Conestoga student Bennett Winer was crowned the winner of the Architectural Woodwork Manufacturers Association of Canada (AWMAC) Ontario chapter’s Apprenticeship Contest. Hosted on March 21 at the Woodworking Centre of Ontario at the college’s Kitchener - Doon campus, the all-day contest tested participants’ ability to plan, measure and assemble a cabinet in a short timeframe.
Conestoga student Bennett Winer was crowned the winner of the 2026 AWMAC Ontario chapter’s Apprenticeship Contest.
The competition is held annually at different colleges across the province. Open to students and recent graduates, contestants show off their woodworking skills and compete for cash prizes. First place received $1,000, while second and third place received $500 and $200, respectively.
This year’s competition featured seven contestants, including Conestoga and Humber Polytechnic students and Humber graduates.
The event started at 7 a.m. and continued until the evening. Students and graduates couldn’t receive external help and had to rely on their experience to stay on track. “There’s a lot of project management that goes into it,” said Winer, a second-year Woodworking Technician student.
Each competitor received drawings, specifications and instructions for the cabinet seven days before the competition. On the day of the event, participants were supplied with building materials, including solid wood and raw particleboard, all provided as rough cuts that needed to be cut to exact specifications. The particleboard pieces also had to be laminated. In total, the project involved 15 components that had to be cut and assembled in roughly ten hours.
“It gets chaotic quickly. There’s not a ton of space, and you need to keep track of all the parts,” explained Winer. “You have to be patient and understand what you’re building and how it’s supposed to look. It’s completely different seeing plans versus seeing the finished product.”
At the end of the day, industry professionals judged the cabinets, focusing on factors such as precision, size and cleanliness. Winer’s cabinet was ranked ahead of his competitors, with a graduate and a student from Humber Polytechnic placing second and third.
“The competition was super fun and a great opportunity to connect with industry experts and other students,” said Winer. The winning project will be sent to AWMAC’s National Convention, where it will be judged for a national award.
The Woodworking Centre of Ontario is among North America's leading training centres for woodworking. This institution, established in 1988, has produced countless industry leaders and talented craftspeople who have gone on to have fulfilling careers in the woodworking trade. Conestoga offers the Woodworking Technician and Cabinetmaker programs at the centre.