The ninth-ever Made in the South Awards returns across categories including Home, Food, Drink, Style, Crafts, and Outdoors with a number of big-name judges—Bobby McAlpine of Montgomery, Alabama, among them. The awards progam, which was launched in 2010 by Garden & Gun magazine, seeks to “celebrate and encourage Southern craftsmanship, and to recognize the best available Southern-made products.”

Planked table by last year’s Overall Winner, Alabama Sawyer; courtesy Alison Gootee

“Each year, I am impressed by the remarkable talent and creativity of the artisans, craftsmen, chefs, designers, and tastemakers from across the South who enter our annual Made in the South Awards,” says David DiBenedetto, senior vice president and editor in chief of Garden & Gun. “As we begin the awards’ ninth call for entries, we are truly excited to discover new and promising talent this year.”

“Winning Garden & Gun’s Made in the South Award has been the most valuable recognition and PR that our company has received to date,” says Leigh Spencer, co-founder of Birmingham-based Alabama Sawyer, who won last year’s grand prize for her company’s planked tables. “The prize money was fantastic, much appreciated, and well used, but the credibility and the sales leads were even better. There was also the unexpected outreach of other winners, past and concurrent, who continue to grow our maker and business network. Maybe that friendliness is just a Southern thing.”

This year’s judges, courtesy of Made in the South Awards:

FOOD
Asha Gomez (Atlanta), restaurateur, award-winning chef, author of best-selling cookbook My Two Souths, and founder of lifestyle brand DYAD Tea & Spice

DRINK
Miles Macquarrie (Decatur, GA), beverage director and co-owner of Kimball House

HOME
Bobby McAlpine (Montgomery, AL), architect, furniture designer, and founder of architecture and interior design firm McAlpine; he is also author or co-author of best-selling books including The Home Within Us, Art of the House, and Poetry of Place.

STYLE
Stacy Smallwood (Charleston, SC), owner of Hampden, a high-end women’s designer clothing and accessories boutique

CRAFTS
Anna Bond (Winter Park, FL), illustrator and co-owner of Rifle Paper Co., the stationery and gift brand

OUTDOORS
T. Edward Nickens (Raleigh, NC), award-winning author, journalist, on-camera host, scriptwriter, and outdoorsman