The Jurors

This year, we are very fortunate to have three incredible judges from different facets of our Hawai’i community.

Tom Klobe 

Tom is professor emeritus and founding director of the University of Hawai’i Art Gallery. During his 29 year tenure at UH he organized many international exhibitions and designed over 200 exhibits, five of which received the prestigious Print Casebook Award for Best in Exhibition Design in competition with major museums in the US and abroad.  Tom was named a Living Treasure of Hawai’i by the Honpa Hongwanji Mission in 2005 and was the recipient of the Robert W. Clopton Award for Distinguished Community Service in 2003.  In 1999 he was honored by the Republic of France as a Chevalier de l’Order des Arts et Lettres for his contributions to the arts in France and Hawai’i.

Steve Grimes

The focus of Steve Grimes’ woodworking career forty five years has been guitar making. He moved from Seattle to Hawaii in 1982 and has been building ukuleles and guitars for players from all over the world. He will be celebrating his 1000th instrument in February 2020. He has built instruments for some well known clients including George Benson (4 guitars), Larry Coryell (3), Leo Kottke, Keola Beamer (4),  Walter Becker(11), Steve Miller(12), Pat Simmons, Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne and is currently working on a guitar for Paul Simon.

Joshlyn D. Sand

Joshlyn is the Director of the Honolulu Botanical Gardens which includes five gardens encompassing 650-acres of diverse tree species from around the world.  She has been an ISA Certified Arborist since 1999, and considers working with trees, the arboriculture industry, and the local woodworking community the best part of her job.  She has a B.S. in Horticulture from the University of Illinois – Urbana and a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Hawai`i  at Mānoa.