2026 Modern Craft Market Applications

About the Modern Craft Market

Handmade Arcade's new Modern Craft Market, supported by Contemporary Craft, is a juried shopping event celebrating where traditional craftsmanship meets cutting-edge design. This new market will connect shoppers, craft collectors, and retail and industry partners with over 150 of the best contemporary craft makers and artists from around the Pittsburgh and greater Appalachian region and beyond. The Modern Craft Market is hosted by Handmade Arcade, the nonprofit behind the Holiday Market, Pittsburgh's largest handmade shopping market. Each year, the Holiday Market features 275+ makers and welcomes more than 10,000 highly-motivated shoppers from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Maryland, New York, and beyond. 

Application Dates & Fees:

Application Deadline: November 5, 2025 at 11:59 PM (EST)

Application Fee: $40 (non-refundable)

Applicant Notifications: Mid-December 2025

Booth Fees Due: December 30, 2025 at 11:59 PM (EST)

Maker Products Pictured: Camp Copeland Studio (Photo Credit: Kitoko Chargois)

Apply by November 5, 2025

Jurying Rubric

Applications will be scored by each juror on a scale of 1 to 8 in each rubric category. 1 is the lowest possible score in each category, and 8 is the highest possible score.

The rubric categories are Craft & Technical Skills, Creativity & Innovation, Product Quality, Brand & Product Cohesion, and Audience Appeal.

No applicants will be grandfathered in based on previous experience selling at Handmade Arcade markets. Regardless of how well-known or well-established your business is, please complete the application in its entirety and assume that jurors evaluating your work don’t know you and your brand.

Click here to view a PDF of the rubric.

  • The jury is looking for applicants who exhibit a masterful level of craftsmanship and techniques in making their products.

  • The jury is looking for fresh, innovative approaches to contemporary craft through selection of materials to techniques used in the creation process. Work should be unique, one-of-a-kind, and extremely difficult to replicate.

  • The jury is looking for products of the highest quality and without technical faults, both aesthetically and functionally.

  • The jury is looking for applicants who have thought about their overall brand as a maker and craftsperson. The applicant’s products should be cohesive and reflect the maker’s unique perspective and approach to their craft.

  • The jury is looking for applicants who demonstrate expert levels of market readiness and a deep knowledge of how their products will appeal to discerning audiences of contemporary craft buyers.

  • Identity-Based:

    One of Handmade Arcade’s values is anti-racism. We acknowledge that anti-racist practices recognize that folks holding intersectional identities often experience greater inequalities to access artistic opportunities. In order to address these disparities in the jurying process, applicants can receive up to three (3) total additional points if they fit any of the following criteria:

    • Applicant is a BIPOC maker (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color)

    • Applicant is part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community

    • Applicant is a maker with a disability

    Location-Based:

    In order to champion local makers as we support Pittsburgh’s creative economy, applicants can receive up to one (1) additional point if they live in Allegheny County.

Event Details

Location:

David L. Lawrence Convention Center (1000 Fort Duquesne Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15222)

Event Size:

Exhibitors: 150+

Expected Attendees: 7,500+

Note: 2026 will be the first year of this event. Handmade Arcade's other large-scale market held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center brings in 10,000+ shoppers over two days. 

Friday, March 27, 2026:

10 AM - 4 PM: Maker Load-In & Booth Set-Up

5 - 8 PM: Preview Party Shopping Event

Saturday, March 28, 2026:

9 - 11 AM: Early Bird Shopping

11 AM - 6 PM: General Shopping

Sunday, March 29, 2026:

10 AM - 6 PM: General Shopping

6 - 8 PM: Maker Load-Out 

Maker Products Pictured: Make + Matter (Photo Credit: Joey Kennedy)

Booth Fees & Information

As 2026 will be the first year of the Modern Craft Market, we are offering discounted booth rates to Accepted Makers. The booth rates below reflect the discount for the first year.

Booth Fees:

  • 10 ft x 5 ft: $575

  • 10 ft x 10 ft: $800

  • 10 ft x 10 ft Corner Booth: $1,050

  • 20 ft x 10 ft Booth: $1,250

  • 20 ft x 10 ft Corner Booth: $1,500

Included in Booth Fee:

  • Booth space rental 

  • Back and side pipe and drape

  • 6’ x 30” Skirted Tables

  • 2 Folding Chairs

  • Convenient load-in and unload with ability to drive onto the Convention Center floor

  • 24-hour security

  • Listing in the printed & digital event program books

  • Listing on the virtual event page on Handmade Arcade's website 

  • Maker Media Kit for market promotion

  • At least one product featured and maker tagged on Handmade Arcade's social media prior to the market

Not Included in Booth Fee:

  • Electricity: $75

  • Tables: Additional tables are available for rent for $30 per table

  • Chairs: Additional chairs are available for rent for $8 per chair

  • Booth lighting

  • Additional booth furnishings (carpets, shelves, etc.)

Modern Craft Market FAQs

    • Accessories (Not Jewelry)

    • Basketry 

    • Ceramics 

    • Fiber and Textiles (Not Wearable)

    • Fiber and Textiles (Wearable)

    • Furniture 

    • Glass

    • Jewelry 

    • Leather

    • Metal 

    • Mixed Media

    • Paper

    • Wood

  • Please apply under the artistic category that relates to the function of your products. For example, if you maker wood furniture, apply in the furniture category, not the wood category.

    Makers who want to apply in multiple artistic categories must submit separate applications for each artistic category.

    • 2D Fine Arts (i.e paintings, photographs, drawings, graphic design, etc.)

    • Soap and other bath & body products

    • Candles

    • Edible or ingestible products (includes food, tea, honey, and CBD/THC-based products)

    • Dried floral arrangements or pressed floral artwork

    • Products made from commercial kits 

    • Commercially made products that have been embellished or decorated

    • Products mass produced using 3D printing

  • Artists wishing to enter in more than one medium must submit separate applications and application fees for each category in which they want to be considered. Artists may submit up to three applications. If only one of your applications is accepted into the Modern Craft Market, you may only sell work in that medium. 

    • Applicants must reside in the United States or U.S. territories

    • Applicants must be 18 years of age or older at the time of the Modern Craft Market 

    • Applications must align with Handmade Arcade's definition of a "handmade business"

      • Artist(s) created the original products 

      • No use of mass-produced, trademarked, or licensed items in work

      • No use of copyrighted designs artist(s) doesn't own in the work

      • No use of purchased, downloaded, or copied images or designs in work 

  • All accepted makers are required to: 

    • Participate in the entirety of the event dates and hours listed above 

    • Provide crafters liability insurance 

    • Adhere to Handmade Arcade's Maker Terms & Conditions 

  • Friday, March 27, 2026:

    • 10 AM - 4 PM: Maker Load-In & Booth Set-Up

    • 6 PM: Preview Party Shopping Event 

    Saturday, March 28, 2026: 

    • 9 AM - 11 AM: Early Bird Shopping Event 

    • 11 AM - 6 PM: General Shopping 

    Sunday, March 29, 2026: 

    • 10 AM - 6 PM: General Shopping

    • 6 - 8 PM: Maker Load-Out 

    • Application fees are nonrefundable.

    • Accepted Makers who can no longer participate in the Modern Craft Market must notify the Handmade Arcade team via email (makers@handmadearcade.org) by the cancellation deadline of January 15, 2026 to receive a full refund on booth fees, electricity, additional table and chair rentals, etc.

    • Refunds are not available after the cancellation deadline of January 15, 2026. This includes extra fees for electricity, additional table and chair rentals, etc. 

  • Handmade Arcade is using Eventeny to collect applications for the Modern Craft Market.

    For help applying to an event on Eventeny, please explore this tutorial page.

    We also recommend attending our Application Information Session and one of our Drop-In Office Hours for additional support.

Application Support

Learn more about the new market at our upcoming virtual Application Info Session or drop-in to an upcoming virtual Office Hour session to get your questions answered.

Application Info Session

September 23 from 6 - 7:30 PM (Session will be recorded)

Drop-In Office Hours

October 3 from 11:30 - 1 PM

October 21 from 4:30 - 6 PM

All Info Sessions and Office Hours can be accessed via this Zoom link.

Contact Information:

Please contact makers@handmadearcade.org with any additional inquiries or concerns.

Maker Products Pictured: Jenna Vanden Brink Ceramics (Photo Credit: Kitoko Chargois)