
Proudly sponsored by Laminex
This category recognises excellence in the manufacture of cabinetry for kitchen projects over $50k including GST. Entries are kitchens that demonstrate techniques, use of materials, solutions, lifestyle factors and sustainability elements in the project. Judging will include materials, sustainability, quality and practicality, innovative solutions, re-use of space, adaptation for change in lifestyle and workmanship. Entry boards must include a narration of the project, production and completion images, specifications and techniques applied.
Cost validation by way of invoice (GST inclusive) to be submitted at time of entry.
Proudly sponsored by Hafele
This category recognises cabinetry joinery products. Winning entries from all other cabinetry categories are entered into the Premier award category. Entries are cabinetry projects manufactured to Master Joiner standards that showcase justified elements, techniques, trends, solutions, and lifestyle factors along with sustainability elements such as reuse of space, materials and or adaption for lifestyle change.
Timber and Cabinetry Award Categories
This category recognizes the significance of colour selection in the creation of joinery items, including the blending of trendy colours with the life cycle of colour choices. Entries are welcome for any project (timber or cabinetry) where colour selection played a crucial role in the overall success of the project, and where the colour choices demonstrate an exceptional level of awareness, space connectivity, and life cycles.
Open to all Registered Master Joiners. Entries boards must include production and completion images, narration on the project specifications, challenges, techniques applied, and reference required standards for manufacturing. Judging includes specialist assessment the impact of colour and space.
This category recognises the use of timber joinery in the creation of lighting solutions that become a statement piece in a project. Entries must have had some manufacturing component applied to the final product. Both timber and cabinetry products can be entered. Judging includes innovative techniques, workmanship, skill, and relevant standards. Entry boards must include a narration on the project, production and completion images, specifications and techniques applied.
Proudly sponsored by Hafele
This category highlights excellence within the Master Joiner branch. Entries are automatically submitted from all categories, but winning entries from other categories are not eligible.
Proudly sponsored by Hettich
Master Joiners Memorial Awards
The Gordon Caulfield Memorial Trophy is awarded to the employer of the apprentice who is the recipient of the Highest Judged for Workmanship and Skill award category.
The Gordon Caulfield Memorial Trophy was commissioned by the late Mrs Noeline Caulfield, the Gordon Caulfield Memorial Trophy represents Gordon’s outstanding contribution to the joinery industry and his work on Awards Tribunals, The Joinery Industry Training Board and as a two-term President of the New Zealand Joinery Manufacturers Federation Inc.
An award to acknowledge a joinery business that demonstrates awareness of the challenges and opportunities present in an industry reliant on good people. A Master Joiner member who is building on traditional practices by adopting new ways of fostering, nurturing and sustaining great culture.
Entries are submitted in writing to the branch President and shall cover five elements of culture, change, collaboration, communicate, and community.
The Owen Wright Memorial Trophy signifies Owen’s much valued and wise contributions to the joinery industry. In his memory, this sculpture is presented annually at the Master Joiner Awards Dinner to a person who has made a significant contribution to the New Zealand joinery industry that year. The names of those awarded the trophy are recorded on the base. Llewelyn Summers has carved this fitting tribute to our friend and colleague. Llew is Owen’s uncle and a renowned Christchurch-based nationally acclaimed sculptor.
Master Joiners Apprentice Awards
The Master Joiners Apprentice awards are open to the industry. Any timber joinery apprentice is welcome to submit a project in the categories.
Apprentice Award entries are free and open to all timber joinery apprentices.
Download the entry board, consent form and information guide below.
Master Joiners Apprentice Awards Categories
This category is dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the competencies of apprentices in the timber joinery industry. To be eligible, entrants must be within two years or less into their apprenticeship.
Entries are open to any timber joinery apprentice who has completed at least 80% of the project, with strictly no more than 20% of the work completed by another person. The entries can be any kitchen, cabinet, reception desk counter, or bar.
The judging criteria include the level of workmanship, skill, use of materials, complexity, and application of tools. The entry boards must include a narration of the project, production and completion images, techniques applied, top five tools used, and a general description of the specifications.
*Apprentice entries must include time served in the apprenticeship at the time of manufacturing the project on the board and in the entry form.
This category is dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the competencies of apprentices in the timber joinery industry. To be eligible, entrants must be over two years into their apprenticeship.
Entries are open to any timber joinery apprentice who has completed at least 80% of the project, with strictly no more than 20% of the work completed by another person. The entries can be any kitchen, cabinet, reception desk counter, or bar.
The judging criteria include the level of workmanship, skill, use of materials, complexity, and application of tools. The entry boards must include a narration of the project, production and completion images, techniques applied, top five tools used, and a general description of the specifications.
*Apprentice entries must include time served in the apprenticeship at the time of manufacturing the project on the board and in the entry form.
This category is dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the competencies of apprentices in the timber joinery industry. To be eligible, entrants must be within two years or less into their apprenticeship.
Entries are open to any timber joinery apprentice who has completed at least 80% of the project, with strictly no more than 20% of the work completed by another person. The entries can be any standard timber product or other timber non-fitment project.
The judging criteria include the level of workmanship, skill, use of materials, complexity, and application of tools. The entry boards must include a narration of the project, production and completion images, techniques applied, top five tools used, and a general description of the specifications.
*Apprentice entries must include time served in the apprenticeship at the time of manufacturing the project on the board and in the entry form.
This category is dedicated to recognizing and celebrating the competencies of apprentices in the timber joinery industry. To be eligible, entrants must be over two years into their apprenticeship.
Entries can be any standard timber product or other timber non-fitment project. The entries are open to any timber joinery apprentice who has completed at least 80% of the project, with strictly no more than 20% of the work completed by another person.
Judging criteria include the level of workmanship, skill, use of materials, complexity, and application of tools. The entry boards must include a narration of the project, production and completion images, techniques applied, top five tools used, and a general description of the specifications.
*Apprentice entries must include time served in the apprenticeship at the time of manufacturing the project on the board and in the entry form.
Master Joiners recognise and celebrate an emerging craftsperson who hone their skills and spurred on by creative and innovative thinking. This award category celebrates the emerging craftsperson who has created and completed a joinery project outside of usual work projects.
Entries must be entirely completed by the apprentice. Entry boards must include a narration of the project, production and completion images, a description of techniques applied, a list of tools used and a general description of the specifications and materials. Entries are judged according to the competencies demonstrated in the project as they relate to the apprenticeship training and standards expected of a Joinery apprentice.
This award category recognises the workmanship and skill standards of an apprentice. All apprentice entries are automatically entered into this category.
This award category celebrates the excellence of apprentice project entries in the under two years categories. The entries are judged by Joinery craftspeople, who review all the submissions on display at the Master Joiners annual conference.
All entries submitted in the apprentice awards under the two-year category are automatically entered into the people’s choice award. The winner is chosen through secure voting from the delegates who attend the Master Joiners conference.
The winner of this award is announced alongside all other apprentice award winners.
This award category celebrates the excellence of apprentice project entries in the over two years categories. The entries are judged by Joinery craftspeople, who review all the submissions on display at the Master Joiners annual conference.
All entries submitted in the apprentice awards under the two-year category are automatically entered into the people’s choice award. The winner is chosen through secure voting from the delegates who attend the Master Joiners conference.
The winner of this award is announced alongside all other apprentice award winners.
