Useful Information

If you need guidance on the process for entering the competition, see our Step by Step Guide here. 

When you complete the entry form, you can upload an image of your quilt so that you are eligible for Visitors Choice voting while the show is open. If you provide an image with the entry form, it will be displayed in an online gallery from 1st August onwards. If you do not upload an image, the public will not be able to vote for your quilt.

If you need guidance on photographing your quilt please click here.
Please remember your photos ideally need to be between 500kb and 1mb for the form to submit easily (max 2mb). Anything larger and you may see an eternally spinning icon and the form won’t submit successfully. 

We ask you to enter as early as possible to help us manage the volume of entries, but equally we ask you to ensure the details are correct when you enter, especially the dimensions so it is best to wait until your quilt is finished before you enter.

If you have any questions about your quilt entry please email [email protected]

It is essential that before you submit a quilt, you read the Rules and Terms of entry which can be found here. You will be required to tick a box agreeing to these terms before you can submit the entry form. 

NEW for 2024, all entrants are eligible for a FREE ticket to The Festival of Quilts on Sunday 4th August. This will allow you to visit on the quietest day, and to collect your quilt at the end of the show (which will also save on postage fees).

Standard Entry £18.00 

Fee for members of the Quilters Guild of the British Isles (and members of the European Quilt Association) £15.00 

NEW for 2024, all entrants are eligible for a FREE ticket to The Festival of Quilts on Sunday 4th August. This will allow you to visit on the quietest day, and to collect your quilt at the end of the show (which will also save on postage fees). 

If you are entering more than one quilt, you will be charged £10.00 for each additional quilt entered (or £8 for QGBI and EQA members)

Please note that there are additional costs associated with entering, including:

• Use of collection points for getting your quilt to us or collecting after the show
• Postage of your work and the courier cost for returning it to you (based on size of piece)
• Cover for loss or damage (optional)

We understand that the overall cost for entering your work may seem high, but the competitions are heavily subsidised by the Organisers because the costs of staging the competition are incredibly high.

Below is an outline of the key costs for the competition which your payment goes towards.

• Space at the NEC – every inch of space used at the venue is charged for, including the space upon which the quilts are hung (and the aisles you stand in to view them!)
• The walls and quilt frames upon which the quilts are hung are hired specially for the show.
• The halls do not come with carpet, so it has to be laid and installed for the show
• The signs around each category and the labels for each quilt have to be created and paid for
• Transport and storage of the quilts before and after the show
• A member of staff to produce the Hanging Plan (whereby each quilt is allocated a specific place in the show based on its size)
• Personnel to manage the Collection Points where quilts are delivered
• The Angels who hang the quilts at the show are paid for their time
• Packaging (eg boxes, tissue paper and bubble wrap) is purchased to re-pack the quilts at the end of the show

The above list is not exhaustive but hopefully provides an idea of the high costs involved and what your fees pay for.  

Entries into The Festival of Quilts competition require a hanging sleeve of 10cm (4inches) to be attached to the back of the piece, through which a wooden batten will be placed to hang your quilt.

You can find instructions for creating your hanging sleeve here.

We take the security of all quilts displayed at the show very seriously. We have recently undertaken a full review of our processes and have made improvements to our security where deemed necessary. This includes additional security briefings for all quilter handlers and additional security personnel in the competition quilt section (and winners’ gallery) particularly after the close of the show on Sunday. There is also CCTV in operation in the halls throughout the entire event.

We want to reassure all those entering that loss, damage and theft is VERY rare and that having made improvements to our processes and security, the risk has been minimised further. 

• You are responsible for the insurance of your quilt while it is in transit to us via post or courier.
• On arrival with us, if requested on the entry form, we can cover the quilt for loss or damage for a small administration fee which will be in place until your quilt is back with you.
• The cost for this is £10 for a quilt up to a value of £500, £20 for values between £501 and £1000 and £30 for values between £1001 and £1500. The maximum cover is £2,000 and we cannot cover for values above this. 
• It must be emphasized that, whilst every effort is made to ensure the safety of any entry, it has to be recognised that some risk is inevitable and must be accepted by all entrants.
• Please note that we are unable to add you to this cover for multiple quilts packaged in one parcel. Please package your quilts individually if you wish to be covered as stated above.
• This cover is for loss or damage of the quilt itself and does not cover packaging or other related items.