Jury's Special Prize – Mikheil Odisheli – Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Dusheti
Mikheil Odisheli is a young artisan with a deep interest in various forms of traditional crafts. He teaches ceramics and artistic woodcarving, and conducts masterclasses in traditional blacksmithing, pottery, and wood and stone carving for anyone interested. His main focus is artistic woodcarving—he has crafted numerous ornamented church doors. Years ago, he revived the traditional dough-stamping tool known as bikila, which he continues to produce today with the aim of bringing it back into everyday use.
Jury's Special Prize – Ketevan Nozadze – Tbilisi
Founder of the brand Lampino, Ketevan Nozadze creates architectural design lamps and souvenirs inspired by elements of Old Tbilisi architecture. Through her work, she actively promotes and popularizes these historic motifs.
Jury's Special Prize – Ophelia Ispiriani – Dadesh Village, Akhalkalaki
Ophelia Ispiriani carries out her work in the village of Dadesh, Akhalkalaki, focusing on collecting traditional handmade carpets and other items, as well as creating new pieces inspired by the old. It is important to note the context of her work environment—she has established a unique cultural workshop that is practically the only one of its kind in the village.
Jury's Special Prize – Ana Japaridze and Nino Kopaladze – Tbilisi
Friends who together founded a workshop producing modernized ceramic souvenirs decorated with Tbilisi architectural details and traditional Georgian ornaments.
Jury's Special Prize – Liana Aniashvili – Tbilisi
A master of traditional Georgian folk weaving, specializing in Khevsurian ornamentation since 1998. Since 2018, she has served as the director of the NGO Association for Craft Education and Promotion. She creates clothing and accessories adorned with traditional Khevsurian motifs.
Jury’s Special Prize – Manana Berishvili – Kakheti, Telavi
A master weaver specializing in felt and carpet weaving, and an art teacher. She actively mentors students who participate in various traditional weaving contests and exhibitions.
Jury’s Special Prize – Dariko Chikhladze – Tbilisi
A master of gold and silver embroidery. She creates replicas of museum exhibits from various regions of Georgia. She passes on her knowledge to future generations. Using gold embroidery, she produces items for both ecclesiastical and secular purposes.
3rd Place – Manana Mchedlishvili
With the aim of preserving the traditional Khevsurian embroidery technique known as nachrela, she promotes its application in contemporary life by using traditional methods and incorporating the patterns into clothing and accessories. She runs a website and Facebook page where she sells her handmade items.
She researches old examples of Khevsurian embroidery preserved in family collections and creates graphic illustrations of them to ensure their documentation and preservation.
She has submitted a proposal to the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia to include the tradition of nachrela embroidery in the registry of intangible cultural heritage.
3rd Place – Nana Aziziani – Tbilisi
A master of artistic metalwork and a bearer of a family tradition spanning several generations. She creates replicas of well-known museum artifacts and, following the concept of a mobile museum, presents them in schools across Tbilisi and other regions. Through this initiative, she actively promotes Georgia’s archaeological heritage.
3rd Place – Mamuka Khoshtaria – Tbilisi
A master of traditional woodcraft and a dedicated advocate of the field. He produces eco-friendly wooden items, including a nutcracker in the shape of a traditional Georgian qvevri (wine vessel), paying tribute to Georgian winemaking culture. His creations are made from firewood, production offcuts, and driftwood collected from rivers. With over 40 years of experience, he is eager to pass his knowledge on to future generations.
2nd Place – Nino Bakhutashvili – Dedoplistskaro, Kakheti
A researcher of traditional mepardagi (flatwoven rug) weaving. Through in-depth research, she has collected and revived samples of Tushetian, Adjarian, Pshavian, and Samtskhe-Javakhetian rugs. In 2006, she founded the workshop “Fesvebi” ("Roots") in Dedoplistskaro, with the mission of restoring the weaving and natural dyeing techniques of Georgian flatweave rugs. The workshop actively promotes its work both within Georgia and internationally, creating products tailored for cultural tourism.
She now plans to establish a new workshop in partnership with the Ikalto Academy. The workshop will develop a collection inspired by the region’s specific textile traditions, creatively modernized, and is expected to contribute significantly to the cultural and economic development of both the workshop and the region.
