New Award for The Craftys Celebrates Decorative Painting

    LOS ANGELES, CA, May 14, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- While many amazing decorative paintings are created each year, most are not seen by the public. In order to celebrate great works of decorative art, the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) is teaming up with the Society of Decorative Painters (SDP) and The Craftys to launch a new award category called Best Decorative Painting.

"A national award for decorative painting is a great way to shine a light on the beautiful works of art created by decorative painters each year," says Andrej Suskavcevic, President and CEO of the Craft & Hobby Association.

Beginning in September of 2015, decorative painters and those who appreciate this special skill will have the opportunity to nominate great works of decorative painting at TheCraftys.com. In November, the winner will be announced at an exclusive awards ceremony held at Chronicle Books Headquarters in San Francisco and presented by PBS host and celebrated crafter Mark Montano.

The Craftys Awards celebrates the best in crafts, including a category for Young Crafters (under 18). As part of encouraging the celebration of crafting to a new generation, The Craftys is also teaming up with SDP to endorse Family Fun Day, a must-attend event for families with children of all ages. Family Fun Day will take place on Saturday May 16, 2015 from 9:00AM to 4:00PM at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, IL, as part of the SDP's 43rd Annual Conference & Expo.

The panel of judges for The Craftys includes editors from Better Homes and Gardens and Marie Claire. In its first year, The Craftys garnered over 450,000 votes from across the United States.

For more information about The Craftys, contact Andrea Burnett, 650-207-0917 or [email protected].

ABOUT THE CRAFTYS
Launched by CraftFoxes.com, The Craftys Awards will give away thousands in cash and prizes to designers in over 10 craft categories. This is a fantastic opportunity for talented designers to gain recognition from a huge online audience that may not know their work. Voters will be asked to choose their favorite entries in each category.

ABOUT THE SOCIETY OF DECORATIVE PAINTERS
The Society of Decorative Painters (SDP) is a membership organization with members throughout the United States, Canada, Japan and 42 other countries. It has 300 affiliated chapters that actively promote the art form through community service projects and painting-related activities. SDP publishes the industry's leading decorative painting magazine, The Decorative Painter, and hosts one of the largest annual decorative painting conferences and expos that draws worldwide artists. For more information, visit www.decorativepainters.org.

ABOUT THE CRAFT & HOBBY ASSOCIATION
The Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) is an international nonprofit trade association consisting of thousands of member companies engaged in the design, manufacture, distribution and retail sales of products worldwide in the craft and hobby industry. For more information about CHA, membership or its award-winning CHA Conference and Trade Show, visit www.craftandhobby.org.

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