xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ, (Tsleil-Waututh) / Vancouver, BC (August 19, 2025): The BC Achievement Foundation announces the recipients of the 21st annual Sam Carter Award in Applied Art + Design. The award program honours British Columbians who excel in creating functional art and design, advancing the dialogue on its importance and impact in our lives.
“The 2025 recipients of the Sam Carter Award in Applied Art + Design exemplify a visionary approach to design that unites beauty, utility, and impact,” said Walter Pela, Chair of the BC Achievement Foundation. “Their work honours the legacy of this award by pushing boundaries and enriching our cultural landscape through innovation.”
The Sam Carter Award in Applied Art + Design program showcases inspiring examples of functional art that enhance everyday life while contributing to the province’s creative economy. Awardees represent exceptional achievements across a variety of disciplines, including furniture, textiles, jewellery, ceramics, glass, fashion, and industrial design.
The 2025 recipients are:
- Bettina Mueller Reichl – Vancouver
- Mario Pao – Vancouver
Judson Beaumont Emerging Artist:
- Tyler James Goin – Vancouver
Award of Distinction:
- Russell Hackney – Bowen Island
The 2025 recipients are selected by an independent jury, including Dr. Trish Kelly, President of Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Anicka Quin, Editor-in-Chief of Western Living magazine, and Jeff Martin of Jeff Martin Joinery, 2020 recipient. Advisors to the jury are Ron Kong, craft advocate and Toby Barratt, Propellor Design, 2010 recipient.
Recipients will be celebrated at a ticketed award presentation and exhibition reception on November 25, 2025, at the Roundhouse Community Arts & Recreation Centre in Vancouver. The evening will feature two short films highlighting each recipient’s creative accomplishments and will be amplified through the online campaign #shinethelightbc.
BC Achievement is also honoured to present a combined exhibition featuring the 2025 recipients of both the Sam Carter Award in Applied Art + Design and the Polygon Award in First Nations Art. This free, public exhibition will be held at the Roundhouse from November 18 to November 25, 2025.
Interviews with BC Achievement Foundation representatives and award recipients are available upon request. A media kit, including awardee bios and high-resolution images, can be found here.
For more information about the BC Achievement Foundation or the Sam Carter Award in Applied Art + Design program, please visit www.bcachievement.com.
The BC Achievement Foundation extends its gratitude to community partners Denbigh Fine Art Services and The Roundhouse, whose support is instrumental in elevating excellence through the Sam Carter Award in Applied Art + Design program.
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About BC Achievement
BC Achievement is an independent foundation established in 2003 that celebrates the spirit of excellence in our province and serves to honour the best of British Columbia. In addition to the Applied Art + Design Award, the organization presents several established programs, including the Indigenous Business Award, the Polygon Award in First Nations Art, the Community Award and in partnership with the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the BC Reconciliation Award. By recognizing the accomplishments of our province’s entrepreneurs, artists, community leaders, youth and volunteers, BC Achievement’s award programs pay tribute to exceptional people, doing exceptional work, while carving a path forward for others to follow. www.bcachievement.com.
The 2025 recipients exemplify BC Achievement’s mission to celebrate excellence, share success, and inspire change. The foundation is honoured to share their stories, aligning with its ongoing commitment to recognize and elevate outstanding creative achievement.
Media Contacts
Gemma Bishop
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Gather Public Relations
T: 604-375-6953
E: gemma@gatherpublicrelations.com
Rup Grewal
Communications Director
BC Achievement Foundation
T: 604-261-9777 (Ext 102)
E: rup@bcachievement.com
2025 Applied Art + Design Awardee Backgrounders
Tyler James Goin, Vancouver
Tyler James Goin is an emerging voice in contemporary ceramics and metal-based craft, recognized for sculptural works that merge industrial precision with emotional depth. With nearly two decades of creative exploration across painting, music, and writing—and early mentorship from sculptor Tony Bloom—Tyler brings rare interdisciplinary fluency to his practice. His foundation as a Red Seal Millwright in Vancouver’s heavy industrial sector grounds his work in structure, material sensitivity, and a deep respect for process.
Tyler’s practice centres on large-scale ceramics and forged metalwork that evoke the strength and solitude of the mountainous landscapes he grew up in. His forms carry a quiet complexity—pieces that feel both monumental and intimate. With a growing presence in BC’s design and craft community, Tyler exemplifies the values of innovation, resilience, and material intelligence.
Russell Hackney, Bowen Island
Russell Hackney is a third-generation ceramic artist whose porcelain works reflect over four decades of skill, refinement, and dedication to the art of slip-casting and relief modelling. Trained in Stoke-on-Trent, England—long considered the heartland of fine ceramics—Russell apprenticed under his father in the family pottery before earning a degree in 3D Design. Since immigrating to British Columbia in 2002, he has become a vital contributor to the province’s design and clay communities through both service and artistry.
Working from his studio on Bowen Island, Russell draws inspiration from the natural world and cultural undercurrents, producing embossed porcelain forms that merge technical mastery with contemplative design. His dual role as maker and mentor has introduced many to the possibilities of slip-casting and mould-making, supporting artists across BC. In both functional ware and sculptural expression, Russell’s work carries forward a legacy of excellence in applied art.
Bettina Mueller Reichl, Vancouver
Bettina Mueller Reichl is the founder and creative force behind Cape de Coeur, a Vancouver-based outerwear label that represents a groundbreaking fusion of high performance and high fashion. Drawing on a lifelong passion for clothing design and a deep-rooted artistic sensibility, Bettina has developed a line of high-fashion rain capes that are both waterproof and windproof—crafted using a proprietary three-layer fabric developed in partnership with an innovative European mill. Her garments challenge conventional fashion narratives while responding directly to British Columbia’s climate and lifestyle.
Inspired by the Pacific Northwest’s natural elements and informed by the province’s legacy of technical innovation, Bettina creates pieces that reflect timelessness, individuality, and environmental consciousness. Her work contributes significantly to BC’s cultural economy by advancing innovation in fashion and showcasing the region’s creative potential on a global stage.
Mario Pao, Vancouver
Mario Pao is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and maker whose practice bridges architecture, traditional craft, and material innovation. Trained as both an architect and a woodworker, Mario leads Workbench Studio—an interdisciplinary design studio that produces conceptually rich, technically precise, and boldly original work.
From large-scale installations to finely detailed furniture and objects in wood, metal, and ceramics, Mario’s work reflects an intuitive understanding of materiality and form. His pieces are grounded in rigour and craft yet always reach beyond function—inviting deeper dialogue about space, identity, and the handmade. Beyond the materials and the creation of the physical objects themselves, he shows a deft hand at bringing people into his studio that can contribute their own knowledge and artistry to elevating the body of work beyond the output of a single person.
Mario’s art has a growing influence across BC’s creative landscape, exemplifying ambition, ingenuity, and cultural contribution.