BLADE Show 2023 Custom Knife Award Winners

See who took home the hardware from the 2023 Custom Knife Awards at BLADE Show.

As usual, the Custom Knife Of The Year® Awards at the June 2-4 BLADE Show at the Cobb County Gallery gather together some of the best examples of bladesmithing in the knife world. The difficulty was choosing which would rise to the top.

In a highly competitive field, a panel of expert judges sorted out the top knives in XX categories for the best of the best. Below are the winners, including the coveted Hugh Bartrug Best In Show.

Hugh Bartrug Best In Show & Fixed Blade: Vince Evans

Best Fighter: Samuel Lurquin

Best Kitchen Knife: Lucas Gumbiner

Best Folder: Owen Wood

Best Tactical Folder: Thomas Gony (Grind Tactical Knives)

Best Handle: Fabio Barros

Best Utility Hunter: Oliver Goldschmidt

Best Slipjoint: Luke Swenson

Best Damascus: CAS Knives (Sobral Brothers)

Best M.A.C.K.: Shirogorov Knives

Best Collaboration: Raul Sartorial Filho (Engraver) & Fabio Barros (Bladesmith)

Best Art Knife: Mauricio Daletzky

Best Bowie: Dionatam Franco

Best Sword: Vince Evans

Best Miniature: Chuck Gedraitis

Most Innovative: GTC Knives

Best of The Rest: Will Stelter

Best New Maker: Zane Dvorak

See Past 2023 Factory Knife Of The Year® Awards Winners:

• 2022 Factory Knife Of The Year Award Winners
• 2021 BLADE Show Knife-Of-The-Year® Award Winners & Custom Knife Award Winners
• 2019 Knife of the Year® Award Winners & Custom Knife Award Winners
• 2018 Knife of the Year® Award Winners & Custom Knife Award Winners