The annual show is the biggest event for OSBS. At least a year and a half of planning and hard work by all the local clubs and OSBS members culminates in four days of competition, food, shopping, learning, and FUN! The show is open to the public the last two days.

See below for highlights from the most recent Show.

Want more? Take a look at the Awards page for photos of winning competition trays from previous years.

Love what you see and want to join OSBS?

2026 OSBS Annual Show and Sale

The 2026 annual show has wrapped up. We took over the showroom at the Best Western Hotel in Keizer, OR, for four days and had a ton of visitors and even more fun. It was great to meet new people and and see some who have stopped by in previous years. And, as always, it is so much fun to spend the week with our OSBS friends.

The first two days are the member-only days. We set up the showroom, conducted our business meetings, judged all trays entered into competition, and participated in member-only button sales and social events.

The last two days (Friday and Saturday), the showroom was open to the public. All competition trays were on display, and show guests were able to vote on the Creative Entries and our new Quilt Challenge entries. During these days, we had several educational programs where OSBS members and show guests could learn about important and fun button-related topics. And the button sales . . . our amazing dealers had buttons galore set out for purchase.

The Invitation

It all begins with an idea . . .

Each year, one of Oregon’s local button clubs comes up with a theme for the following year’s show. That club takes the idea for a theme and turns it into graphics, favor buttons, decorations, an educational program topic, and invitations. Then members of the local clubs and OSBS come together to turn this idea into the annual show.

In 2025, the Corvallis Button Club invited OSBS members to the 2026 Show, “Beach Button Bonanza.”

2026 Competition

The big event at the show is the competition, and this occurs during one of the member-only days. OSBS members select an award of interest and create a tray containing buttons that meet the requirements of the award. That tray is then entered into competition. Some members will enter one category, some will enter many. Some members never enter competition, and that is ok too.

Early in the year before a show, we begin the process of submitting and refining awards for the competition. A member or a local club will come up with a topic for an award. This topic can be centered on materials, embellishments, pictorials, or any of the categories defined by the National Button Society’s Blue Book. A committee then turns these submissions into Final Awards and then Judging Criteria that are used on judging day at the show to judge the trays and award ribbons and prizes.

After competition, all trays that were entered in competition were affixed to display racks and remained on display until the very end of the show. When you come to an OSBS show, be sure to wander through the racks and spend some time looking at all the buttons and how they are categorized and labelled. If you are there at the right time, an OSBS member will lead a tour through the racks to talk about competition and the trays and to answer any questions. If you miss the tour and have questions, any OSBS member will be happy to help you.

If you want to see the award winning trays from past shows, take a look at our Blue Ribbon Awards page. You will be able to see the Final Awards list there as well to get an idea of how trays are categorized and judged. Maybe you will see an award you would like to enter! We bet you will see something you would like to collect or learn more about.

The blue ribbon trays in the 2026 competition are below. Click on a tray to see it in more detail.

2026 Creative Entry

A fun competition offered each year is the Creative Entry. The only (almost) rules are the size and orientation of the card, and each entry must contain at least one button. It is always amazing to see how creative and talented our members are. These trays are voted on by OSBS members and show guests on Friday, and the winners are announced during the member Saturday breakfast. The top three entries for 2026 are:

Are the junior members involved in the competition? Indeed they are! Take a look at the amazing blue ribbon Creative Entry in the junior category.

2026 Quilt Challenge

This year, we hosted our first Quilt Challenge. This competition was open to OSBS members and show guests. The entries were displayed during the show and were voted on by OSBS members and show guests. Because this competition was “Best Use of Buttons on a Small Panel or Quilt Block,” each entry must have at least one button attached. We had 15 entries and choosing a winner was a difficult task.

This competition was a fun way to see how quilting and other fabric arts intersect with button collecting. It was wonderful to see so many from the quilting community participate in the competition and support our show.

The top three entries in the quilt challenge for 2026 were:

Shopping

The biggest event on Friday and Saturday is shopping. OSBS members from around the world come to the show with amazing buttons to look at and purchase. We have some wonderful dealers at each show, and every one is happy to chat about buttons and answer any questions. Some dealers are also renowned artists who make buttons or related items.

Education

Lunch and Learn

We have educational programs throughout the show. On Friday and Saturday, there are two or three educational programs each day on various topics. In 2026, we were fortunate to learn the following topics:

• Hints for Newer Collectors. A member gave a wonderful presentation filled with tips and procedures on collecting, preserving, and presenting a collection.
• From Seashells to Shell Buttons. Another member gave a visually stunning presentation on seashells that are used to make buttons. This member has an amazing collection of beautiful shells (and shell buttons) and taught us so much about them.
• Water Myths and Monsters. During a member-only event, a member gave a fun presentation on Water Myths and Monsters, carrying on the theme of Beach Button Bonanza.
• Identifying Various Patterns on Buttons and Quilts. A member gave a wonderful talk that showcased the bridge between buttons and quilts.
• Competition Trays–Getting Started. A member showed walked us through planning a competition tray. There are so many things to think about when entering competition.

The knowledge our members possess is quite impressive, and these members did a fantastic job on their presentations. When you come to our next show, be sure to check out the schedule and come learn with us.

Educational Tray

One of the categories available to competitors is the Educational Tray entry. Competitors may enter up to three trays per entry, and the entry’s goal is to teach something related to buttons. This year, the winning entry taught us about the mineral Galena and its use in the button world.

Pearly Display

This year we brought out the Pearly display. This educational display was located in the showroom and includes articles and pearly costumes that represent the traditional costumes worn by pearly kings and queens in London as far back as the late 19th century. A pearly costume gets its name from the many mother of pearl shell buttons sewn on the outfit. In modern times, pearly costumes are worn during events to raise money for charity. The costumes are true works of art.

Food

Two of our member events are the Friday night dinner and the Saturday morning breakfast. There was also lunch for sale on Friday and Saturday for members and show guests. The food this year was fantastic!

Decorations

The Corvallis Button Club decorated the dining room for both the Friday dinner and Saturday breakfast. The table decorations were lovely and included a hidden activity for members during breakfast.

Favor Buttons

During the Saturday breakfast, the Corvallis Button Club presented each member with a 2026 favor button to commemorate the show. These favor buttons are created by the host club each year and are a collector’s item.

Here are three of the favor buttons. This year, the buttons were individually handmade (Wow! What a lot of work!), and all of the favor buttons were just a little different. If you look closely, you will see they all have many of the same components, but they are each unique.

On the final day of the show, we usually have a few extras for sale. Come by the registration table and get yours!

2027 Annual Show and Sale

Have we started preparing for 2027 already? Indeed we have.

The grand finale at the member breakfast on the final day was the introduction of the theme for next year. The Eugene Button Club passed out invitations for “On the Road to Buttons.”

We hope to see you at the 2027 Annual Show and Sale.

Join OSBS

We hope you had a chance to come out to see us this year, and we hope to see you next year. All OSBS members worked really hard throughout the year, and they are all blue ribbon winners for what they do.

If you came to the show and had fun, or if you enjoyed looking at the winning trays and all the beautiful artwork, consider becoming a member. As an OSBS member, you can enjoy all four days of the show and you can enter competition. In addition, you will have access to the Member section of the website and will receive three color bulletins each year.

See the About Oregon State Button Society page for more information about membership and application.

To join OSBS, complete the form on the Join OSBS page and submit the application and payment per instructions.

You can also join one (or more) of our local clubs here in Oregon. These clubs are spread throughout western Oregon and meet regularly. See the Local Clubs and More page for information on each club and how to contact the clubs for additional information.