International panels of experts gathered across four regions in Asia to judge over 580 entries for the 2008 UNESCO Award of Excellence.

On October 14th, in Bangkok, The UNESCO Award of Excellence was presented to a handful of artisans and craft companies from the South-East Asia region. The Natural Light Company in Bali, had the distinction of being the only candle manufacturer in Asia to receive this prestigious award for their product.

The range of handicrafts being considered was highly diverse with submissions being taken from 11 countries.

An international panel of experts in design, marketing and handicraft production, judged the submissions through four key criteria, including; excellence, authenticity, innovation, and marketability as well as other criteria such as design, eco-friendliness, and the social responsibility of the producer.