FUSION Design Awards

DESIGN AWARDS

Image: Sarah Hamelin

Recognizing outstanding design through our affiliated guilds and associations

FUSION Design Award

The FUSION Design Award celebrates excellence in design within the clay and glass community, recognizing artists whose work demonstrates thoughtful innovation, strong technical skill, and a distinct creative voice. Presented through our network of affiliated guilds and associations, the award highlights outstanding work being created across the country and supports artists at important moments in their practice.

Affiliated Guilds and Associations are invited to present one FUSION Design Award to a participant in their juried exhibition or sale. This award honours a maker whose work stands out for its design excellence and contribution to the field.

Each award includes admission to a FUSION Conference and a one-year FUSION membership, offering recipients the opportunity to connect more deeply with the community and further their professional development.

Request a FUSION Design Award here.

2026 Design Award Winners

Hill Potters' Guild

Florence Ngan

A Wetland Through the Seasons

"My work began as a response to time spent observing Kawartha wetlands and the quiet transformations within them. Using clay, I look closely at skeletal tree

forms and their subtle shifts through changing seasons and weather. Each hand-built tube is textured and smoke fired, allowing the surface to hold traces of the swamp’s evolving atmosphere."

Hamilton Potters' Guild

Jacquie Blondin

EQUILIBRIUM II

FUSION Design Award in ATTITUDE: Hamilton Potters' Guild Biennial Exhibition

2025 Design Award Winners

Toronto Potters

Lisa Gwen Robbins

Lacunarity : The Empty Space Between Fractals

FUSION Design Award Winner at the Toronto Potter's 23rd Biennial : Common Ground

Burlington Potters' Guild

Elise Chung

Magnolia Tulipiere reflects the artist’s German, Korean, and Canadian heritage. This work combines the European tulipiere form with influences from traditional Korean buncheong pottery, layered with a modern cone 6 glaze using slip sourced from Alberta. The carved magnolia surface speaks to resilience and connection — something she relates to both personally and within the broader Canadian experience.

Waterloo Potters' Workshop: Earthborn 2025

Anke Dirks-Wehrmann

Iridescent

"This piece was fired for about 36 hours in a Woodkiln with soda added at the end .

The kiln belongs to my dear friend Kim. The woodfiring Community is in mourning.

Our dear friend and colleague Kim passed away this spring solstice. She lost her battle with cancer. She was only 51 years. She wasn't ready to go,so many dreams and goals in her life... This ceramic vase we fired in her kiln is very special to me, it's a bittersweet reminder of how beautiful life can be."

Craft Ontario

Sarah Hamelin

"I'm deeply honoured and grateful for this award. Your gift of membership will strongly impact my practice by means of continuous learning, opportunities to show my work, and the value of community. I am especially thrilled to attend next year's conference, as I left this year's feeling inspired and supported by the community you've created."

Mississauga Potters' Guild

Andrea Poorter

Ottawa Guild of Potters

Frank Van Boxtel

Cheery Chickadees

"My set of plates is inspired by the tall, white pines and the abundance of birds where I walk every day. We are very fortunate to live in a country with beautiful natural areas, including in the city where I live, and I want to celebrate that with my work."

2024 Design Award Winners

Mississauga Potters' Guild

Sarah Grant

Blackbird on a Branch

Craft Ontario

Charlie Larouche-Potvin

"To work with glass is to be in relationship with molten matter, an exchange that was taught to me in Murano and remains the source of my growth as an artist."

Ottawa Guild of Potters'

Barbara Minish

PrairIe Minoan Tractors and Rust 2

"The iconic Minoan octopus, reimagined as a creature made of equally iconic Canadian Prairie images of tractor tire and tracks, is rendered in red iron oxide or rust, also ubiquitous on the prairies."

Waterloo Potters' Workshop: Earthborn 2024

Moulshree Opal

"This work represents the effect of Lahaina Maui fire last August on the oldest banyan tree in the US. This tree a gift from India celebrated its 150th birthday last April. It is a tree of great significance to the Lahaina Community and a symbol of hope in how it is returning to life."