Sharon Massey, Untitled, 2008, iron wire, cotton muslin, wax, gold, 3 x 12 x 12 inches

The AJF Emerging Jewelry Artist award is now open for business, bigger and better than ever in its eleventh year. If you are a contemporary jeweler who has completed your academic or professional training, have been out of school for more than one year, and have not yet had a solo exhibition in a commercial gallery or museum, then we are looking for you.

Just like reality television – although without the television and, hopefully, the histrionics – the AJF Emerging Jewelry Artist award can be your path to fame and fortune. All you have to do is dazzle our panel of judges – Namita Wiggers, curator at the Museum of Contemporary Craft in Portland, Susan Beech, long-standing AJF member and jewelry collector, and Sharon Massey, recipient of the 2009 award – with your talent, ambition and, of course, your jewelry. The award is open to any emerging jeweler from anywhere around the world, and the deadline for submissions is 13 June 2010. (To read more about the award, click here.) The winner will be showered with praise and glory, and the not-too-shabby sum of $5000.

Finally, if you are not an emerging jeweler but believe that programs such as these are a valuable addition to the contemporary jewelry scene, then please consider becoming a member of AJF. Not only are AJF members scientifically proven to be more popular and better looking than the rest of the jewelry-loving population, but they glow with the special joy that comes from making a difference through AJF’s various programs. To find out more about why you should become a member of AJF and what your membership donation will be used for, click here.