A selection of Australia’s best quilts will be displayed in the Australian Quilt Show. Entries were received from all over Australia, and display a diverse range of styles from traditional to modern. Quilts made between December 2023 and February 2025 were eligible and competed for an impressive prize pool of more than $37,000 in cash and prizes.
Here are a few of the finalists:
Best of Show
Best of Show prize of $10,000 goes to Bronwyn Hill for her amazing quilt – ‘Horatio’!
“Horatio the Hippocampus came from the formidable structure and shape of the HMS Victory. Cutting a strong presence through the ocean. Simple beginnings from a detailed drawing on brown paper. Hand selected fabrics and detailed quilting create a form of strength and power, pushing forward from the ferocious crashing waves.”
Runner Up to Best in Show
Runner Up to Best in Show at The Australian Quilt Show Awards goes to Linda Steele and her fabulous improv quilt ‘Freedom’
“The thrill of entering an amusement park is always exciting for me. The soaring roller coasters, the Ferris wheels and so many exhilarating attractions pulse to the sound of music, screams and cheers.“
Sydney Viewer's Choice Winner
Vivien Leigh by Teresa Forward
Emerging Talent
Winner: Mt Wellington by Zoe Ford
Embroidered by Hand or Machine Award
Winner: The Kangaroos of Tidbinbilla by Beth Miller (pictured left)
Judges Commendation: Ethereal Grove by Sarndrae Narcisi
Runner up: Royal Gaze by Janine Judge
Recycled & Restyled
Winner: Picasso Appreciation by Glad Howard (pictured left)
Judges Commendation: Mother Remembered by Kathryn McWilliam
Runner up: Patrol Puff by Denise Lamby
Pieced and/or Appliqued Quilt
Winner: Royal Garland by Joanne Johnson
Judges Commendation: Dear Jane a “Fait Accompli” by Merody Buglar (pictured left)
Runner up: Celebrate Thirty by Lyn Keogh
Art or Pictorial Quilt Award
Winner: Horatio by Bronwyn Hill (pictured at top of page)
Judges Commendation: Therefore I Am by Susan de Vanny
Runner up: The Quilter by Katherine Jones (pictured left)
Traditional Quilt Award
Winner: Quilters Delight by Tracey Bareli (pictured left)
Judges Commendation: A Long Way From Home by Melanie Hayden
Runner up: Songscape by Julie McAllister
Modern Quilt Award
Winner: Freedom by Linda Steele (pictured at the top of the page)
Judges Commendation: A Year in a Melbourne Life by Anna Small
Runner up: Quilters Workout by Tania Tanti (pictured left)
Other Categories
Best Use of Colour
Winner: A Year in a Melbourne Life by Anna Small
Best Themed / Pictorial Quilt
Winner: Of Cabbages and Kings by Lynne Hargreaves
Best Abstract Quilt
Winner: Red, Rock, River by Tania Tanti
Best Hand Work
Winner: Royal Garland by Joanne Johnson
Best Machine Quilting – With Medium or Longarm Machine
Winner: Quilters Delight by Tracey Bareli
Best Machine Quilting – With Domestic Machine
Winner: Rainforest Kaleidoscope by Gloria Loughman
Judges Choice Awards
Judge Isabella Ceravolo
Frame by Frame by Janine Judge
Judge Marianne Roberts
Blue Wren Visitors by Bev Butler
Judge Judy Newman
Grid Pages by Sharon Nicholls-Thomson
See the winner and runner up along with the other Australian Quilt Show finalists, magnificent international exhibitions, and so much more in the Quilt Show! Don’t forget to vote for your favourite at the show!