AGTA opens 2026 Spectrum Awards with new design category
AGTA opened 2026 Spectrum entries with a new Innovative Design prize and Stuller’s Signature Red category, setting Sept. 25 and Oct. 9 deadlines.
AGTA opened entries for its 2026 Spectrum and Cutting Edge Awards at the end of June, adding a new Innovative Design award and a Stuller Color of the Year category. The 2026 running marks the 42nd year of the Spectrum Awards and the 35th year of the Cutting Edge Awards, and the contest is open to entrants in North America, including the United States and Canada.
The calendar is already fixed for designers considering a bid. AGTA set an Early Bird deadline of Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, followed by a final deadline of Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. Each piece may be entered only once, in one category, and previously submitted entries cannot be re-entered. AGTA also insures entries against loss, damage or theft up to $250,000 per entrant while they are in its possession.
The rules draw a sharp line between the two competitions. Cutting Edge is limited to natural-origin, non-wearable gemstone materials. Spectrum entries must use natural colored gemstones and/or natural or cultured pearls, although diamonds of any color, enhanced or natural, may be used. The awards promote colored gemstones and pearls. The new categories give judges more room to reward unusual materials, inventive construction, and stronger storytelling alongside technical skill.
The Stuller category is tied to Stuller’s 2026 color choice, Signature Red, a bold, timeless hue meant to guide design and storytelling. The category will honor exceptional interpretations of that color, with a Stuller judge selecting two winners, one from Spectrum jewelry entries and one from Cutting Edge entries. AGTA CEO John W. Ford, Sr. said the awards can change lives and elevate careers, and even entries that do not win often draw attention from editors and trade media.
The 2025 competition drew more than 30 new entrants and well over 300 total pieces, with six first-time winners earning seven awards. Winning entries received worldwide exposure through trade journals, consumer press, and a special showcase at AGTA GemFair Tucson in Arizona, where Somewhere in the Rainbow Gem and Jewelry Collection with Marc Höllmüller took Best of Show Spectrum.
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