Each year at The Exemplary, the Popular Choice Award is selected by visitors to the exhibition. Each visitor is eligible to cast one vote, and the piece receiving the most votes receives this award.

The 2026 Popular Choice Awardee is The Poppy stitched by Helen Gottschalk. Other awards given to this work are 1^st Place – Non-Professional Non-Original with Instruction, Judge’s Choice, and The Betsy Robb Award.

Here is Helen’s artist statement:

When I first saw this design by Alison Cole, I was impressed by the purity of colors – red, gold, and black. I was able to stitch this piece from stash, due to the restrained colors. The ground was satin, and the materials used included Kreinik kid, substitution of Eterna silk for a finer texture for the flower, with Japanese and English goldwork threads substitutions. To retain the minimalist look I chose a plain black wood frame. I picked a top black mat with black core, and a bottom red mat with reverse bevel. This eliminated the white cores that would otherwise show and impose a fourth color from the mats to the piece.