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Blade Show Atlanta 2026 Custom Knife Awards

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2026-06-11 05:15:01

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Craftsmanship Crowned: Winners of the 2026 Custom Knife Awards at BLADE Show.

The 2026 Custom Knife Of The Year® Awards once again took center stage at BLADE Show, held June 5–7 at the Cobb Convention Center in Atlanta. As always, the event drew some of the finest custom makers in the world, and this year’s field was especially fierce. Keeping pace with the massive momentum of last summer, the number of custom entries remained roughly the same as last year, ensuring a brutally competitive arena for the makers.

BLADE SHOW 2026 Custom Knife Award Winners

A panel of expert judges had the unenviable task of selecting standouts across a range of categories, recognizing the blades that best embodied design, innovation and craftsmanship. From elegant folders to bold fighters, here are this year’s winners—including the coveted Hugh Bartrug Best in Show.

Best Of Show And Best Custom Art Knife

Jean-Louis Regel

Best Of Show And Best Custom Art Knife

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Best Custom Bowie

Matias Funes

Best Custom Bowie

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Best Custom Collaboration

Honore Vilain/Camille Sennegon

Best Custom Collaboration

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Best Custom Damascus Contender

Gabe Fletcher

Best Damascus Contender

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Best Custom Damascus

Julian Antunes

Best Custom Damascus

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Best Custom Fighter Contender

Jordan LaMothe

Best Custom Fighter Contender

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Best Custom Fighter

Matias Funes

Best Custom Fighter

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Best Custom Fixed Blade

Julian Antunes

Best Custom Fixed Blade

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Best Custom Folder

Moro Knives

Best Custom Folder

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Best Custom Handle Design

Don Nguyen

Best Custom Handle Design

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Best Custom Hunter

Camille Sennegon

Best Custom Hunter

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Best Custom Kitchen Knife

Will Stelter

Best Custom Kitchen Knife

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Best M.A.C.K.

Richard Rogers

Best M.A.C.K.

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Best Custom Miniature

Rhidian Knives

Best Custom Miniature

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Best New Maker

Brent Mathison

Best New Maker

JFRASIER PHOTOGRAPHY

Best Custom Single-Blade Slip Joint

Honore Vilain

Best Custom Single-Blade Slip Joint

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Best Custom Multi-Blade Slip Joint

David Kramp

Best Custom Multi-Blade Slip Joint

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Best Custom Sword

David Goldberg

Best Custom Sword

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Best Custom Tactical Folder

Sergey Shirogorov

Best Custom Tactical Folder

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Custom Best Of The Rest

Fabio Barros

Custom Best Of The Rest

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