Announced earlier in the day, the custom knife winners were, by category:

•Best Tactical Folder: Sniper Bladeworks

•Best Fixed Blade: David Lisch;

•Yvon Vachon Best Miniature Award: Yoshio Sakauchi;

•Best Sword: David Mirabile;

•Best Damascus: John White;

•Best Art Knife: Steve Rapp;

•Best Collaboration: Bob Terzuola and Brian Fellhoelter;

•Best New Maker: David Sharp;

•Best Folder: Scott Sawby;

•Best Bowie: John White;

•Best Handle Design: E. Scott McGhee;

•Best Fighter: E. Scott McGhee;

•Best of the Rest: Steve Culver;

•Most Innovative Design: Grant and Gavin Hawk;

•Best Utility Hunter: Alan Hutchinson;

•Hugh Bartrug Best of Show Award: John White.

Also during the banquet, ABS master smith Wayne Goddard became the 50th inductee into the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame©. Celebrating 50 years of making knives, Goddard parlayed the knowledge he’s gained in his knifemaking business into a second career writing about the process, including almost a quarter century as a columnist (Question & Answer, The $50 Knife Shop, Steels and more) for BLADE Magazine and as an author of several knife books, including The Wonder of Knifemaking.