Mort Abelson Scholarship 2009

The Mort Abelson Scholarship honors Mort Abelson, who was instrumental in raising awareness of jewelry design and promoting jewelry designers in the U.S. As President of Jewelers of America from 1975-1977 and director until 1995, Mort oversaw the JA International Trade Show in New York and created the New Designer Gallery, which introduced hundreds of talented newcomers over three decades. Many launched their careers through this program, including David Yurman, Esther Gallant, Whitney Boin, Diana Vincent, Steven Kretchmer, Eddie Sakamoto, Tom Kruskal, Penny Preville, and Alex Sepkus. Alan Revere, a preeminent jewelry educator and founder of Revere Academy in 1979, was selected as the scholarship site.

The contest is open to anyone in the United States and Canada. The winner will receive an all-expenses-paid scholarship (air, lodging, tuition and fees) to attend a master class of their choice during the Academy's annual International Masters Symposium in April 2010 in San Francisco. The three-week symposium features prominent jewelry artists and designers teaching professional skills and techniques. Instructors include David Yurman (The Complete Designer), Michael Good (Anticlastic Raising), Bernd Munsteiner (Cutting Included Gems), and Kent Raible (Granulation).

Applicants must submit 5 images of jewelry and 2 short essays of 100 words or less. The entry fee is $25. A jury composed of Mort Abelson, Alan Revere, and Cindy Edelstein will select the winner based on work that exemplifies original, innovative, high quality jewelry design. The entry deadline is December 1, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. MST. Applicants will be notified via email by December 16, 2009.