Guidelines for the 2008 Top Retailer Awards program are as follows:

1. The 2008 Top Retailer Awards program will recognize 24 Top Retailers and one Retailer of the Year.  Winners will also be named in the following special categories:

Best Arts Nonprofit
Best Customer Newsletter (print or online)
Best Advertising/Direct Mail Campaign
Best New Store (less than five years old)
Best Museum Store
Best Guild Store
Best Website/Online Marketing
Best In-Store Event (exhibition, demonstration, trunk show, etc.)
Best Merchandising
Best Local Community Outreach Program

2.  Nominations:  The nominating process has two steps. First, artists nominate retailers using the official form, which is online at www.americancraft.com. The deadline for nominations is March 31, 2008. To be eligible for an award in any category, a gallery must receive at least one nomination in that category.  Second, nominated galleries will be notified and asked to submit application forms and supporting materials to NICHE magazine by May 30, 2008. Galleries may apply only in the categories for which they have been nominated.  

3. Special categories:  Galleries are not eligible to win in the same special category two years in a row.  For example, a gallery that won for “Best Merchandising” in 2007 cannot win in that category in 2008. However, that gallery may be nominated, and may compete to win, in any other special category in 2008.

4. Top Retailer/Retailer of the Year category:  Any gallery nominated to be a “Top Retailer” is eligible to apply and compete, regardless of previous wins in this category (with the exception of Galleries of Honor – see item 5 below).  For example, if a retailer was named one of the 24 Top Retailers (or Retailer of the Year) in 2007, that retailer is eligible to win this title again in 2008.   

5. Galleries of Honor:  Galleries of Honor are galleries that have been inducted into our “Hall of Fame” for winning the title of “Retailer of the Year” twice.  These galleries are not eligible to win again in the “Top Retailer/Retailer of the Year” category, but they may be nominated to win in a special category.  This includes two-time winners from previous versions of the program (Top 100, Top 25).  Galleries of Honor receive recognition on www.americancraft.com.