20th Woodworker's Challenge Saturday, October 24, 2026
An Annual Event Showcasing Member's Fine Woodworking Projects
A Fun Competition Among Fellow Members !
All members may participate by either entering a project or attending the event to judge the projects. Sometimes, this is the only time you will see a project in person!
A Corporation Event Coordinated by the Woodworkers Special Interest Group
What is It? Members bring in projects that are entered into one of fifteen (15) categories and compete against each other for awards. When is the Next One?Saturday, October 24, 2026.* The event starts at 10:30am. Members may start delivering their entries at 9:30am. We are generally finished by noon and provide refreshments for attendees. Where is It Held? The location is the Community Room at Belgium Cold Springs Fire Station 1, 7920 River Rd, Baldwinsville, NY. Use the newsletter and website to confirm. What are the Categories? The Board modified the categories for 2024 and sees no reason to modify again for 2025. The categories are:
Best in Show - Prizes for Best plus 2nd and 3rd (new in 2025)
Furniture — Items that typically sit on a floor
Large Accessories — Larger Boxes, Wall Hung or Tabletop Mirrors, Clocks, Shelf Items, Frames, & Lamps – Dimensions more than a cubic foot
Small Accessories — Smaller Boxes, Wall Hung or Tabletop Mirrors, Clocks, Shelf Items, Frames, & Lamps – Dimensions less than 12" x 12” x 12” (a cubic foot)
Wearable Accessories — Jewelry, Hair Pieces, Belts and other wearable items created in any way
Scrolled — Items made primarily with a scroll saw
Turned Bowls — Turned items that are primarily created as a bowl
Turned Spindles — Turned items that are primarily created in the spindle style between centers
Turned Boxes — Boxes that are turned
Large Toys - Dimensions more than a cubic foot.
Small Toys - Dimensions equal to or less than 12" x 12" x 12" (a cubic foot).
Ornaments - Any hanging ornament - suggest mounting on a stand for easier viewing!
Pens - Any single pen
Carved 1 — Carvings of Birds, Animals, Caricatures, and similar items
Carved 2 — Other carvings that are abstract or artistic and do not fit in Carved 1
What Not — Items that don’t fit into other categories - strict rules for placing items in this category - it must not be possible in any other category!
Youth — Any items made by youth age 8 to 17
Are there Prizes? Yes, monetary prizes are given for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd places in each category and for Best in Show. Since this is our 20th event, we are efforting physical prizes from vendors. Vendors providing prizes for this, our 20th even,t are listed in the table below. Are there Rules? The rules are simple:
You must be present and be a member of the Woodworkers of Central New York, Inc. as of October 1st to participate. [You cannot join at the October meeting ]
All projects need to be created/finished since the October 25, 2025 Challenge NEW!!!
All projects must be created by you. Two or more may work on the project and they would split the prize money.
No kit-based projects may be used however you can use components to (like pen components) to make your project. You may build from someone else's plans.
You may enter only one project per category.
Do I Need to Pre-Register My Projects? You are encouraged to pre-register your projects using the information that will be published in the October newsletter and sent to all members via email. Everyone who pre-registers is entered into a raffle for a gift certificate. On-site registration will be allowed but we prefer you to pre-register. Who Judges the Projects? Judging is done by anyone in attendance at the event. What Should Attendees Uses to Judge Projects? Leadership hopes that attendees will review each project presented for its quality of design, construction, use of wood, and finish and then vote appropriately. Can I See Past Projects? Below is a slideshow of the winning projects from 2025. Older projects can be found on the Past WWC Photos page HERE.
* NOTE: In 2024, we shifted this event to October to accommodate scheduling issues in November and also to accommodate those who leave for warmer climates in early November! Previously, we shifted the event to a Saturday rather than an evening meeting to allow for greater participation.
Vendors Providing Prizes for Our 20th Anniversary Event
If you are a vendor looking to donate for our 20th Anniversary event, please send an email to [email protected] to request the address for shipping. This table will be updated periodically to reflect new donors. Once the event is completed, the table will be alphabetized and web links added. Most, if not all, of the vendors are listed on the website in the Links area.
In 2025, we had 99 entries in the 19th edition of the Woodworkers Challenge. Thirty-three (33) members entered. We hope to exceed this number in 2026 with our 20th annual event. Below is a slide show of the winners from 2025. All entries may be seen by looking at our November 2025 newsletter (HERE) or reviewing the summary pages HERE .