Quiltmakers, your moment is here! Showcase your finest work in this juried and judged contest open to all skill levels — from Artisans to Masters. Compete for thousands of dollars in cash prizes and ribbons.
SUBMISSIONS FOR 2026 HAVE NOW CLOSED. Check this page again in the future for 2027 submission details and catch the 2026 OSQE Quilt Contest travelling display at an Expo near you.
How It Works
- Review the Contest Rules & Instructions
- The deadline to enter was August 10, 2026. Thank you to everyone who submitted - GOOD LUCK!
- Entry photos will be juried by the Expo team, and up to seventy-five (75) finalists will be chosen to compete for ribbons and prize money. Finalists will be announced on this page and notified via email on August 19, 2026.
- Judge Kathryn Zimmerman, a NACQJ Certified Quilt Judge, will select the award-winning quilts at the Expo in Lebanon, TN. Winners will be announced at Noon CT on October 1, 2026, at the Expo and on this page.
Prizes
Best of Show is awarded a Ribbon and $1,500 (Grand Prize)
Expo's Choice is awarded a Ribbon and $500
Viewers' Choice is awarded a Ribbon and $500
First Place in each division (Artisan and Master) is awarded a Ribbon and $500
All First Place winners in each category will be awarded a Ribbon
All Second Place winners in each category will be awarded a Ribbon
All Finalists receive an exclusive swag bag from Original Sewing & Quilt Expo
Judge
Kathryn Zimmerman
NACQJ Certified Quilt Judge
Kathryn Zimmerman gained her National Certification with the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges in 2022. She is a quilter, show competitor, quilt judge, teacher, and program presenter with more than 20 years of experience in the wonderful world of quilting. She has made over 60 quilts and has won awards at the national and regional level, including five Best of Show. Her quilts have been published in American Quilt Society’s Calendar and Quilt Art Engagement Book. She has judged shows and given lectures and workshops in the Southeastern United States including North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia.
Kathryn states that judging quilt shows give me the opportunity to share with quilters a fair and professional critique of their artistic work. Several areas of the quilting process are evaluated based on design and overall construction. My desire in these evaluations is to affirm details that are done well as well as give inspiration and suggestions to the quilter as support to reach a higher level of creative ability.
Kathryn gives lectures on the specifics of quilt judging and trunk shows of her award-winning quilts. Many of her quilt creations contain a mix of piecing, machine applique, and embellishments. She teaches classes in several methods of machine applique, as well as techniques for achieving precision piecing.
Kathryn’s past professional career was in public school teaching and administration. She is a member of the Burnsville and Asheville, NC quilt guilds in which she has held several leadership positions, including coordinating the judging floor for the Asheville Quilt Show, one of the largest quilt shows in the south. She lives in Mars Hill with her husband Herbert and dachshund, Odie, on a 60-acre century farm where three grandchildren play and hopefully realize the need to hold on to the land of their ancestors.
Join us at the Expo in Lebanon, TN
October 1, 2 & 3 at the Farm Bureau Expo Center
Join us for workshops and classes with some of the best teachers in the industry, fabulous shopping in the exhibit hall, hundreds of quilts on display, free presentations and trunk shows, prize drawings, and more!
Expo Event Calendar >>
Previous Quilt Contests
Click here for 2025 Quilt Contest Winners and Finalists
Click here for 2024 Quilt Contest Winners and Finalists
Click here for 2023 Quilt Contest Winners and Finalists
Click here for 2022 Quilt Contest Winners and Finalists
2026 Winners
Barbara Clem's winning quilt My Journey with Grace pictured above with (R - L) treasured OSQE Teammate, Jill Whipple, NACQJ Certified Judge, Kathryn Zimmerman, OSQE Event Manager Extraordinaire, Darcy Nicholson, and their official scribe, Tiffany.
Judge
Kathryn Zimmerman
NACQJ Certified Quilt Judge
Kathryn Zimmerman gained her National Certification with the National Association of Certified Quilt Judges in 2022. She is a quilter, show competitor, quilt judge, teacher, and program presenter with more than 20 years of experience in the wonderful world of quilting. She has made over 60 quilts and has won awards at the national and regional level, including five Best of Show. Her quilts have been published in American Quilt Society’s Calendar and Quilt Art Engagement Book. She has judged shows and given lectures and workshops in the Southeastern United States including North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia.
Kathryn states that judging quilt shows give me the opportunity to share with quilters a fair and professional critique of their artistic work. Several areas of the quilting process are evaluated based on design and overall construction. My desire in these evaluations is to affirm details that are done well as well as give inspiration and suggestions to the quilter as support to reach a higher level of creative ability.
Kathryn gives lectures on the specifics of quilt judging and trunk shows of her award-winning quilts. Many of her quilt creations contain a mix of piecing, machine applique, and embellishments. She teaches classes in several methods of machine applique, as well as techniques for achieving precision piecing.
Kathryn’s past professional career was in public school teaching and administration. She is a member of the Burnsville and Asheville, NC quilt guilds in which she has held several leadership positions, including coordinating the judging floor for the Asheville Quilt Show, one of the largest quilt shows in the south. She lives in Mars Hill with her husband Herbert and dachshund, Odie, on a 60-acre century farm where three grandchildren play and hopefully realize the need to hold on to the land of their ancestors.
101 Artisan Small Traditionally Pieced Quilt
102 Artisan Small Applique' or Art Quilt
103 Artisan Large Traditionally Pieced Quilt
104 Artisan Large Applique' or Art Quilt
202 Master Small Applique' or Art Quilt
203 Large Traditionally Pieced Quilt
204 Master Large Applique' or Art Quilt
Viewers' Choice | NACQJ Award of Merit | Expo's Choice
