The 2025 Australian Quilt Show Challenge is a national competition for Australian quilters, running for the fourth year.

It’s Australia’s biggest quilt competition cash prize pool!

Enter this competition and your quilt could be selected for display, first at the Australasian Quilt Convention (AQC) then at Craft & Quilt Fairs in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. As well as being an amazing exhibition opportunity, you could win prizes, cash or one of three Janome machines; the total prize pool is worth $37,297 including:

  • $10,000 Cash – Best In Show
  • $8,900 Category Prizes
  • $17,997 worth of Janome sewing machine products

You are eligible to enter if:

  • You live in Australia
  • Your quilt has been completed between December 2023 and the deadline of February 20, 2025
  • Your quilt is available for exhibition at AQC, then Craft & Quilt Fairs in 2025.

IMPORTANT DATES 

  • February 20, 2025 – Closing date for online entry
  • February 28, 2025 – Finalists advised and notification of juried entrants to send actual quilt entries for final judging
  • March 13, 2025 – Deadline for receiving quilts juried in for judging
  • April 2025 – Non-finalists’ entries will be returned
  • April 12, 2025 – Announcement of all prize winners except Viewers’ Choice
  • May 2025 – Payment of cash prizes and arrangement for delivery of sewing machines to the relevant prize winners
  • June 25 to 28, 2025 – Display at Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair
  • September 3 to 6, 2025 – Display at Melbourne Craft & Quilt Fair
  • October 15 to 18, 2025 – Display at Brisbane Craft & Quilt Fair
  • June 29, 2025 – Announcement of the Viewers’ Choice Special Award from the Australian Quilt Show display at Sydney Craft & Quilt Fair, then Melbourne and Brisbane will be announced the day after the last day at those events.
  • December 2025 – Quilts returned to owners.

The Rules

The 2025 Challenge is a judged quilt competition

RULES, TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

Judging will be based on:

  1. Excellence in design
  2. Craftsmanship
  3. Interpretation of theme where applicable

BEST OF SHOW AUSTRALIAN QUILT SHOW GRAND PRIZE: $10,000

OTHER CASH PRIZES VALUED AT $8,900 PLUS THREE JANOME MACHINE PRIZES EACH VALUED AT $5,999 RRP

Winners awarded a Janome machine prize have the choice of one of four machines:

  • Janome Memory Craft 500E LE – embroidery only model – with RRP $5,999
  • Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9410QC – quilting model, with 280mm/11” workspace – with RRP $5,999
  • Janome Skyline S7 AE – Premium sewing machine, sewing speed up to 1,060sqm – with RRP $5,999
  • Janome MC9850 – Sewing and Embroidery machine, workspace 170mm x 200mm/ – with RRP $5,999

COMPETITION RULES

  • Entry is open to Australian residents only.

There are seven categories* to enter:

    1. Modern Quilt
    2. Traditional Quilt
    3. Art or Pictorial Quilt
    4. Pieced and/or Appliqued Quilt
    5. Recycled And Restyled
    6. Emerging Talent – for entrants aged 21 years and under on December 31, 2024
    7. Embroidered by hand or machine

With eight Special Awards for:

    1. Best Use of Colour
    2. Best Themed Pictorial Quilt
    3. Best Abstract Quilt
    4. Best Hand Work
    5. Best Machine quilting – medium or longarm machine
    6. Best Machine quilting – domestic machine
    7. Judges’ Choice
    8. Viewers’ Choice

PLUS BEST OF SHOW GRAND PRIZE: $10,000 CASH, and for the Runner Up to Best of Show a choice of one Janome machine valued at $5,999 and $400 cash

  • The entry must have been completed between December 2023 and the deadline for online entry of February 20, 2025.
  • If the entrant has drawn inspiration from another artwork such as a photograph, that source must be acknowledged in the entry form. If the entrant has drawn inspiration from copyright artwork, existing pattern or a class or similar source, it is the entrant’s responsibility to secure permission from the copyright holder to use the artwork as inspiration in their entry. Expertise Events Pty Ltd has no responsibility or liability if an entrant contravenes copyright; this liability and responsibility will be entirely held by the entrant.
  • An entrant may apply any techniques including piecing, appliqué, embroidery, surface decoration, whole cloth and/or manipulated fabric, etc. Any materials may be used, but the final result in all categories must be flexible in nature and consist of three layers of fabric held together with stitching.
  • It is the responsibility of the entrant to enter their work in the correct category.
  • Each entry with the exception of 5. Recycled And Restyled and 7. Embroidered must have a hanging sleeve attached to the top back edge of the quilt – please ensure your sleeve is at least 2cm from the top of the quilt so it is not visible from the front and 10cm deep when finished. If the Recycled And Restyled or Embroidered entry is a quilt then it must have a hanging sleeve. Excellent instructions for creating a hanging sleeve can be found on numerous websites, such as Susan Brukbaker Knapp’s website here
  • A label with the entrant’s name, address, telephone number and email must be securely sewn to the back of the quilt or inside of work if it is a garment. The label is to be covered with a fabric flap stitched around three sides for anonymity in judging.
  • Cost to enter is $35 per item. Each entrant may submit up to three pieces of work. Entry fee is not refundable.
  • All entries must be submitted via online entry form on the craft events website www.craftevents.com.au no later than February 20, 2025.

*Quilt Categories in detail

  1. Modern Quilt – solid colours, an asymmetrical layout and effective use of negative space are some of the elements which may be present in Modern Quilts
  2. Traditional Quilt – traditional style or pattern, including pieced or wholecloth quilts.
  3. Art or Pictorial Quilt – the quilt’s design has artistic, abstract or pictorial elements, with techniques such printed images, paint, mixed media, piecing and/or applique worked by hand or machine.
  4. Pieced and/or Appliqued Quilt – quilts which feature piecing and applique techniques or applique only. Applique defined as pieces of fabric sewn to the background fabric by hand or machine.
  5. Recycled And Restyled – transform used fabrics, old clothing or quilt blocks and recycle them into a quilt or wearable item made predominantly from recycled fabrics.
  6. Emerging Talent – for entrants aged 21 years and under on December 31, 2024 – can be a single or multiple-maker quilt as long as all involved meet the age criteria.
  7. Embroidered by hand or machine – Quilt or garment of any style that strongly features hand or machine embroidery and/or threadwork.

Jurying of entries

A panel of three judges will jury the entries from the online entry form and images. The selected entries will then be contacted and asked to send their entry in for judging.

Judging

All juried quilts will be called, then a panel of three judges will then select up to 150 finalists upon seeing the actual works. The organisers reserve the right to decide which works will be included in the exhibition. The judges’ decision is final. The organisers reserve the right to refuse any work that does not match the images submitted to the judges. Any work which requires special hanging conditions, or includes delicate or fragile embellishments, sharp or dangerous objects or which cannot be easily folded will not be selected. Size of quilt entry – maximum width 300cm (118in) and maximum height 350cm (137in).

Digital Images

Each entrant must send two high res (please ensure file size is between 2MB and 4MB each) jpgs for each work entered. One must be a full view of the item and the other must be a clear and close-up view showing the details of the quilt. All images must be submitted electronically via the online entry form.

There must not be any modifications including any colour correction. Entrants must identify each individual digital image with his/her surname, first name and quilt title in that order.
Digital images submitted will be used for the initial jury selection and publicity and promotion and all other purposes as Expertise Events Pty Ltd see fit in their absolute discretion. The finalists’ entries may also be photographed for publicity and promotional purposes.

Copyright & Moral Rights

The entrant retains copyright in the quilt and the photographs which the entrant submits with their entry save and except that the entrant grants Expertise Events Pty Ltd the right to reproduce the digital photographs submitted for the purposes of the internal judging process and/or publicity and promotion.

By entering the Australian Quilt Show competition an entrant gives permission to Expertise Events Pty Ltd (Expertise Events) to photograph their work and agrees and acknowledges that all copyright in the photographs that Expertise Events take of an entrant’s quilt or work both current and future in time is that of Expertise Events. The entrant further grants to Expertise Events a licence to produce, reproduce and publish in whole or part throughout the world an entrant’s statement as is submitted on the entry form which may be used in articles, ads, promotions, catalogues, books, websites, CDs, current event news coverage, television productions, and/or multimedia productions for and about Expertise Events craft events, special exhibit ‘Australian Quilt Show’ and other events organised by Expertise Events or for and about craft and creativity in perpetuity from time to time.

Liability

While Expertise Events takes all care and reasonable steps to safeguard quilts during transport to and from exhibitions, while on display at exhibitions, while in storage and in the return of quilts, however Expertise Events is not liable for any damage that may occur during these times. By entering the competition, you agree not to hold Expertise Events, or its staff or agents liable in any way. We encourage all entrants to take out insurance for an appropriate value that covers the entire period from sending their work in until its return.

Insurance

Any insurance cover required is the responsibility of the entrant for delivery to Expertise Events or whilst in transit, throughout the competition and return delivery back to the entrant at the end of the competition. Quilts will not be covered under any insurance policy of Expertise Events. Should the quilt owner require insurance against theft, damage or other misadventure, this is solely the responsibility of the entrant, and the entrant should effect such insurances as they require.

Entry Deadline

All completed entry forms and digital images must be submitted no later than February 20, 2025.

Length of exhibit

The participating quilts must be available from March 2025 to end December 2025 and will remain in the possession of Expertise Events for this period. Quilts will be returned to entrants in December 2025.

Changes to the show

If circumstances arise which make it necessary or desirable in the reasonable view of the Australian Quilt Show Organiser to change the dates for judging the competition, including into a new year, announcement of the winners and/or the place/s of the venue/s for the display to other venues, there shall be no consequent liability to the Organiser and the Organiser shall have no liability for any amounts expended or expenses incurred by the Entrant and the Entrant shall have no claim against the Organiser for damages of whatever kind or nature, whether they be a direct or indirect result of the change.

If for any reason the Australian Quilt Show does not proceed, the entry fee is not refundable.

Above information is subject to updates, and prize information may change.

Venues for the exhibition include

The Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne, April 10 to 13, 2025, selected Craft & Quilt Fairs around Australia. Any other venues shall be notified at a later date by Expertise Events. Dates and venues may change and details will be advised on the website www.craftevents.com.au.

Who can enter

Only Australian residents can enter. An entrant’s quilt may be the work of more than one person as long as all parties who contribute to it are nominated on the entry form as being the entrant.
If more than one person contributes to an entry in Category 6 Emerging Talent, they must all meet the age limit requirements.
There is a limit of three entries per person or group. Full-time employees of Expertise Events or its subsidiaries are not eligible to enter.

It will be up to the entrant to make an enquiry with Expertise Events on
02 9452 7575 or craft@expertiseevents.com.au to ensure receipt of delivery.

SENDING QUILTS FOR FINALIST SELECTION, JUDGING & PHOTOGRAPHY

Deadline for receiving entries: Juried entrants will be asked to send their quilt for finalist selection. The selected works must be sent by the entrant, at his or her own expense, to arrive no later than: March 13, 2025 at the offices of Expertise Events, PO Box 236, Frenchs Forest NSW 1640 Australia. If sent by courier, use the physical street address: Expertise Events, Unit 4/1 Skyline Place, Frenchs Forest NSW 2086 Australia. Non-finalists entries will be returned.

Packing and transport of entries: Competition entries must be able to be folded and packed flat for transport. The promoters of this competition will not accept any entry which requires special handling, special packing or specific transportation. All quilts will be packed in cases for transport for the duration of the tour.

Shipping information: Complete shipping information will be sent when an entry is juried into the finalist selection group.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ACTUAL QUILTS UNLESS NOTIFIED. INITIAL JURIED SELECTION OF ENTRIES WILL BE SENT IN FOR FINALIST SELECTION.