The Festival of Trees’ annual Appreciation Party for tree donors and volunteers included the announcement of the 2021 Conifer Awards in eleven categories ranging from Most Beautiful to Most Traditional to Best Use of Lighting to Best Children’s Theme and several more. Each category includes a First, Second and Third Place Winner. Each winner receives a hand-blown crystal tree by Simon Pearce.
“Each year we marvel at the creativity and beauty of our trees,” said Festival president Tom Lussier. “To us, they’re all award winners; however, we rely on the judgement of our independent judges to choose the very best in a number of distinct categories,” he added,
According to Lussier, each year the Festival recruits a team of independent judges. The judges are not affiliated with any organization entering a tree in the Festival. Their judging is conducted anonymously and without knowledge of the person, group, or organization presenting the trees. The 2021 judges were from the Village Studio in North Andover. The Village Studio opened in June of 2021 with the goal of forming a community around their passion for handmade goods. The Studio showcases over 120 artisans from all over New England.