We the Makers Sustainable Fashion Prize 2025

These Conditions of Entry apply to all entrants to We the Makers – Sustainable Fashion Prize 2025 (Prize) being held by the Greater Geelong City Council ABN 18 374 210 672 (City) at the National Wool Museum.

Entry criteria

1. For the purposes of these Conditions of Entry, an entrant must be an “emerging designer”, being any professional designer/artist with up to ten years industry experience and dedication to work with wool, fibre or textiles to create something entirely unique (Entrant).
2. Entrants are encouraged to submit a complete and original ensemble of work to be considered for the Prize (Ensemble). All Entrants’ will be judged on their ability to design and redefine sustainable and ethical textiles in their Ensemble. The entry may respond to one or more of the of the following categories: Material Innovation, Circular Process Innovation, Design Innovation, Business Innovation.
3. Ensembles can be made from any materials and using any techniques and However, keep in mind that the core theme of the Prize is sustainable fashion - choose materials, techniques and processes accordingly.
4. All Ensembles must be able to be made available by the Entrant to the City for display in the exhibition for the We the Makers - Sustainable Fashion Prize at the National Wool Museum from 13 June 2025 to 30 November 2025 (Exhibition).
5. The City will select the top 20 Ensembles from all Entrant submissions, to be showcased in the Exhibition and eligible for the Prize (Finalists). The City reserves the right to include more than 20 Finalists in the Prize and Exhibition if it chooses
6. The City will appoint an expert panel of judges who will determine and award the winner of the Prize from the Finalists (Winner).
7. To be clear, no correspondence will be entered into with the City, or the appointed judges, regarding the selection of the Finalists and/or the Winner. Any decision of the City, and that of the judges, will be made in their sole discretion and binding on all Entrants.
8. The winning Ensemble will be acquired by the City for the National Wool Museum’s permanent collection and the Winner of the Prize will win the all-inclusive once-off sum of $10,000 (Acquisitive Prize).
9. All Finalists will also be eligible for the Geelong UNESCO City of Design People’s Choice Award of $2,000 (Non-Acquisitive Prize), which will be determined by the votes of the public.

Eligibility 

10. Entrants are encouraged to apply from anywhere in the world.
11. Finalists from previous years’ We the Makers –Sustainable Fashion Prize (2021 and 2023) are not prohibited from entering the Prize, however priority will be given to new Entrants (i.e. an Entrant who has never been a Finalist). All Entrant’s agree that the decision of the City in determining the selection of the Finalists ultimately rests with the City.
12. To be eligible for the Prize, the Ensemble must have been designed and made by:
    1. an individual Entrant who is registered on the Entry Form; or
    2. a group entry where more than one person has contributed to the Ensemble, provided each person in the group meets the Entrant criteria as set out in these Conditions of Entry. Details of all members of the group must be included on the Entry Form.
13. Only one Acquisitive Prize and/or only one Non-Acquisitive Prize (as the case may be) may be awarded per group Entrant.
14. Each individual Entrant or group of Entrants can only enter one Ensemble item to the Prize.
15. No City employees or their direct family members are eligible to enter the Prize. No judge or their direct family members are eligible to enter the Prize.

Period of loan

16. The Entry Form is to be considered a binding loan agreement between the Entrant, in the event they are selected as a Finalist, and the City for the purpose of the display and handling of the Ensemble as part of the Prize and Exhibition.
17. The period of the loan covers the time in which the City is in possession of the Ensemble, from approximately 2 weeks prior to the commencement of the Exhibition, and continuing for the duration of the Exhibition.

Damage, theft or loss of Ensemble 

18. The City will use all reasonable efforts to maintain and preserve the condition of the Ensemble whilst in the City’s possession. The City will also maintain adequate insurance against the loss, damage or destruction of the Ensemble whilst in the City’s possession.
19. If a Finalist’s Ensemble is damaged, stolen or lost while in the possession and effective control of the City, the City will be liable to pay the Finalist the reasonable value required to repair or to replace the Ensemble in the amount as stated on the Entry The parties agree to resolve any dispute as to the value of repair or replacement of the Ensemble (as applicable) in good faith.
20. The City accepts no responsibility for any Ensemble lost or damaged being delivered or returned in the

Delivery of Items

21. Each Finalist is responsible for arranging, including the payment of all expenses incurred in, the delivery of the Ensemble to the National Wool Museum. The City will coordinate the return of the Ensemble to the relevant Finalists, excluding that of the Winner. Any Ensemble unable to be returned to the relevant Finalist, after the City has attempted and made reasonable efforts to do so, will remain the property of the City.

Retail price and display

22. No Ensemble will be made available for sale.
23. The City reserves the right to exhibit the Ensemble in the manner of its choosing, however Entrants may provide advice on how best to exhibit the Ensemble upon application to the Prize.
24. By entering the Prize, the Entrant agrees that the display and curation of the Exhibition, rests entirely with the Entries will be displayed in an “exhibition” format in one of the galleries of City’s the National Wool Museum.

Marketing and promotion of the Finalists and Ensembles

25. The City reserves the right to photograph and/or video the Finalists’ Ensembles, including on models, and to use these photographs and/or videos for marketing and media purposes to promote the Prize, the Exhibition, the City and the National Wool Museum more generally.
26. The City may also use the statements provided by the Finalists on the Entry Form for promotional purposes in the
27. Finalists may be required to participate in reasonable media duties (including photoshoots, interviews etc.) and grants the City the right to publish same within context for promotional purposes only.

Copyright

28. All Entrants will retain ownership of the copyright in and to their Ensemble submitted to the Prize. All Entrants grant to the City a non-exclusive, non-transferable worldwide licence in all media to copy and reproduce the Ensembles for the purposes of the Prize, the Exhibition and all ancillary purposes.

Moral Rights

29. All Finalists consent to any act which may amount to a breach of their moral rights. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the City: (a) will use all reasonable endeavours to credit the Finalists whenever their Ensemble is used; (b) will not alter an Ensemble without the Finalist’s consent; and (c) will consult with the Finalists about any reproductions of the Ensembles.

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)

30. This provision applies in the event that any Ensemble design submitted by a Finalist contains any ICIP, as notified to the City in the Entry Form.
31. The City will not knowingly display or use any Ensemble, or artwork incorporated into the Ensemble, in a context that might reasonably be considered by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community to be inappropriate, derogatory, degrading or offensive.
32. When displaying or using an Ensemble that contains any ICIP, the City will make an attribution in respect of ICIP in artworks as required by the Finalist.

33. The City acknowledges in the event of the death of a Finalist who is of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage, the subsequent use of their likeness may be culturally inappropriate, and that, upon notification of the Finalist’s death the City will remove the Ensemble and artwork depicting the Ensemble from any promotional material or publication under its control if requested by a member of the Finalist’s family or representative to the extent reasonably practical.

Warranties and indemnities of the Entrant

34. The Entrant (including each individual where the Entrant is comprised of a group) warrants and represents to the City that the Ensemble is an original piece of work and to the best of its knowledge, does not breach the intellectual property rights of any third party. The Entrant indemnifies and holds harmless the City in respect of any claim, loss or damage caused indirectly or directly by the Entrant’s breach of this warranty.

I have read the guidelines on We The Makers regarding how the competition works.

Click here to access guidelines