THOL Fine Leather Bag Contest

You may submit any bag you have made, regardless of when it was made, provided that bag has never previously been submitted to a Boston Leather Guild contest. The bag does not need to have been made specifically for this contest. The entry may be either an original design or a bag made from a pattern, and each will be judged in its own entry category.

A qualifying bag should be at least one half leather by visible material or construction. Canvas, fabric, hardware, lining, and other supporting materials are welcome, provided leather remains a meaningful part of the finished piece.

There are no restrictions on construction method. Use whatever methods you like for construction, closures, and decoration. Choose the methods that best serve the design, structure, durability, and intended use of your bag.

The bag may be of any style that you choose. It may be of whatever form you prefer, as well. If the design is simple, the workmanship, details, proportions, materials, or function should give the piece distinction.

Give the project your best effort, but do not let perfection keep it on the bench—white gloves will not be required! The purpose is to make a bag, learn from making it, and present it to the Guild. A promising first attempt, an ambitious experiment, or a project that taught you something is welcome here. Please be prepared to briefly explain your entry, including your design choices, materials, construction methods, intended use, and what you hoped to achieve. Entries made from patterns are welcome and will be eligible for pattern-entry prizes. Original designs will be eligible for original-entry prizes, recognizing the additional design work, problem solving, and risk involved in creating a bag from the ground up.

You may submit any bag you have made, regardless of when it was made, provided that bag has never previously been submitted to a Boston Leather Guild contest. The bag does not need to have been made specifically for this contest.

Each entry must be submitted as either: - Pattern Entry: A bag made from a published, purchased, shared, class-provided, or otherwise existing pattern. - Original Entry: A bag designed by the maker, including its form, proportions, construction plan, and major functional choices. Inspiration from other bags is allowed, but the submitted piece should reflect the maker’s own design work.

The contest will have two voting tracks: - THOL Fine Leather Judging: Selected by the CEO of THOL Fine Leather. - Guild Member Voting: Selected by the members of the Guild.

A prize will be awarded for the first and second place finishers in each category by both the Guild and THOL Fine Leather. That means there will be eight prizes in total. A single bag may receive recognition in more than one voting track if selected by both THOL Fine Leather and Guild members.

Judges and voters are encouraged to consider the following: - Craftsmanship: Clean construction, strong seams, careful finishing, durability, and attention to detail. - Materials: Quality, suitability, and thoughtful use of leather, hardware, and other materials. - Design And Function: Proportion, structure, usability, and how well the bag serves its intended purpose. - Creativity: Inventive choices, personal expression, problem solving, and distinctive execution. Innovative uses of materials or construction methods will be especially prized by the judges. - Originality: Especially for original entries, the degree to which the maker developed the concept, pattern, structure, and details. - Fit And Finish: Edge work, stitching, alignment, hardware installation, closures, handles, straps, interiors, and overall polish. - Overall Impression: How successfully the bag comes together as a finished piece.

Makers should identify whether their entry is original or made from a pattern when submitting the bag. For pattern entries, please be ready to name the pattern source if asked.

This contest will be held online. In order to enter, guild members will be asked to submit up to seven photos of their submission via a (forthcoming) portal on the Guild's website. During the meeting, each entrant will have a specific window within which they may present their work to the meeting attendees. The Guild will vote as a group for their first- and second-place entries in both categories, using both the submitted photos and the presentation as the basis for their judgements.

THOL will be presenting the following prizes to its four winners:

1st Place, Original Entry 1 Double Shoulder of Art. Radica from Conceria Solaris 1 Full Hide of Premium Nubuck Buffalo Calf by THOL 1 Mystery Fancy Italian Goat Hide 1 THOL Fine Leathers Tee

2nd Place, Original Entry 1 Single Shoulder of Art. Radica from Conceria Solaris 2 Veg Tan Bridle Straps 1 Full Hide of Italian Chevre 1 THOL Fine Leathers Tee

1st Place, Pattern Entry 1 Double Shoulder of Art. Radica from Conceria Solaris 1 Full Hide of Chevre by THOL 1 Mystery Fancy Italian Goat Hide 1 THOL Fine Leathers Tee

2nd Place, Pattern Entry 1 Single Shoulder of Art. Radica from Conceria Solaris 2 Veg Tan Bridle Straps 1 Full Hide of Italian Nappa Goat 1 THOL Fine Leathers Tee

The Guild will collect the Tee size information from the winners. Prizes will be mailed to the Guild for distribution to the winners.

Best of luck!