The Festival of Quilts announces virtual competition

Posted by Rachel Westall on 30 April 2020

Disappointed quilters that thought their latest masterpiece might have to be packed away will be delighted to hear that a virtual version of the postponed Festival of Quilts’ annual competition is now live.

The Festival of Quilts announces virtual competition: Image 1 The Festival of Quilts was due to take place on 30th July-2nd August 2020 at the NEC Birmingham with 26,000 visitors expected. The event has been postponed until 29th July – 1st August 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The competition attracts over 800 entries each year with all entries hung for visitors to view. Entry forms for the virtual competition are avaliable on The Festival of Quilts website (www.thefestivalofquilts.co.uk), along with category criteria, competition rules and full details. Submission fees are £16 per entry (£14 for Quilters' Guild members) and the entry deadline is Friday 3rd July 2020.

All categories* are open for entries except for schools' categories due to schools being closed. Submissions must include high quality, high resolution colour photographs of whole quilts and quilt detail. Judges will shortlist the ten best quilts per category at the end of July, all of which will be available to view on a dedicated page on the Festival website. Winners will be announced later this year. Adult category winners will be awarded £500 in prize money and Young Quilters will win £150 each. The winner of Best in Competition (sponsored by Handi Quilter) will be awarded a £1,500 prize.

The Festival of Quilts announces virtual competition: Image 2 Anna Baptiste, Event Director for The Festival of Quilts, said: "The competition is one of the key highlights of the Festival and we know how disappointed quilters will be not to see the spectacular sight of 800 stunning works of art at the NEC this year. The competition attracts entries from all over the world and we want to make sure that quilters still have the opportunity to showcase their talent and hard work." The winning quilts will be displayed in the Textile Galleries at the planned Knitting & Stitching Shows in London, Dublin and Harrogate later this autumn.

All information is correct at the time of writing. www.thefestivalofquilts.co.uk

* Art Quilts, Contemporary (sponsored by Janome), Group Quilts (sponsored by Bombay Stores), Miniature (sponsored by Babylock), Modern (sponsored by Pfaff), Novice, Pictorial (sponsored by Juki), Quilt Creations (sponsored by Empress Mills), Quilters' Guild Challenge (sponsored by Bernina), Traditional (sponsored by Grace Frame), Two Person (sponsored by The Craft Cotton Co) and Young Quilters (sponsored by Brother).

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