3 QuiltCon Entries, 3 Wildly Different Techniques: What are the Jury Results?

The QuiltCon 2026 jury results are in! This year, I entered three quilts in three drastically different styles and waited, along with hundreds of other entrants, for the jury’s results. Out of 2,041 entries, only 470 quilts (23%) were accepted into the show.

Congratulations to everyone who entered their work, regardless of the jury results. It takes a lot of courage to put your work out into the world, especially the first few times. If your quilt was accepted, I can’t wait to see it at the show! If it won’t be there, I hope to see it online and in future shows- there are many shows beyond QuiltCon at the local, regional, and national levels. 

Juried Quilt Shows

For a juried quilt show, you submit an online form to enter that includes a full photo of your quilt and a detail shot as well. For the first time this year, QuiltCon also required an additional image of a close-up of the quilt’s finished edge. The jury for the show looks at these images to determine which quilts they would like to include in the final show. Only after a quilt is accepted by the jury does it ship to the show for final judging and exhibition. For QuiltCon and many other quilt shows, the jury and the judges are not the same people.

Each year, the jury is composed of different people, which means each QuiltCon has a slightly different aesthetic. It also means that quilts can be rejected one year and accepted the next. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of stunning quilts that don’t make it in each year, and I encourage you to check out #quiltconreject2026 to see many of these entries. Each year, this hashtag becomes the best quilt show on the internet!

QuiltCon Entries

Any member of The Modern Quilt Guild can enter as many quilts as they like into QuiltCon, and each person can have up to four of those entries included in the show. I submitted three quilts for consideration this year, each with very different aesthetics. One is foundation paper pieced with minimal quilting, the second relies on heavy matchstick quilting to create the design, and the third is a new interpretation of a very old technique- the potholder quilt.

I am incredibly grateful that this year, all three of my entries were juried into the show. I recognise that I am fortunate to have my current work align with the current aesthetic of the show’s jurors. That could change at any point, so I never count on receiving any acceptances, but it is wonderful to have work resonate at this moment.

Mocha Mousse Mountain

Size: 20” x 20”

Category: Small Quilts

Quilts must have a total perimeter of 119” or smaller. The quilt can be any shape.

Quilt Description:

At a scenic overlook in Eastern Utah, you can see where the desert’s red rock begins to merge with the Rocky Mountains. This abstract mini quilt incorporates the 2025 Pantone Color of the Year, Mocha Mousse, with vibrant colors to evoke the hues of the desert formations.

Utah Overlook

Size: 50” x 68”

Category: Minimalism

Quilts must demonstrate simplification of content and form for maximum visual impact.

Quilt Description:

When you look closely at the red rock formations rising from the Utah desert, you notice dozens of colors infused into the landscape. In this abstract interpretation, a scenic overlook thread imbues color into a vast field of brown fabric.

Where the Wild Quilts Are

Size: 65” x 79”

Category: Piecing

Quilts must be machine pieced and reflect a strong or innovative use of piecing.

Quilt Description

When driving through New England, I loved seeing the dome-shaped individual trees interlocking along the hillsides, resembling a wild version of a clamshell quilt. Eighteen whole-cloth mini quilts are joined into a single quilt using a potholder quilt technique, where each individual component is quilted and bound as its own entity before being combined into a larger quilt.

How are Quilts Judged?

Each show can determine how the quilts in their show are selected and judged. The following judging criteria are quoted directly from the QuiltCon Awards, Categories, and Judging Criteria page.

Judging Criteria

Each category is evaluated using the following criteria:

Design

• Elements of the modern aesthetic
• Visual impact
• Use of balance
• Use of color
• Use of contrast/value
• Fabric choices
• Innovation/Creativity

Workmanship

• Overall construction
• Piecing
• Binding or edge finishing

Quilting

• Execution
• Thread choice
• Complements the piecing/appliqué design

Additionally, some categories have category-specific criteria that the judges look for. Those are listed below for each category. 

Appliqué

• Innovation/creativity
• Execution

Handwork

• Innovation/creativity
• Execution

Improvisation

• Innovation/creativity
• Execution

Minimalist Design

• Principles of minimalism

Modern Traditionalism

• Innovation and reinterpretation

Use of Negative Space

• Innovation/creativity

Will I See You at the Show?

QuiltCon is always an amazing show, and I’m excited to attend, especially since I didn’t make it earlier this year. I always walk away happy and inspired, and I hope to see many of you in Raleigh this February!