How does the WOW entry process work?
Registration
Anyone intending to enter the WOW competition must register first to receive a unique WOW designer number. This number is generated by our database and is required to complete the online entry process. Your designer number will stay the same every year and you are not required to register again. Registered designers will receive our newsletters and announcements as well as judging results and any other communications regarding your entry. Please note that your details will only be used for the purposes of the WOW Awards Competition including media releases or to advise you of any WOW news or updates. It will not be passed to any other party. Registration is not the same as entering the competition.
Intention to Enter
The WOW online entry process officially opens in September every year. Designers must submit an Intention to Enter by 31 March to officially enrol in the current year’s competition. An Intention to Enter requires designers to record how many garments you are entering into which sections. You can edit this information or withdraw an entry at any point before 31 March. Designers cannot add a new entry after Intention to Enter closes on 31 March. Design teams of 2-3 members must nominate a lead designer to complete the entry process on behalf of your team.
Preselection
All First Time Entrants must complete Preselection. A First Time Entrant is a designer who has not had an entry selected to appear on stage at a previous WOW Awards Show. Designers are required to submit photographs of their completed garments for the judges to review. Designers will be notified of the judges decisions and successful entrants will be asked to complete the online entry process and to send their entries to World of WearableArt in Nelson, New Zealand to participate in the first official judging round. Returning designers are not required to complete Preselection and the entry process will allow them to go straight to Submit Entry.
31 March: International Preselection closes
15 May: New Zealand Preselection closes
Complete Your Entry
Complete Your Entry is the final stage of the online entry process. Here you must upload photographs of your completed garment and input all of the information required for your entry, including inspiration, materials and model requirements. Designers must read WOW’s competition rules and print and sign the entry declaration form to send to Nelson, New Zealand along with your entry. Complete Your Entry closes officially at 5pm 19 June 2017, but most designers should complete this in advance, to send all documentation with your garment.
For further assistance with the online entry process, please email Kate Ruffell kate@worldofwearableart.com
When are entries due?
All designers intending to enter the 2017 Competition must complete their Intention to Enter online by 31 March, 2017.
All International first time entrants must also complete Preselection online by 31 March 2017.
All New Zealand first time entrants must complete Preselection online by 15 May, 2017.
Garments must arrive at the World of WearableArt complex in Nelson, New Zealand by 5pm 19 June 2017.
What are the Competition rules?
Please click here to view the WOW Terms and Conditions.
Is there an entry fee?
No, there is no entry fee.
Is there an age restriction?
Designers must be 18+ as at 31 March 2017.
What are the key competition dates for 2017?
31 March: Intention to enter closes & International pre-selection closes
5 April: International pre-selection results available
15 May: New Zealand pre-selection closes
19 May: New Zealand pre-selection results available
10 – 17 April Mainfreight sponsored freight hand in for US, UK & Netherlands
24 April – 1 May Mainfreight sponsored freight hand in for Australia, Hong Kong, China & Taiwan
25 May – 8 Jun Mainfreight sponsored freight hand in for NZ main centres
26 May – 2 June Mainfreight sponsored freight hand in for NZ provinces
19 June 2017 Step 3 Entries Close, Garments due & final hand in by 5pm
7-9 July First Judging
17 July Judging Results Emailed
3 September Second Judging
18 September Final Judging
22 September WOW® Awards announced
23 September 2018 sections announced / 2018 Competition opens
What is Preselection? Do I need to do it?
If you are a first time entrant (you have not had an entry selected for a previous WOW® Awards Show) you must complete preselection.
A First Time Entrant is a designer who has not had an entry selected to appear on stage at a previous WOW Awards Show. Designers are required to submit photographs of their completed garments for the judges to review. Designers will be notified of the judges decisions and successful entrants will be asked to complete the online entry process and to send their entries to World of WearableArt in Nelson, New Zealand to participate in the first official judging round. Returning designers are not required to complete Preselection and the entry process will allow them to go straight to Complete Your Entry.
When does Preselection close online?
31 March for International designers.
15 May for New Zealand designers.
Why can't I log in to the online entry process?
Have you registered? Designers must register to receive their unique designer number before they can complete the online entry process.
Have you forgotten your designer number, email address or password? Please contact the wardrobe team and they can give you this information.
How do we enter as a design team?
Please register separately, as individual designers. You will each receive a unique 4 or 5-digit designer number. Please elect one team member to be the lead designer, to complete the online entry form for your entry and to be the main contact throughout the competition. You will need to know the designer numbers of your team members to complete the online entry form.
What are the measurements required for my garment?
Female
- Height: 170cm – 180cm
- Bust: 86cm – 96cm, bra size 10B -12B
- Waist: 63cm – 73cm
- Hips: 92cm – 102 cm
- Shoe size: NZ/US 8.5 – 9.5, Eur 39 – 41
Male
- Height: 180cm – 190cm
- Chest: 93cm – 105cm
- Waist: 81cm – 93cm
- Hip: 95cm – 107cm
- Shoe size: NZ/US 10 – 12, Eur 44 – 46.5
Garment Height & Width Restrictions
- 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.
- The garment must be less than 3 metres in height or length.
Am I an International or a New Zealand entrant?
The country an entry is from is determined by the place where a designer mostly resides. If an Internationally born designer is living in New Zealand with New Zealand citizenship or New Zealand permanent residency, they are considered a New Zealand entrant and are not eligible for International Awards. Internationally born designers living in New Zealand on temporary visas, are considered International entrants. A design group of both New Zealand and International designers are not eligible for the International or New Zealand Design awards.
Why can’t I upload my photographs?
Your photographs may be the wrong size or format. Photographs must be in JPG, tiff, PNG, BMP format. The online entry form cannot accept PDFs rar zip or other formats. The maximum size is 1.5mb.
Can I submit a sketch or drawing?
No. You must include at least three full length photographs of your completed garment as part of your entry. You may send additional drawings of your garment if you wish, but they will not be considered for judging.
My garment is not finished, can I still submit it for preselection?
Your garment must be completed in the photograph that you submit. It will be considered by the judges as a completed entry.
I am a first time entrant but my design partner is not, do we need to complete Preselection?
No. If one member of your team has been selected for a previous WOW show, you are not required to complete Preselection.
* You are not eligible for the First Time Entrant Award if your design partner has been previously selected for the WOW® Awards Show.
I am a student but my design partner is not, is our entry eligible for the Student Innovation Award?
No. Both designers must be students (or graduated within the 12 months before April1) to be eligible for the Student Innovation Award. This also applies to the First Time Entrant Award, both designers must be first time entrants to be eligible for the award.
I studied 10 years ago, am I eligible for the Student Innovation Award?
No. To be eligible for the Student Innovation Award, the designer must be currently enrolled in a tertiary level course or they have graduated within 12 months, as of April 1. The designer must provide their student ID number in their final entry documents to be considered for this award.
Is it compulsory that I attend the WOW Awards Show if my entry is selected?
No, it is not compulsory for designers to attend the show if their entry is selected, although we do encourage designers to attend the Awards Ceremony so that in the event they win award, they are present to collect their prize.
How do designers book tickets to the WOW Awards Show?
If your entry is chosen as a finalist (at First Judging, the judges select your entry to appear on stage in the WOW Awards Show), you are entitled to ONE FREE Premium Seat in the ‘Designer Seating Section’ on Awards Night – Friday, 22nd September. You can also purchase up to three adjacent seats for your family or friends.
If your entry is not successful at First Judging, you will have the opportunity to purchase two tickets (for you and a family member or friend) in the ‘Designer Seating Section’ on Awards Show Night – Friday 22nd September.
Designers will be notified the process for purchasing their show tickets when they receive their judging results letters on Monday 17 July 2017.