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Canadian Society for Creative Leathercraft
1950–2026
CSCL·The People·Awards and Ribbons
The People

Awards and Ribbons (page 1 of 9)

← The People · awards 1–28 of the 226 different awards and ribbons the records name · page 1 of 9 · People of the Society →

The awards the Society gave, as its own newsletter defined them, with the members the competition records show receiving them. Where the records name no recipient, none is invented here. Shown here in alphabetical order, split across 9 pages so each stays a reasonable size to load.

1992 Biennial Exhibition — C.S.C.L Judges Special Choice

Awarded for the single piece the judges' Selection Committee found no fault in whatsoever.

Judged by a Selection Committee led by Dorothy and Robert Muma at the 1992 Biennial Exhibition (Etobicoke City Hall Art Gallery, almost 50 entries). Robert Muma's published critique on Cliff McTavish's Red Oval Box with Black Morocco Inlay/Onlay: “Neither Dorothy nor I, nor the whole Selection Committee could find the slightest error in this piece… It is impossible to find any of these ‘skid marks’ or any visible leather edges or joins in its construction, inside or out… Clearly our SPECIAL CHOICE.” The same piece also won “Irva Ford Award for Best in Show” that year — a double citation the critique itself calls out as unusual.

Recorded recipients

1992 Biennial Exhibition — C.S.C.L. Executive Award for Most Functional Piece

Awarded for the piece judged best suited, structurally, to the purpose it was made for.

Judged at the same 1992 Biennial. Robert Muma's critique on Jessie Little's Bookends: their “harsh, angular shape and geometric decoration suggest strength on sight, while their structural weight (achieved by filling a wooden form with lead shot) assures the stability necessary to hold the books permanently in a standing position. Thus it seemed unquestionably the MOST FUNCTIONAL entry for this award.”

Recorded recipients

1992 Biennial Exhibition — Irva Ford Award for Best in Show

Awarded for the outright best piece in the 1992 Biennial Exhibition.

Judged at the same 1992 Biennial as the show's other named awards. Robert Muma's critique explains the piece also won “C.S.C.L Judges Special Choice” the same year, an unusual double citation: “Usually, we have two (or more) paramount pieces… one for Judges Special Choice and another for Best In Show. So what do we do when the Special Choice is definitely also the Best in Show, and vice versa?… We are happy to recognize this outstanding entry by Cliff McTavish with this double citation.” His Red Oval Box with Black Morocco Inlay/Onlay won both.

Recorded recipients

1992 Biennial Exhibition — Michigan Leather Artisans Award for Best in Soft Leather

Awarded for the best entry in soft (glove-weight, unfinished-surface) leather.

Judged at the same 1992 Biennial; funded from the Michigan Leather Artisans' own treasury after that Dearborn, Michigan guild closed and donated its remaining funds to the C.S.C.L. for awards within the Society (see “MLA Award” by Gladys Riddell, same issue, for the fund's history). Robert Muma's critique on Nancy Durham's Natural Deerskin Bag calls soft leather “soft-tanned leather, dyed, perhaps, but not glazed, embossed, boarded or otherwise finished with a hard artificial surface… preferably a top grain leather,” and selects “this beautiful, hand-tooled, soft deerskin bag” for the award.

Recorded recipients

1992 Biennial Exhibition — Moore Pearsall Award for Best Moulded Piece

Awarded for the best piece worked in the cuir bouilli (moulded, hardened) leather technique.

Judged at the same 1992 Biennial. Robert Muma's critique on Ruth Haig's Jug in Cuir Bouilli explains the technique at length — boiled leather is “rubbery and very distorted” and unusable; cuir bouilli is instead “a process of soaking, moulding and stitching the leather, and then heating and drying it very quickly, thus setting the form in its final shape” — and calls the piece “the finest workmanship in this technique.”

Recorded recipients

1992 Biennial Exhibition — Moore-Pearsall Award for Best Tooled Piece

Awarded for the best piece decorated by tooling (freehand drawing, modelling and embossing on the leather surface, as distinct from carving).

Judged at the same 1992 Biennial. Robert Muma's critique on Betsy Rennie's Angel “Gabrielle”: “a pattern intended for paper sculpture, adapted to leather and tooled with an intricate background, carefully and effectively laid down without cutting or stamping, or otherwise despoiling the natural grain of the leather, which is what leather tooling is all about.”

Recorded recipients

1992 Biennial Exhibition — Ontario Crafts Council Award for Most Original Design

Awarded for the entry judged most original in design — the shape, relationship of parts, and their fitness for purpose, not only decoration.

Judged at the same 1992 Biennial. Robert Muma's critique on Bruce White's Blue Box and Tray Set: “in this case… a winner which literally ‘sings’ with all the elements of good design… the rightness of all the aesthetic qualities, its attractive colour schemes, its simplicity of motif, its unobtrusiveness and ‘togetherness’ as an ensemble.”

Recorded recipients

1st Prize and the Canadian Handicraft Guild award, for the most outstanding piece of work in the show

Awarded for the most outstanding piece of work at the Edmonton Exhibition's "Klondike Days".

Not a C.S.C.L. award, but the only record the archive holds of it: member Hazel Quinn's profile records that she "entered work in the Edmonton Exhibition 'Klondike Days 1971' where she received 1st. prize and the Canadian Handicraft Guild award for most outstanding piece of work in the show," for a leather Portrait of Chief Dan George made in 1972. The same profile notes she "again won awards at 'Klondike Days'" the following summer on another Indian portrait in leather — recorded separately as "award(s), unnamed, at 'Klondike Days'", since the profile does not name that later award.

Recorded recipients

  • Hazel Quinn 1971 Portrait of Chief Dan George, in leather

40th Anniversary Special Award

Awarded for Best in Show at the 40th Annual General Meeting, from an anonymous donor.

A one-off prize, printed among the "Special Awards" at the 40th Annual (Elmhurst Inn, Ingersoll, April 1990): "Special 40th anniversary prize, anonymous donor — for Best In Show goes to Betsy Rennie. Running a close second was Bill Whittingham's blue bowl."

Recorded recipients

Allan Foss Workshop Award

Awarded for the best piece resulting from a CSCL Workshop, by a member below Fellow.

Awarded at the Annual General Meeting for the best piece of work resulting from a CSCL Workshop by a General Member or Member-at-Large who is not a Fellow or Associate. The piece must be submitted at the closest Annual General Meeting after the Workshop took place, and requires a minimum of 5 individual members having entered a piece of their work. The amount given is $50.00, paid from the Toronto Branch Allan Foss fund.

Recorded recipients

Anne Hook Memorial Award

Awarded for best coloured work.

A cash award of $100 for the best coloured work, presented at the Annual. Named for Anne Hook. Recorded in the Summer 1992 newsletter, which prints the award as "ANN HOOK AWARD" in its list of winners and "Anne Hook Award" in the report of the meeting.

Recorded recipients

Any leather entry — not a previous winner

One of five separately-sponsored classes at the Canadian Guild of Crafts (Ontario) competition held alongside the C.N.E. leathercraft classes in 1968, open only to entrants who had not won a major Canadian prize before. Sponsored by the Canadian Guild of Crafts (Ontario) itself, for $25.00.

Recorded recipients

award(s), unnamed, at "Klondike Days"

Awarded for an unnamed award or awards Hazel Quinn won at a later "Klondike Days", on an Indian portrait in leather.

From the same Hazel Quinn profile as "1st Prize and the Canadian Handicraft Guild award": "The last we heard from Hazel she was keeping busy at the Provincial Museum and Archives the summer of 1973... and again won awards at 'Klondike Days' on an Indian Portrait in Leather." No award name or number of awards is given, only that she won.

Recorded recipients

Best Associate

Awarded for the best piece by an Associate member.

Introduced in 1997 alongside Best Branch Display, Best General Member Piece and Best Fellow, announced by 2nd Vice-President Bill Whittingham as one of four new awards "invented solely for the purpose of getting your motors running": each Associate marks their own best entry with a chit, of a different colour from the General Members' and Fellows' own chits, and the entries are judged among themselves; requires a minimum of five Associate entries to be judged.

Recorded recipients

Best Belt

Recorded recipients

Best Branch Display

This is voted on by the member’s at the Annual meeting. The amount given for this award is $50.00 and is paid from the Draw fund. Introduced in 1997, one of four new awards announced by 2nd Vice-President Bill Whittingham in his "Beveled Edge" column ahead of that year's Annual, "invented solely for the purpose of getting your motors running": voted by everyone at the Annual, on the display rather than the work itself.

Recorded winners

  • 1997 Woodstock branch — The first year of the award.
  • 2003 Norland branch — "The Norland Branch won the 'Best Branch Display' for their colourful table."
  • 2005 Mississauga branch — "Mississauga took home the prize for 'Best Branch Display' –Congrat's to Paul Kitchener and his Branch!"

This is a branch award: 3 winning branches named in the newsletters, not necessarily every year the award was given.

Best Carving

Recorded recipients

Best CSCL Workshop

Recorded recipients

  • Kim Winchester 2024 Annual Competition, Ramada Inn, Lindsay Oval Box with Lid

Best Decorated Leather

One of the classes at the 1971 Canadian Guild of Crafts competition held alongside the C.N.E. leathercraft classes. Sponsored by Tandy Leather Co. of Canada Ltd., for $50.00.

Recorded recipients

  • Rex Lingwood 1971 tooled leather collar/belt (pictured) — $50.00 from Tandy Leather Co. of Canada Ltd.

Best Fellow

Awarded for the best piece by a Fellow member.

Introduced in 1997 alongside Best Branch Display, Best General Member Piece and Best Associate, announced by 2nd Vice-President Bill Whittingham as one of four new awards "invented solely for the purpose of getting your motors running": each Fellow marks their own best entry with a chit, and selected Associates judge among the marked pieces; requires a minimum of five Fellow entries to be judged, since "Fellows are on the endangered species list". The 2008 Annual printed it as the "Best Fellow Entry".

Recorded recipients

Best Fish Skin

Awarded for best work in fish leather.

Awarded by the Fellows for the best piece made in fish leather.

Recorded recipients

Best Functional

One of the classes at the 1975 Canadian Guild of Crafts competition held alongside the C.N.E. leathercraft classes. Sponsored by the C.S.C.L. itself.

Recorded recipients

Best Functional Design

One of the classes at the 1971 Canadian Guild of Crafts competition held alongside the C.N.E. leathercraft classes. Sponsored by the C.S.C.L. itself, for $35.00.

Recorded recipients

  • Irva Ford 1971 piggy-bank-shaped leather piece (pictured) — $35.00 from C.S.C.L.

Best Functional Design in Leather

One of the classes at the 1974 Canadian Guild of Crafts competition held alongside the C.N.E. leathercraft classes. Sponsored by the Canadian Society for Creative Leathercraft itself.

Recorded recipients

  • Rex Lingwood 1974 Belt — prize given by Canadian Society for Creative Leathercraft

Best General Member Piece

Awarded at the Annual meeting. Requires a MINIMUM of 5 individual General members that have entered a piece of their work. The amount given for this award is $50.00 and is paid from the Draw fund. Introduced in 1997 alongside Best Branch Display, Best Associate and Best Fellow, announced by 2nd Vice-President Bill Whittingham as one of four new awards "invented solely for the purpose of getting your motors running": each General Member marks their own best entry with a chit, and the Fellows judge among the marked pieces. The 2010 published award list gives it as "Best General member piece ($50)", minimum 5 entries, and the 2011 Annual printed it as "Best General Member Work".

Recorded recipients

Best Hard Sculpture

Recorded recipients

Best in Salon Award

Awarded for one of three special cash awards at the Annual banquet.

"Three special cash awards were given: the Irva Ford Award ($100) for the best moulded work; the Anne Hook Award ($100) for the best coloured work; and the Best in Salon Award" — presented at the banquet of the 42nd Annual Meeting.

Recorded recipients

Definitions transcribed from the award tables printed in the Canadian Leathercraft. Recipients taken from the Society’s competition records. Some awards were recorded under a shorthand name in one source and a formal name in the other; where the newsletter’s own definition makes the pair unambiguous they are shown here under the formal name.