Conditions of Entry for Quilt Showcase 2025
All entries will be via the website.
NO paper entries will be accepted.
1. Eligibility to Exhibit
Quilts entered must be completed within the previous 2 years of Quilt Showcase 2025 ie:1st June 2023 to 1st June 2025
ONLY quilt makers who are individual members of Victorian Quilters Inc (VQI) are eligible to exhibit & have their quilts judged. Membership of VQI MUST be current.
Please Note: The quilt MUST NOT have won a prize in a State or Territory judged Quilt Exhibition. The quilt may be entered & displayed but will not be judged. If the quilt won an Award(s) the ribbon(s) may be displayed on the quilt.
Any person who is a member of a VQI Member Group, but not an individual member of VQI may be sponsored by the Member Group to exhibit.
This individual MUST:
- Not have been a previous member of VQI:
- Be an Amateur: &
- Not have been previously sponsored by this or another Member Group Condition 16
School Students, up to & including year 12, may exhibit in the Student Section of Quilt Showcase. Condition 17
Any quilts entered in a “Two Person” category, both parties must be current individual members of VQI. Condition 8
The Sub-Committee reserves the right to reject any entry, including those that fail to follow the Conditions of Entry.
An email accepting the entry will be sent three or four weeks prior to Quilt Showcase. Acceptance of an entry does not automatically guarantee display.
2. Number of Entries & Entry Fee
A maximum of three entries may be submitted by an individual member or member group, with ONE ENTRY PER CATEGORY. Any subsequent entry will be accepted for display only in Category (0).
Please ensure you nominate your entries into the correct category.
A non-refundable entry fee of $10 per quilt is required when submitting your entry.
Available space may dictate the number of quilts that can be exhibited. Please indicate your hanging preference order for exhibiting.
Challenge 2025 entry – an individual member may enter a Challenge Quilt as their only entry OR in addition to the up to 3 entries allowed. It will not be counted in the 3 entries allowed. There is a non-refundable entry fee of $10 required when submitting a Challenge entry.
3. Quilt Definitions & Sizes
The quilt must be comprised of three layers & be visibly quilted through all layers. QUILTS MUST BE A SINGLE UNIT & NOT FRAMED WITH WOOD, METAL OR PLASTIC ETC. However, Triptych style or similar is allowable, as long as they are securely connected by the hanging sleeve.
Maximum size of any quilt is 280cm on any side. SIZE LIMITS APPLY TO EACH CATEGORY – check these carefully.
Quilts submitted that do not comply with the category size limits will be moved to another category or rejected for judging. Incorrectly measured quilts may not be judged.
4. Submission of Entry
A separate entry must be completed & submitted for each quilt entered in the exhibition.
Member: Login with your user name or member ID. Complete the entry form, check that the details are correct & pay the entry fee.
Non-Member being sponsored by a Member Group. Register your details & then complete the entry form. You will need to include the name of the Member Group sponsoring you. Complete the entry form, check that the details are correct & pay the entry fee. As a sponsored entrant you can only enter one quilt.
School Student: Register your details & then complete the entry form. Check that the detail are correct & submit the entry. No payment required.
NOTE: You may partially complete & save your entry process if required.
As part of the entry process an image of the completed quilt is required. Your entry process photograph will be used for any visual display in all presentations & magazine reporting. Challenge entries are required to include a photograph of the textiles (fabrics) used in making the quilt. Maximum upload file size is 2MB. Advice on how to improve your quilt photographs can be found by searching for “photographing quilts” on the internet.
5. Categories (please choose carefully)
Only quilts that comply with category criteria will be exhibited. Please click here to see the list of categories. The Convenor reserves the right to move to another category, a quilt for which it deems the category chosen to be inappropriate.
All non-judged quilts MUST be marked as category (0) irrespective of technique or size.
6. Judging
Quilt Showcase is a judged exhibition; however, exhibitors have the right to not have their quilts judged. This must be indicated when submitting your entry.
If your quilt was quilted by someone else, it may be eligible for the Long Arm Machine Quilting Award. This ward will go to the quilter. You must indicate on the Entry Form if you agree to your quilt being included in the judging for this special award.
The Committee reserves the right to withdraw a quilt from judging & exhibiting if they deem it necessary.
THE JUDGE’S DECISIONS ARE FINAL & NO CORRESPONDENCE WILL BE ENTERED INTO.
Committee members will not discuss the Judge’s decisions.
7. Status
VQI regard quilters as having either Amateur or Professional status.
A Professional Quilter is defined as someone who satisfies one or more of the following conditions:
- Has won Best of Show or 2 or more Blue Ribbons/Excellence Awards in a major judged competition, excluding Viewer’s Choice, OR
- Has financial involvement, teaches or publishes in any medium related to patchwork quilting, OR
- Sells, designs or participates in any aspect of making quilts for financial gain. Financial Gain is any amount above the cost of creating the quilt or article of patchwork, including design & fabrics, making teaching aids including samples, notes, teaching fees & travel expenses.
A major judged exhibition is a:
- ‘State or Territory guild &/or association’ judged exhibition &/or competition;
- A national or international judged exhibition or competition.
Verification of awards may be required.
Having exhibited as a professional in any major judged exhibition, amateur status cannot be resumed.
Any person entering a winning quilt as an Amateur & who is found to be of Professional Status will forfeit the Award & Prize, even after the event.
8. Collaborative Quilts / Two Person Quilts / Group Quilts
A Collaborative Quilt is where two quilters have equally been involved in the making of the quilt & NO payments for work has been made. Both persons must be individual members of VQI.
A Two Person quilt is where the quilter has received payment for service from the quilt maker (entrant): both persons must be individual members of VQI.
A Group quilt is where three or more quilters have been involved in the making of the quilt. For quilts entered in the “Group Quilts” category, the majority of the quilt is to have been made either by an individual member of VQI for members of a VQI Member’s group. (Round Robin project). For a ‘Round Robin’ activity the quilt must be entered by the VQI member. All participants in the group entry MUST be listed on the entry form.
9. Prizes
Prizes are awarded for the quilt judged Best in each Category. At the discretion of the judging panel, prizes may also be awarded to the Runner Up in each Category.
Highly Commended awards may also be presented, dependent on number of entries & sponsors available.
Other individual prizes are also awarded at the discretion of the judging panel & the sub-committee. Eg: Best of Show, Best Amateur Hand Quilting – The Narelle Grieve Award, (from 2018 this award can only be won once) Best Professional Hand Quilting, Best Contemporary Quilt, Best Use of Colour, etc.
The prize is awarded to the person who enters the quilt into the exhibition, except for the Long Arm Machine Quilting award. It is expected that the person who enters the quilt has had the most input in the making of the quilt.
Prizes are awarded at the discretion of the judging panel & may be varied or not awarded as they see fit.
Judges reserve the right to not award a prize if the standard is deemed not high enough.
It is the responsibility of the prize winner to arrange (or pay for delivery) of prizes (products) from the Exhibition Centre during the exhibition. This will need to be arranged with the Sponsorship Co-ordinator.
The Volunteer Quilt Collector is not required to deliver your prize with the return of your quilt, unless it is in the form of a Gift Voucher.
All prize money will be paid via direct deposit to the entrant’s bank account.
10. Presentation of Quilts for Exhibition
Please be aware we are a family exhibition & no full frontal or crude language will be accepted.
Quilts must be clean & devoid of animal hair, dust & must not include any material that may transfer & contaminate another quilt. (eg: glitter)
Quilts MUST be provided with a hanging sleeve (with a depth of at least 10cm) on the back to facilitate hanging. The collector will check that a sleeve is visible but IS NOT expected to add one if the entrant has forgotten to do so. Quilts entered in Art, Pictorial & Miniature categories are allowed the Velcro method hanging.
Click here for a link to attaching a hanging sleeve &/or Velcro method.
A label stating the name of the quilt, the name & address of the exhibitor MUST be securely sewn to the back of the quilt (in the LEFT HAND CORNER when looking at the back) & the same information must be clearly marked on the bag in which the quilt is presented, including postal deliveries.
Each quilt is to be supplied with its own LABELLED QUILT BAG. (click here for a pattern to make a quilt bag. Suggest: one or two pass curtain lining block out fabric is ideal for moisture prevention.
Quilts will not be accepted in boxes (except postal deliveries), plastic bags or tubing.
11. Delivery prior to & the collection after the exhibition
Delivery & return instructions will be advised on acceptance of entry process. DEADLINE FOR DELIVERIES MUST BE ADHERED TO. Failure to do so will result in the entry not being judged by may be accepted for display only.
Quilts will not be available for collection at the closure of the exhibition from the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.
If quilts are delivered & are to be returned by post, the quilters is responsible for all postage costs.
Unless prior arrangements have been made, your quilt must be collected from your nominated collection person no later than 1st October, 2025.
12. Insurance & Appraisal
All quilters are advised that they should consider insuring their quilts under their household contents policy. VQI Appraisal assessment team is available to assist in this documentation. All care will be taken to ensure that quilts receive the proper management while in the collector’s care & the exhibition space.
Click here for further information regarding Appraisal.
13. Copyright
Copyright is taken very seriously by VQI.
All entrants MUST list the pattern designer & the name of the quilter in their entry process where requested on the form. It is the responsibility of the entrant to acknowledge the source of inspiration, the designer or teacher, for any quilt that is not their own design, changing colour, moving blocks, adding or deleting a few flowers/leaves, does not constitute an original design, or is not based on blocks that are regarded as in the public domain. It is the responsibility of entrants to obtain permission & to pay any fees regarding the use of copyrighted material. Such permission must be included with the Entry Form where applicable.
Logos, military emblems & indigenous design elements are subject to varying degrees of Copyright. All entrants are encourage to read additional Copyright information found here.
By signing the Entry Form declaration entrants are giving written permission for VQI to publicly display & publish their quilt in printed or digital form.
14. Kit Quilts & Block of the Month Quilts
Quilts that have been made from kits where all the fabric has been provided with the pattern may be exhibited but will not be judged.
Quilts made through a “Block of the Month” program may only be judged when all the fabric choices have been made by the quilt maker. In both of these instances the designer & source of purchase MUST be indicated on the Entry.
15. Entries through a Member Group
Quilters who are not individual members of VQI but who are financial members of a member group, & wish to exhibit through that group shall be able to do so for one year’s exhibition only.
Only 3 entries are permitted to be sponsored by a Member Group in any one year. These entries must be for 3 separate quilt makers. The sponsored quilter MUST be an amateur. It is expected that the quilter will join VQI as an individual member before a subsequent entry to exhibit is considered.
Non-member being sponsored by a Member Group. Register your details & then complete the entry form. You will need to include the name of the Member Group sponsoring you.
16. School Students
Students are only those enrolled in Primary & Secondary -Year 12, Schools.
Students do not need to b an individual member of VQI.
NO entry fee is payable for student entries.
A group of students may enter a single quilt in this category as long as they comply with the above clauses.
