Competition Rules

Entry requirements

• Designers must enter under their own names and not as a collective or a business.
• Design teams can consist of no more than three designers.
• Entrants must be 18 years or older by 26 February 2026.
• The designer must legally own the garment.

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Entry process

• Designers must complete all steps in the online entry process
• Entries are to be made at www.worldofwearableart.com and mainly in English.
• The physical garment must match the photos submitted.
• Garments must be Preliminary Selected before being sent to WOW™.
• WOW™ provides all models for judging and performances.

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Original creation

• Your entry must be an original creation and must not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party (see Copyright and Trade Mark Guidelines)
• No obvious or dominant trade marks, logos or brand names can be used in an entry.
• All entries must have been completed within the last 5 years.
• An entry can be designed for up to 3 models.
• Garments previously entered but not selected may be re-entered once, with improvements and a written explanation.
• Garments previously shown in other competitions may be entered into WOW™.
• Designers must not enter the same or similar garment into WOW™ and another competition in the same year.
• Designers should not publicly promote or share images/videos of their WOW™ garments until after the Awards Ceremony.

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Entry components

• An entry can be designed for up to 3 models.
• All entries must be wearable, that is, able to be worn on the human body.
• Garments must be strong enough to withstand transportation, often strong choreography, and being worn more than 30 times.
• Do not use perishable materials, unless properly treated, including animal products, plant products, and food.
• Components submitted using organic materials that may disintegrate will not be accepted.

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Animal and plant matter

• Entries are not permitted that use real animal fur, wild animal skins or wild bird feathers.
• Designers must ensure any entries using animal or plant products comply with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
• Biological material must meet the requirements for import into New Zealand.

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Garment safety

• The garment must be safe and comfortable for a model to wear and perform in over multiple wearings in sometimes vigorous movement.
• Garment weight must be evenly distributed over the body and comfortable to perform in.
• Models must be able to see clearly and breathe easily while wearing the garment onstage.
• WOW will not accept the following components for safety reasons; Stilts, roller skates or roller blades, any hard materials with raw, unprotected edges e.g. glass, ceramics, plastic, metal.
• Electronics must be safe for New Zealand use; get them checked before sending.

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Garment height & width restrictions

• Designers can request inclusive model specifications.
• When worn by a model, the garment must be easily able to enter and exit the stage via a 1.5m wide, 12-degree ramp.
• Once onstage, the garment may extend or expand in size but must be able to retract and exit the stage in line with the entry and exit size restrictions specified above.
• Bizarre Bra entries must clearly resemble a bra that fits the breast; not a corset or bodice.

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Garment ownership and responsibility

• Designers retain ownership of any garment submitted to WOW, unless purchased by WOW.
• WOW is responsible for the safekeeping of a garment from the point it is received.
• WOW will not be liable for any damage or loss caused as a result of events outside its reasonable control.

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Freighting

• Designers are responsible for all the costs of freighting their garment to and from Nelson, New Zealand, unless they are using the Mainfreight sponsored freighting option for part or all of the shipping journey.
• Garments will be returned to the designer using the same method and to the same location they were sent to WOW. Any changes will be at the designer's cost.
• The designer must ensure any biological material is properly declared and meets the requirements for entry into New Zealand. Designers must handle customs, biological declarations, and any fees.
• To qualify for Mainfreight sponsored freighting, the designer must comply with the 2026 Mainfreight sponsored freighting requirements and criteria as outlined on the WOW™ Sending Your Garment webpage such as location, box size, entry drop off and booking.
• Mainfreight sponsor freighted garments will be returned to the same depot from which they were received, with the exception of the USA Chicago depot. Garments sent from the Chicago depot will be returned to the LA depot. The Designer is responsible for arranging and covering the cost of delivery from the LA depot to their home address.

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Garment returns

• Entries that are not selected as finalists will be returned to designers in the same manner in which they travelled to WOW, between October-November each year.
• Finalist entries will be returned to designers in the same manner in which they travelled to WOW, between January-April with the exception of garments retained by WOW.
• International finalist entries (who sent at their own cost) will be contacted directly by end January (approximately) each year, to arrange payment for the garments return.

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Garments acquired and held by WOW

• WOW will elect to acquire the Supreme WOW Award winning garment as part of prize money. WOW may offer to acquire other Award winners as part of prize money.
• WOW may propose to loan other Finalist garments on a 3-year loan basis at WOW’s discretion.
• In the event that the designer’s garment is selected for the WOW Show, the designer grants to WOW the right to retain the garment for up to 18 months following the show season for use in promotion of WOW.

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General rules

• WOW™ is a peaceful celebration of creativity through the medium of wearable art. WOW™ reserves the right to disqualify or withdraw a designer or entry, at any stage of the Competition, that WOW™ determines poses a risk to the Competition, Show or Organisation on a reputational, safety, security or other basis.
• In the event that WOW determines that a garment does not comply at any stage in the competition process, including after the awards have been assigned, it may disqualify the designer from the WOW Awards and/or revoke any awards or prizes that may have been awarded or given in respect of the garment.
• Decisions made by the Judges and/or WOW™ will be final and are not open to challenge by the designer.

Competition Terms and Conditions