QEST Award for Excellence
Sponsored by Thomas Fattorini Ltd
The QEST Award for Excellence is awarded annually to a QEST Scholar who has made an outstanding contribution to their craft and the sector, whilst demonstrating their commitment to training and passing on skills to the next generation. The winner is presented with an engraved medal and £1,000 prize.
Tom Fattorini explains:
When we were granted our Royal Warrant of Appointment to HM The Queen as Manufacturer of Insignia, Honours and Awards in 2008 I learnt about QEST and understood, as in my own trade, the supreme importance of people and their skills. I saw that we needed to encourage and preserve these amazing skills for the future and celebrate those that have given their lives to their craft and who are also passing on their valuable experience to new generations. Thus, the QEST Award for Excellence was born, which we are proud to support.
2025 Winner: Rauni Higson MBE
QEST Scholar - Silversmithing
Silversmith and 2021 QEST Scholar Rauni Higson MBE is the 13th recipient of the QEST Award for Excellence, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to craft and her dedication to nurturing the next generation.
Based in Snowdonia in Wales, Rauni is one of Britain’s leading silversmiths.
Rauni studied Silversmithing, Goldsmithing and Design for 3 years at the Lahti Design Institute in Finland before returning to the UK in 1995 to study at the Birmingham School of Jewellery. She launched her business – Rauni Higson Silversmith – in 1997 and focuses on designing and making large scale silverware, of both a sculptural and functional nature. She was chairman of the Contemporary British Silversmiths (2014-17).
Renowned for her distinctive sculptural tableware, her work features in national collections such as the V&A and the Goldsmiths’ Company, and she has delivered commissions for Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and HMS Prince of Wales.
Previous Winners
2024 Winner: Kayo Saito - 2016 QEST Scholar - Jewellery
2023: Eleanor Lakelin - 2018 QEST Turners’ Company Scholar - Woodturning & Sculpture
2022: Charlotte De Syllas - 1999 QEST Scholar - Jewellery
2021:Â Annemarie O'Sullivan - 2016 QEST D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Scholar - Basketmaking
2020: Andrian Melka - 2008 QEST Scholar - Sculpture & Stone Carving
2019: Rod Kelly - 2000 QEST Scholar - Goldsmithing & Silversmithing
2018: Deborah Carré - 1997 QEST Scholar - Shoemaking
2017: Bob Johnston - 2004 QEST Scholar - Basketmaking & Willow Sculpture
2016: Franki Brewer & Juliet Bailey - 2013 QEST Scholars - Woven Textile Design & Weaving
2015: Joey Richardson - 2012 QEST Carpenters' Company Scholar - Woodturning & Glass Artistry
2014: Shem Mackey - 1998 QEST Scholar - Luthiery
2013: Mel Howse - 2008 QEST Scholar - Vitreous Art