HWA Emerging Entrepreneur Award

HERE WE ARE is a strategic initiative designed to address widespread inequity and a lack of representation in the jewelry industry through action and impact. Launched in 2019, the HERE WE ARE program highlights creators, and builds industry awareness around issues of diversity, inclusion, equity, representation, and allyship.

The HWA Emerging Entrepreneurs Awards offer two grants of $1500 each to support emerging jewelers in expanding their businesses. Sponsored by Halstead, the awards are designed to provide financial assistance and recognition to talented jewelers who are in the early stages of their careers. NYC Jewelry Week will award one prize to a resident of NYC and the other to a non-New York resident.

We are proud to celebrate the success of our past recipients, whose innovative designs and business acumen have set them apart:

To be eligible for the HWA Emerging Entrepreneurs Awards, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be an emerging jeweler in the early stages of their career.
• Demonstrate a commitment to expanding their business.
• Exhibit creativity, innovation, and a love of jewelry.
• Be a resident of the USA.
• Identify as a member of one or more of the following groups: Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian, Native American or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.

The deadline for submissions is September 5, 2025. We will not consider late applications, so be sure to submit all required materials by this date.

A panel of industry experts including NYC Jewelry Week founder Bella Neyman, Adrienne Santiago, Gem and Fine Jewelry Expert, representing the BIJC Board of Directors, Sylvie Alusitz, Jewelry Community and Education Manager at Halstead, and Omar Monroy of El Techichi Jewelry will review all applications. The panel will select winners based on their creativity, business potential, and the overall quality of their submissions. We will announce the two recipients of the Emerging Entrepreneurs Awards to the public during NYC Jewelry Week.

In addition to receiving a cash award, the winner is honored at Rock the Jewels, the Black in Jewelry Coalition event held in conjunction with NYC Jewelry Week. Rock the Jewels serves as a vibrant celebration of diversity and creativity within the jewelry industry.

We look forward to receiving your application and helping you take your jewelry business to the next level!

Questions? For any questions regarding the application process or eligibility, please contact us at: social@nycjewelryweek.com