The rules were simple: you can only vote once, and you can't vote for yourself. As students in Steve Dunn's recent engraving class gathered around the finished practice plates, everyone was ready to choose a favorite.

To reward his students for a fun week full of challenges and hard work, professional knifemaker and hand engraver Steve Dunn created this nice little practice plate. Complete with gold inlay, the "Golden Graver Award" was a great way to end the week.

Students worked diligently to complete a practice plate for judging — Dunn required no specific design or layout — with a 5:45 PM deadline on Friday. They engraved everything from a portrait to scrolls to flowers and leaves. Some students worked right down to the wire before placing their plate on display.

One person remarked how amazing it was, that most of the people in the class had never engraved before; they had learned so much in such little time. It can be quite surprising for students when the end of the week comes. Each has a new skill to take home, and maybe even a little bit of love for the art of engraving.

Come back for the next feature to see some of the work done by the students in Steve Dunn's class, as well as the winning plate.