ALL FOR MUGS!
MUGS FOR ALL!
Mug Madness is a single-elimination bracket-style tournament, where 64 mugs compete for the top prize and title of Mug Madness Champion. Entries are open to all, regardless of age, location, or skill level.
The tournament will begin on March 1st, 2022, with matches taking place every day on our Instagram and in our Instagram stories. Friends, family, and followers are encouraged to participate by voting for their favorite mug. The undefeated mug at the end of the tournament wins the $500 top prize.
How It Works
Mug Madness is a juried gallery show and tournament. Our two jurors (Brandon Peña and Didem Mert) have selected 64 mugs from nearly 300 submissions to participate in the tournament and show at Saltstone Ceramics in Seattle, WA. Check out all the mugs here!
Every day in March, mugs will be paired into match-ups and posted to our Instagram at 9am (Pacific). Each mug can win up to three points in a match. One is given to the winner of the Instagram poll; the other two points come from our judges. The mug with the most points moves on to the next round! Read the full Tournament Rules for more information.
See all the mugs here!
or grab a fantastic Mug Madness 2022 poster!
Sarah's Spirit Squad
Once again, we had so many amazing entries that Sarah (Saltstone Ceramics owner and Creative Director) has put together her own team! These fantastic mugs are just cheering from the sidelines, but they deserve a look too. (coming soon!)
How to Participate
During March 2022, Head to our Instagram account between 9am and 9pm (pacific time) to vote for the best mug. Use hashtag #mugmadness and #mugmadness22 to cheer your favorite on to the Salty Sixteen and then the Mug Madness Championship. And check out all the mugs we have in our gallery! You can shop online or in person at our Seattle store. But most importantly: continue to support artists, makers, and craftspeople in your community, wherever you are.
MEET THE JURORS
Brandon Peña
@_brandon_pena_
Mug Madness 2021 Artist Choice Award Winner
I am excited to be included as a juror for this year’s Mug Madness! As a former participant, I feel that Mug Madness is an exciting opportunity for artists to showcase their work, and have it be seen and interacted with by the public in a fun way. One of the coolest things about this competition is that because of the format, it appeals even to people outside of the ceramics community. Through my participation in Mug Madness, many of my friends and family members discovered many artists whose work they now love, and it gave them a greater appreciation for handmade pottery. The mugs in this competition represent a diverse group of artists, and showcase a variety of techniques and making processes. I am beyond excited to see all of the submissions for Mug Madness 2022!
Didem Mert
The Mug Madness show at Saltstone Ceramics is by far one of the most fun, thrilling, engaging, creative, and beautiful shows that I’ve enjoyed observing and being a part of, through voting, for the past few years! Saltstone Ceramics has taken the basic format of a cup show and transformed it into a lighthearted competition to bring the ceramics community and its admirers together to play along in the jurying process. I mean, how genius is that? I’m very excited to jury the show with Brandon Peña and we cannot wait to see your applications!