Dates
Wednesday 1 / Thursday 2 September, 2021 - preliminary judging and Designer Showcase.
Friday 3 September, 2021 - finalist rehearsals and Public Show.

Venue
Opera House, Toitoi Hawke's Bay Arts & Events Centre, 101 Hastings Street South, Hastings.

Entry is free and open to all aspiring and experienced designers aged 5 to adult. Enter online from Wednesday 16 June, 2021.

The deadline to register an entry is Wednesday 7 July, 2021.
Final design descriptions must be submitted by Wednesday 11 August, 2021.
Designers may continue to work on their entry until preliminary judging on Wednesday 1 / Thursday 2 September, 2021.

Theme:

In past years we have asked designers to create within a theme such as “Fantastical”, “Myth & Legend”, “Peace, Love & Diversity”, “WILD” or “Art in Motion”.

For 2021 we have decided to throw things wide open. There is no theme! Other than the fact that designs must be constructed from “Edible” inspired materials, there are no limits! Designers can draw inspiration from absolutely anywhere and anything. Let your creative juices flow! We are excited to hear the story of your design, your artistic vision, your inspiration.

Teachers have the flexibility to fit participation in Edible within existing inquiry units. We encourage designers to think about different points of inspiration. Are you interested in designing for the fashion runway or are you inspired to create a character that you imagine coming to life on a movie screen? Does your inspiration come from a particular shape or perhaps a specific colour or colours; a period in history; a specific material - perhaps one you can experiment with manipulating in multiple different ways or one you have grown, or created in the kitchen? Are you inspired by your own culture, or perhaps another culture you have experienced or would like to research? Your idea might be sparked by a story you have read; a place you have visited; a piece of art you have seen; a message you want to share; something you love to do. Surprise us!

Categories

Designers should enter their Age Group Category and may also enter the Jewellery & Accessory and/or Keep Hastings Beautiful Open Category with the same design. Designers, who do not wish to enter a full design may enter a jewellery and/or accessory only item into the Jewellery & Accessory Open Category.

Age Group Categories:
Nurture Category (Years 1-8, with unlimited help from an adult) - Napier City Council Nurture Designer
Junior Category (Years 1-6) - Sight & Sound Services Junior Designer
Intermediate Category (Years 7-8) - Indelible Creative Studio Intermediate Designer
Senior Category (Years 9-13, or up to age 17 if not in school) - Senior Designer proudly supported by Bronwyn Grant and Tremains
Adult Category (Age 18 and above) – Clearview Estate Winery Adult Designer

Open Categories:
Jewellery & Accessory Award - Unio Goldsmith & Gallery Jewellery & Accessory Designer (Junior - Years 1-8 and Senior - Years 9 to Adult) - the best jewellery or accessory item
Keep Hastings Beautiful Award proudly supported by Hastings District Council - the best use of recycled packaging and/or Hawke's Bay grown or manufactured food
Avant-garde Award - Ribbonwood Cottages Avant-garde Designer - judges selection to celebrate a design that is particularly experimental or innovative and pushes boundaries of what is accepted as the norm
Top Model Award - essence Top Model - judges selection to celebrate the model, who most embodies confidence and sense of self on the runway
Supreme Award - Hastings Art & Culture Trust Designer of the Year - judged from the first place winners in each of the design categories
People's Choice Award - People’s Choice - decided by public vote the week following the Awards

• Entry is open to all aspiring and experienced designers aged 5 to adult.
• Designs must be constructed from edible food items, food by-products, imitation food items or food packaging in any combination - we welcome the pushing of boundaries here.
• Allowance is made for use of a base, but creativity and innovation in using only edible, imitation and packaging materials will be highly regarded.
• We encourage designers to push the boundaries and use surprising materials in unique and interesting ways - essentially, if you have a clever and creative design idea and can make a strong link to food, we’ll probably get excited about it. Eg: past entrants have incorporated cutlery, serving dishes, animal products, harakeke, grocery bags, drinking straws, grocery receipts, drink bottle tubing etc.
• The Nurture Designer category is to allow for young designers and adults (Mums , Dads, Aunties, Grandparents, cool neighbours, teachers etc.) to work together on a design, with no limit on the amount of adult involvement.
• For the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Designer categories, some help from an adult is acceptable, however we expect youth designers to come up with their own design concept and if more than a quarter of the work is completed by an adult, the design must be entered in the Nurture Designer category (if the youth involved is in Years 1-8) or in the Adult Designer category (if the youth involved is in Years 9-13). We reserve the right to move a design into either of these categories during Preliminary Judging.
• We reserve the right to limit the number of entries per school if capacity is reached in any category.
• Designs must not exceed 2m in height, 2m in length and 1.5m in width.
• Designs must be able to move safely on the stage without assistance. We welcome the pushing of boundaries, but we reserve the right to remove a design from the showcase for Health & Safety reasons - if this situation arises, the decision of our Event Management staff is final. If you are considering using wheels or other attachments as part of your design, please contact us to discuss in advance.
• Designers may model their own design or have another person model it for them.
• Family members of Edible Fashion Awards staff and contractors may enter a design, but family members of the judging panel may not.
• Judges’ decisions are final and no discussions shall be entered into.

The Edible Fashion Awards celebrates Hawke’s Bay – our unique connection to food and our innovative and creative people. The idea of considering food as a design material is what Edible grew from and it’s this idea that has resulted in some mind-blowing designs over the years. It’s this idea that has also made the event completely unique and wildly different to any other wearable art or fashion event in the country.

Values around accessibility, cultural inclusivity, the sustainability of our planet and healthy eating are very important to us. We love that Edible sparks discussion around some of these issues, particularly with our young people and we want all members of our community to have an opportunity to participate in the event. Designs do not have to cost a lot of money – we encourage designers to think about sourcing recycled materials, or food by-products that might otherwise be wasted or end up in a landfill: previous winning designs have been made from mushroom skins, crayfish shells, fish skins, biodegradable cutlery, harakeke, woven plastic grocery bags, fishing net and egg shells for example. We also encourage designers to draw inspiration from their own diverse cultures and traditions and to design in a way that is aligned with their values – if creating or modelling a garment made from food is not aligned, there are many other options.

The judging panel will assess designs based on four criteria:
1) Artistic Vision - the overall artistic vision and impact of the design
2) Creativity / Originality
3) Use of “Edible” materials
4) Standard of workmanship


Additional judging criteria for Open Categories:

• Jewellery & Accessory Award - the best jewellery or accessory item
• Keep Hastings Beautiful Award - the best use of recycled packaging and/or Hawke’s Bay grown or manufactured food
• Avant-garde Award - judges selection - to celebrate a design that is particularly experimental or innovative and pushes boundaries of what is accepted as the norm
• Top Model Award - judges selection - to celebrate the model, who most embodies confidence and sense of self on the runway
• Supreme Award - judged from the first place winners in each of the design categories
• People’s Choice Award - decided by public vote the week following the Awards

• Preliminary Judging and Designer Showcase will take place on Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 November, 2021. A detailed schedule for the Wednesday and Thursday will be confirmed in early August, following the registration deadline when we will have information on entry numbers.
• Preliminary judging will consist of two rounds. First, designs will be modelled in static display, allowing judges to see the workmanship up close and to chat with the designer. Second, designs will be modelled on the runway in a Designer Showcase, allowing judges to see how the design moves and its visual impact from a distance.
• If you are selected as a finalist for the Public Show, you and your model must also be available during the evening Thursday 2 September and during the day and evening on Friday 3 September, 2021.
• All entrants will be provided with further information in August, including confirmation of full schedule, as well as detailed instructions for registration and preliminary judging.
• Ticketing for Wednesday 1 and Thursday 2 September is by door sales only - $10 for Adults and $5 for 16 and under. Check back in August for a detailed schedule.

Tickets for the Public Show on Friday 3 September, 2021 will go on sale from mid-July 2021.

Ticketing for the Preliminary Judging rounds and Designer Showcase on Wednesday 1 / Thursday 2 September, 2021 is by cash door sales only - $10 for Adults and $5 for 16 and under. Check back in August for a detailed schedule.

If you have a burning question and haven't been able to find the answer on our website, please contact us on info@ediblefashionawards.co.nz or 022 108 5696.