The Fitzwilliam competition

This is our own annual competition and is held in October at the AGM which is also the first meeting of the new season. The theme is chosen by members at the previous POD (Potters Open Day)

winning teapot 2016: Mark Compton

It began as a memorial to a founding member, Stan Romer, whose estate funded the three prizes. This has now been taken over by Sylvia Fitzwilliam, widow of another founding member, Mervyn,  who was chairman until 2013. Mervyn and Sylvia supported the Guild throughout those years in many ways, including organising workshops, garden parties, outreach events, firings and the quarterly newsletter. They maintained all these activities in the spirit established at the Guild’s foundation and which those running the group today endeavour to follow.

The theme for this year’s competition (October 2019) is birds/bird baths.

The rules of the competition are

1. that the competitors must be paid up current members
2. the work is made entirely by the one member who submits it
3. the work must be recent – made after our Open Day, when the topic is chosen by vote
4. the work is mostly ceramic.

The winner receives a 12 month custodianship of the bison trophy. In addition, cash prizes are given to First, Second and Third places.

The competition is judged by an independent potter who is also invited to be the guest speaker and demonstrator for that evening. This year, the adjudicator was Robert Cooper.