2025 NEST HERITAGE CRAFT PRIZE
Blaze Your Own Trail
About the Prize
Nest is launching its third annual Heritage Craft Prize, in partnership with Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott. The Prize will celebrate artists and craftspeople who are blazing their own trail by reimagining heritage craft techniques through the use of innovative motifs and materials.
Makers, artists, and craftspeople based in Texas are encouraged to enter a submission that demonstrates their technical mastery, as well as a thoughtful connection to cultural tradition through a singular, one-of-a-kind handcrafted piece.
Intended to provide the winner with financial resources to advance their craft pursuits and/or craft-based business, the winner will receive a grand prize of $25,000 with additional grant funding awarded to four finalists.
Eligibility
Submissions are welcome from emerging to established makers and craft artists across Texas. Submissions must be made by the artist or creator. Submissions on behalf of an individual or a collective will not be considered.
Applicants must be 18 or older, residing and producing in Texas.
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Represent heritage craft found across Texas which includes (but is not limited to) various techniques such as sewing, beading, ceramics, metalworking, jewelry-making, woodworking, printmaking, silversmithing, textile weaving, natural dyeing, leatherworking, and more
Have a clearly defined connection or narrative of cultural preservation and/or generational story to the work being produced
Be an original, one-of-a-kind handmade work
Not have previously won a prize. Past winners are not eligible to reapply.
Be able to travel to Austin and be installed by Nest at the Heritage Craft Prize award reception
Have accompanying photo and video storytelling assets
Entries are limited to one submission per applicant
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Be able to attend an exclusive Nest event in Austin, Texas in September 2025 (exact date to be confirmed) where the 2025 Nest Heritage Craft Prize winner will be announced.
All selected finalist submissions must be available and transported to Austin for the award reception.
Be available for filming and photography in-studio in Texas during August 2025
Finalists may be asked to speak about their craft practice during a panel at the awards reception In September
How to Apply
Interested applicants are encouraged to preview the application before submitting. Use the button below to begin your application.
Applications will be accepted through June 30th, 2025.
Judging
Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of experts who will evaluate excellence in technique and connection to heritage through storytelling. Previous judges include:
Kendra Scott, Founder + Philanthropist
Rebecca van Bergen, Nest’s Founder + Executive Director
Essence Harden, Writer + Curator
Guadalupe Hernandez, Winner of the 2023 Heritage Craft Prize
Amber Valletta, Model, Actress + Activist
Emily Zaiden, Director of the Craft in America Center
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Written responses should be thoughtful, detailed, reflective and provide insight into the applicant’s personal connection or generational tie to their craft
Clear connection between the submission and the storytelling
Technical proficiency and execution
Innovation: is the work reimagining or updating a craft tradition through different materials, techniques, processes, or design concepts?
2024 Heritage Craft Prize Winner
Morgan Buckert
Morgan Buckert, owner and founder of Morgan Buckert Custom Boots, creates custom cowboy boots with bespoke patterns, traditional construction techniques, and vintage machinery in Hailey, Idaho. She is the 7th generation of a Texan ranch family, and the influence of cowboy culture is evident in all her work.
Built for discerning clients expecting fit, function, and artistic expression, Morgan Buckert Custom Boots provides a completely bespoke process that values tradition, knowledge, creativity, and community, ensuring the future of her craft thrives.
2024 Heritage Craft Prize Runner-Up
Shauna White Bear
Shauna White Bear is the visionary owner and founder of White Bear Moccasins, a brand that distinguishes itself as an Indigenous-owned company. Each pair is meticulously hand-stitched by Indigenous college students representing various Montana tribes in an effort to pass down leatherworking skills to future generations.
Shauna’s innovative artistic vision shines through in her use of diverse materials like wool, elk ivories, brass spots, seed beads, antler toggles, and animal pelts.
Meet the 2024 Heritage Craft Prize Finalists
Take a moment to learn more about the wildly talented finalists that were celebrated during the 2024 Heritage Craft Prize Celebration in Jackson, Wyoming on September 12, 2024.
The 2025 Heritage Craft Prize is generously sponsored by
Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott is a heartfelt tribute to the beauty of Texas, drawing inspiration from the timeless elegance of golden roses. Born out of love for Kendra’s Texas family ranch and the connection, tranquility, and adventure it brings, the newest extension of the Kendra Scott brand effortlessly blends vintage-inspired jewelry and accessories. Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott is proud to invest in the next generation of creators and partner with Nest to empower the talented makers and artists of the American West.