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Pottery and Clay
WCC-AWARD OF EXCELLENCE FOR
HANDICRAFTS (WCC-AOE)

The WCC-Award of Excellence for Handicrafts is one of WCC-AISBL’s significant programmes, dedicated to supporting the handicrafts sector.

The Award program was first established in 1990 by UNESCO as a Craft Prize in recognition of excellence of skills in handmade products. In 2001, The Award of Excellence for Handicrafts Programme, formerly known as the “Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts” was initiated in South-East Asia jointly by UNESCO and the ASEAN Handicrafts Promotion and Development Association (AHPADA). Owing to its success, the programme was expanded to South Asia in 2004, to West-Central Asia in 2005, and to East Asia in 2006. Latin America Region started the programme also in 2006. The remaining two Asia Pacific sub-regions (West Asia and South Pacific) joined the programme in 2014, the year in which WCC-AISBL officially adopted the programme under the new name “WCC-Award of Excellence for Handicrafts”

The Award will now be coordinated by the following partner organizations: Africa, Asia Pacific Region, Europe, Latin America, and North America.

The WCC “Award of Excellence for Handicrafts” aims to encourage designer-makers, artisans and craft makers to produce and create new forms of handicrafts using traditional, heritage and/or contemporary craft resources and practices to ensure the continuity, sustainability, and innovation of craft systems. It is WCC’s flagship programme for supporting makers (In this document, ‘makers’ will be used to encompass artisans, craft makers and designer-makers).  This is the only sector that fulfills 11 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations as part of the 2030 Agenda by all stakeholders-governments, the private sector, and civil society – in a collaborative partnership.

Outcome of the WCC-Award of Excellence for Handicrafts (WCC-AoE)
2024

The World Crafts Council AISBL (WCC AISBL) is proud to announce the results of the WCC-Award of Excellence for Handicrafts (WCC-AoE) 2024. This year, the jurying process successfully took place in two regions: the WCC-Asia Pacific Region (WCC-APR), where 87 submissions received awards, and the WCC-Latin America Region (WCC-LATAM), which recognized 16 awarded productsز

4th Jurying Cycle of WCC-AoE in Bukhara, Uzbekistan for 2021-2022

The WCC Award of Excellence for Handicrafts for the years 2021-2022 has been granted to 118 submissions from a total of 152 entries in the Asia Pacific Region from 6 (six) sub-regions

3rd Jurying Cycle of WCC-AoE held by Sub-Regions in APR in 2018 

The WCC Award of Excellence for Handicrafts for the year 2018 has been granted to 215 submissions from a total of 510 entries in the Asia Pacific Region from 5 (five) sub-regions.

2nd Jurying Cycle of WCC-AoE held in Kuwait, in 2016 

Kuwait, September 2016 – The WCC Award of Excellence for Handicrafts has been granted to 118 submissions from a total of 246 entries in the Asia Pacific Region from 6 (six) sub-regions.