Scholarship opens for 2027 all-women woodturning week, deadline July 6

Eight scholarships are on offer for the 2027 all-women woodturning week, but the window is short: applications close July 6, 2026. For young women woodturners trying to get past the cost wall of tuition, travel, and lodging, this is the clearest route into one of the most sought-after weeks on the calendar.

The program is set up as a five-day scholarship for women woodturners ages 20 to 40 who are emerging and committed to making woodturning a full-time career or a significant part of one. Glenn Lucas’s announcement points applicants to the latest newsletter and the application process, which makes the scholarship itself the real entry point into the week rather than a side benefit.

That matters because the event has already proved it can draw serious demand. In 2023, 89 women applied for nine scholarship places, and the field included turners from the USA, England, Germany and Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Switzerland. The scholarship package then was described as tuition worth €1,150, and it covered wood, daily lunches, tools, safety wear, smocks, B&B accommodation, and daily transport between lodging and workshop.

The week has also evolved in a way that tells you what organizers value. The 2025 edition, held Monday August 25 through Friday August 29 in County Carlow, Ireland, offered eight scholarships for women woodturners with an interest and some experience in teaching others. That version still included five days of expert tuition, wood, lunches, tools, safety wear, smocks, B&B accommodation at Osborne’s Storehouse, and daily transport, but it sharpened the emphasis toward passing skills on.

The 2027 page keeps that sense of purpose intact and expands it. It describes skill development, networking, and a meet-the-maker exhibition for young female woodturners, which means the week is not only about spindle and bowl work but also about how finished pieces are shown, discussed, and positioned in the wider craft. For turners trying to build a profile, that public-facing piece can matter as much as the time at the lathe.

The setting has become part of the story, too. The Glenn Lucas Woodturning Study Centre in County Carlow opened in August 2021 after construction began in 2019, giving the program a dedicated home built around instruction and exhibition. Add the earlier international turnout, and the 2027 week looks less like a one-off class than a career-building pipeline.

For anyone who fits the age range and wants a place in a high-visibility program, the deadline now is the crucial detail. By the time broader 2027 coverage arrives, the decision will already have been made, and the best seats at the lathe will be gone.