NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND IS NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. ENTRANTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROVIDING THEIR OWN MATERIALS, TOOLS, AND EQUIPMENT, BUT THIS DOES NOT AFFECT ELIGIBILITY OR CHANCES OF WINNING.
Family Handyman 75th Anniversary One-Sheet Plywood Challenge (#344) (the “Contest”) is sponsored by Home Service Publications, Inc. (“Sponsor”), the publisher of Family Handyman and a part of the Trusted Media Brands, Inc. family of brands.
1. Eligibility: This Contest is open to legal U.S. residents residing in one of the 50 United States or District of Columbia, who are at least 18 years of age or the age of majority in the jurisdiction of their residence at the time of entry, whichever is older (“Entrant”). Employees, officers and directors of Sponsor and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiary companies, judging agents and promotion partners, and their immediate families (parents, children, siblings, spouse) or members of the same household (whether related or not) of such employees/officers/directors are not eligible to participate. Contest is void where prohibited by law or otherwise regulated.
2. How To Enter: Beginning on March 16, 2026 at 12:00am Central Time through June 30, 2026 at 11:59pm Central Time (the “Contest Period”), visit https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/plywood-challenge/ and follow the on-screen entry instructions. All entries must include your full name, address, city, state, zip/postal code, telephone number and email address. Entries submitted in geographic areas in which the entry is not permissible will be disqualified. If entries do not contain all necessary information, entrant will be disqualified. Please be certain to follow all directions. There is no limit on the number of entries per Entrant. However, each entry must be original, featuring a different furniture piece. Sponsor is the official timekeeper for this Contest. In the event the Contest is entered via a mobile device, Message and Data charges may apply.
3. Entry Requirements: Entrants must construct a household furniture piece from a single 4’ x 8’ sheet of plywood (the “Project”), following all detailed requirements and guidelines provided below. The contest is skill-based, and winners will be selected based on craftsmanship, creativity, and effective use of materials.
Required Entry Materials:
- One or more photos of your completed Project
- At least one photo of you (the builder) with your finished Project
- A cut list showing the dimensions of each component
- A sketch or diagram illustrating how all parts nest within a standard 4×8 sheet of plywood
- Optional: Videos documenting the build process are encouraged but not required.
Project Specifications:
- Materials: Your furniture piece must be constructed from a single 4×8-foot sheet of plywood or MDF in 3/4-inch, 1/2-inch, or 1/4-inch thickness. You may only use one sheet of one thickness — combining materials from multiple sheets is not permitted. If your purchased sheet is slightly oversized from the factory (for example, 48-1/2″ × 96-1/2″), all components must still nest within a standard 48″ × 96″ footprint.
- Additional building materials are permitted, including glass, mirror, fabric, cushions, upholstery, concrete, cement, metal (pipe, tubing, channel, etc.), or electrical components such as LED strips.
- The following supplementary materials are allowed: magnets for closures, felt or leather pads for feet or drawer liners, and rope, cord, or webbing used as structural or functional elements (such as woven seats or hanging supports).
- Tools & Machining: Use whatever tools you have available to build and machine your design. CNC technology is welcome.
- Fasteners & Joinery: All fasteners are permitted, including screws, nails, machine screws, and bolts. Specialty furniture hardware, including hinges, drawer slides, shelf supports, and drawer pulls, is also permitted. Dowel, biscuit, and Domino joinery—along with their associated components—may be used. Adhesives, including wood glue, polyurethane glue, CA glue, contact cement, epoxies, and construction adhesive, are all permitted.
- Finishes: Finishing products such as paint, stain, sealers (polyurethane, shellac, etc.), wood filler, edge banding, and caulk are all permitted. Finishing your project is encouraged but not required.
- What to Build: We’re looking for household furniture—think chairs, tables, bookshelves, desks, benches, storage cabinets, and the like. Entries may be functional or purely artistic, though functionality will be considered during judging.
All entries must clearly demonstrate that the furniture piece meets contest guidelines.
Photos should be at least 5 MB in size with a maximum size of 25 MB, and 300 DPI. Videos should have a maximum size of 270 MB. Videos should be no longer than 3 minutes. All Entries must be created by a natural person without the benefit of computer scripts, automated processes or Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) generated or edited images; if there is any question to whether a given computer process qualifies as AI, Sponsor, at its sole and absolute discretion, will decide the Entry’s eligibility. The Entry must meet all specifications set forth by Sponsor in these Rules, including, without limitation, format, and any other specifications. The Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any Entry for any reason. The Sponsor is under no obligation to disclose why an Entry has been disqualified other than the Entry was ineligible under these Rules. Entrants also agree that the Sponsor shall have no obligation to post or utilize your Entry, that all such postings, if any, will be in the Sponsor’ sole discretion and that the posting or utilization of an Entry does not guarantee the Entry will be selected as a winner.
All entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be returned. Each entry must be the original work of entrant and must not infringe the copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or other rights of any person or entity. Entrant must obtain requisite permission from any person who appears in a submitted video or photo to the grant of rights to Sponsor as set forth in these Official Rules.
4. Grant of Rights: By submitting an entry for this Contest, you grant Sponsor, its parent company, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners and licensees all right, title and interest in the submitted entry, which includes the perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide, unlimited, irrevocable right and permission to use, promote, advertise, publish, broadcast, transmit, exhibit, perform and otherwise exploit (collectively, “use”) your video, photos, cut list, diagrams, sketches, and any other materials or information provided (collectively, the “submitted material”) in any and all markets and media, by any and all methods or means, whether now known or hereafter devised, for any purpose whatsoever as Sponsor, its licensees and/or assignees may determine in their sole discretion (the “Licensed Rights”), including without limitation for the purpose of marketing, advertising, and promotion, regardless of your eligibility for the Contest, and the right to use your name, likeness, voice, hometown (e.g., city and state) and biographical information about you in connection therewith. Sponsor reserves the right to edit, modify, add to, translate, reproduce and distribute the submitted material in any medium and in any manner as it deems appropriate, and you irrevocably waive any and all so-called moral rights you may have in the submitted material. This grant of rights is made without limitation upon time, circumstances, location, market, or medium of use, and includes without limitation all uses of the submitted material in all types of content, including but not limited to, the right to use the submitted material in connection with any other program(s), format(s), production(s), commercials, commercial tie-ins, product endorsements, licensing, product merchandising and/or merchandising of any kind, whether or not related to Sponsor, and also includes, without limitation, the right to use the submitted material to publicize, advertise and promote any and all programs, products or services of Sponsor, its affiliates, partners and licensees in any and all media. You also understand and agree that Sponsor may assign or sublicense the Licensed Rights and any and all rights associated therewith (in whole or in part) to any affiliate or any third party in its sole discretion and without providing any further consideration or notice to you. Sponsor may contact you via phone or email regarding your entry, and may request additional photos or videos to verify the entry.
5. Judging: All eligible entries received during the Contest Period will be reviewed and scored by a Sponsor-appointed panel of judges consisting of the Family Handyman editorial team and other judges as may be selected by the Family Handyman editorial team. All eligible entries will be judged based on the following criteria:
- 25% Originality: how original and inventive the submitted piece is across the design concept itself, the execution process, and the approach to plywood as a material.
- 25% Design & Execution: the strength of the design as seen through the submitted images/build video, including the cohesiveness of the overall form, the logic of how pieces were assembled, and how cleanly the final piece was brought together.
- 25% Craftsmanship: the quality and care of the physical construction, including the precision of cuts and joinery, the consistency of the finish, and the overall level of skill demonstrated in the making of the piece.
- 15% Image Quality: how clearly and effectively the submitted photos represent the finished piece, including adequate lighting, sharp focus, and images that capture the design, details, and craftsmanship from meaningful angles.
- 10% Use of Plywood: how thoughtfully the contestant utilized their single sheet. This includes the proportion of material used, how intentionally the plywood’s properties were showcased, and the complexity of techniques employed to work with the material.
The top three (3) scoring entries as determined by the judges will be deemed potential winners. In the event of a tie at any stage of the judging, the highest score in the Design & Execution criterion will break the tie.
6. Winners and Prizes: A total of 3 winners will be selected as follows:
- One (1) First-Place Winner:
- Cash award of USD $2,500
- The opportunity to visit the Family Handyman Workshop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to see their winning furniture design built and participate in a photo shoot of the project.
- The first-place winner will be eligible to receive reimbursement of up to One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars (USD $1,500) for reasonable travel-related and lodging expenses incurred in connection with a visit to the Family Handyman Workshop in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the winner only. The winner is solely responsible for arranging and booking their own travel and lodging. All travel dates, visit timing, and related logistics must be coordinated with and approved in advance by Sponsor and are subject to Sponsor’s availability, business needs, and scheduling constraints. Reimbursement is limited to actual, reasonable, and documented expenses for transportation and lodging directly related to the visit, up to a maximum of $1,500 total. The winner must submit valid itemized receipts and other documentation reasonably requested by Sponsor within the timeframe specified by Sponsor. Failure to provide required documentation may result in denial of reimbursement. No reimbursement will be provided for expenses exceeding $1,500. Any costs and expenses not expressly stated as reimbursable herein, including but not limited to meals, ground transportation, incidental expenses, travel insurance, taxes, fees, or personal expenses, are the sole responsibility of the winner. Travel must be completed within one year of the end of the Contest Period or the reimbursement portion of the Prize may be forfeited. Sponsor is not responsible for changes, cancellations, delays, or interruptions related to travel, weather, illness, acts of God, governmental action, or any other cause beyond Sponsor’s control. If the visit is cancelled, delayed, or becomes impracticable for any reason, Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify, reschedule, substitute, or eliminate the travel portion of the Prize. The Prize is non-transferable and no substitution or cash alternative will be provided except at Sponsor’s sole discretion.
- One (1) Second-Place Winner:
- Cash award of USD $1,500.
- One (1) Third-Place Winner:
- Cash award of USD $1,000.
All prizes are not transferable and cannot be substituted or assigned by the winner, unless prohibited by law. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a similar prize of equal or greater value in the event that the stated prize cannot be awarded for any reason. All taxes, if any, are the responsibility of each winner. Sponsor will not be responsible for any loss, liability or damage arising out of the acceptance or use of any prize(s). All prizes are guaranteed to be awarded, assuming a sufficient number of qualifying entries is received and meet the minimum judging criteria. The total approximate retail value of all prizes in this Contest is US $6,500. Prize Limit: One (1) Winner prize per household. Sponsor will not replace any lost or stolen Prize. No transfer (except to a surviving spouse), or substitution of prize except at Sponsor’s sole discretion. Except where prohibited by law, by accepting a prize, each winner consents to the use of his/her/their name, prize won, photograph, likeness, statements, city and state of residence for publicity or advertising purposes in all media worldwide, including but not limited to Sponsor and its affiliates websites and social platforms (“Websites”), without limitation and without further compensation or notice.
7. Notification Process: Winners will be determined by Sponsor, whose decisions are final in all respect, and notified on or about July 10, 2026 by regular mail and/or email. Any winner will be required to execute a Statement of Eligibility, Release and Payment Authorization within 10 days of prize notification attempt or be disqualified and prize may be awarded to an alternate winner. For prizes won valued at USD $600 or more, each winner will be required to provide the Sponsor with a valid Social Security number and complete any required tax forms as a condition of receiving the prize. The Sponsor will issue and file an IRS Form 1099-MISC in the winner’s name for the fair market value of the prize as required by law, and the winner is solely responsible for any applicable federal, state, and local taxes. Return of prize or prize notification as undeliverable will result in disqualification and an alternate may be selected. If a winner is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor will award the applicable prize to an alternate winner among all remaining eligible entries. Only three (3) alternate drawings will be held, after which the prize will remain un-awarded.
8. Assumption of Risk and Release of Liability: By participating in this Contest, each entrant acknowledges that constructing furniture involves inherent risks, including but not limited to the use of hand tools, power tools, sharp implements, heavy materials, wood, metal, fasteners, adhesives, finishes, and other equipment and materials that may cause bodily injury, respiratory irritation, illness, disability, death, property damage, or other loss or harm. Each entrant further acknowledges that all furniture construction activities are self-directed and performed independently by the entrant, subject only to general guidelines provided by the Sponsor, and that the Sponsor does not supervise, direct, or control the manner or method of construction. Each entrant also acknowledges that he or she is solely responsible for supplying and maintaining his or her own tools, equipment, and materials used in connection with the Contest. Each entrant voluntarily assumes all risks, whether known or unknown, associated with participation in the Contest, including risks arising from the selection, condition, and use of personally supplied tools and materials, and accepts full responsibility for such participation and construction activities. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, each entrant agrees to release and hold harmless the Sponsor, its parent company, subsidiaries, affiliates, judges, and agents, and their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives, successors, and assigns from any and all liability, claims, demands, losses, damages, or causes of action arising out of or related to participating in the Contest, including, without limitation, claims based on alleged negligence. Each entrant certifies that they are physically and mentally capable of participating safely and agrees to follow all proper safety procedures and applicable laws at all times.
9. Conditions: By entering, participants agree to be bound by these complete Official Rules and Sponsor’s Privacy Policy, accessible at www.tmbi.com/privacy-policy. Sponsor is not liable for any malfunctions or failures of any telephone network or lines, computer internet system, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any email on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the internet or at any website, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant’s or any other person’s computer, mobile or any other device and/or its contents related to or resulting from participation or downloading/uploading any materials relating to this Contest, or other technical difficulties or failures or other errors of any kind. Sponsor reserves the right to terminate or modify the Contest at any time for any reason. In such a circumstance, all winners will be selected based on entries received to date of termination. Sponsor also reserves the right to modify this Contest in the event an insufficient number of entries are received and/or an insufficient number of entries meet the minimum judging criteria. In the event that two similar entries are received, only the entry judged to best meet criteria as set by Sponsor will be included in the final judging. Entrants agree to indemnify Sponsor, its affiliated and subsidiary companies from and against any and all claims and liabilities arising out of or in connection with this Contest. In the event of any dispute regarding the identity of an entrant who submitted an online entry, the authorized account holder of the email address used for the entry at the time of entry will be deemed the entrant. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an internet access provider, online service provider, or other organization (e.g. business, educational institute) that is responsible for assigning email address for the domain associated with the submitted email address. Any potential winner may be requested to provide Sponsor with proof that such winner is the authorized account holder of the email address associated with the winning entry. Sponsor, in its sole discretion, reserves the right to disqualify any person tampering with the operation of the website or the entry process.
10. No Recourse to Judicial or Other Procedures/Severability: To the extent permitted by law, the rights to litigate, to seek injunctive relief or to make any other recourse to judicial or any other procedure in case of disputes or claims resulting from or in connection with this Contest are hereby excluded, and any entrant expressly waives any and all such rights. In the event that a court of competent jurisdiction finds the foregoing waiver unenforceable, entrants hereby consent to the jurisdiction and venue residing exclusively within the federal or state courts sitting in New York County in the State of New York and agree that any and all disputes, claims, and causes of action arising out of or connected with this Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action. Entrants agree that these Official Rules are governed by the laws of the State of New York, without reference to principles of conflicts of law. If any provision(s) of these Official Rules are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions hereof will remain in full force and effect.
11. Winners’ List/Consumer Information: If you do not want to receive future sweepstakes or skill contest postal mailings from Sponsor, specify your request and write to: Family Handyman 75th Anniversary One-Sheet Plywood Furniture Contest (#344) Mailing List, P.O. Box 5089, Tipton, Iowa 52772-0529. To receive a list of winners, write to Family Handyman 75th Anniversary One-Sheet Plywood Furniture Contest (#344) Winner List, P.O. Box 5089, Tipton, Iowa 52772-0529. Winners’ list request must be received within one year of the end of the Contest Period.
12. Sponsor: Home Service Publications, Inc., 485 Lexington Ave., 7th Floor, New York, NY 10017
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Family Handyman 75th Anniversary One-Sheet Plywood Challenge (#344) Official Rules
