Student Showcase

Your idea. Your creative voice. Your moment.

Australian Wearable Art Festival invites students in Years 9–12 to imagine, create and bring an idea to life.

You might love art, design, fashion, sculpture, textiles, technology, making things with your hands — or simply have an idea that you can’t stop thinking about. Whatever your starting point, the National Student Showcase is an opportunity to explore what you’re capable of and create something that is uniquely yours.

This is your opportunity to create without limits.

There is no single way to make wearable art and no expectation that you already have all the answers. Start with an idea. Be curious. Experiment with materials, form, structure, movement and texture. Learn new skills. Ask questions. Make mistakes. Try again.
And then take it to the stage.

The National Student Wearable Art Showcase gives young creatives a rare opportunity to have their work seen on a national stage, alongside other emerging artists and in front of an audience who genuinely wants to see what you have imagined.

It is a chance to meet other young creatives, connect with artists and become part of the Australian wearable art community – a place where being different, thinking differently and making something unexpected is celebrated.

At AWAF, we believe creative talent needs somewhere to grow.

The National Student Showcase is our opportunity to nurture the next generation of artists, designers and makers — to give young people with imagination, curiosity and creative skills a platform to be seen, heard and celebrated.

You never know where one idea, one experiment or one piece of wearable art might take you.

To help answer your questions, please read the following documents.

National Student Wearable Art Showcase Artists Guide 2027

Terms, Conditions and Entry Requirements

Application Form

You can save your progress at any time and return later using “Save and Resume” at the bottom of the form.

Welcome and thank you!

The AWAF team acknowledges the courage and commitment it takes to enter any awards, and we are thrilled that you have chosen to enter the National Student Wearable Art Showcase. The student is the entrant. Every entry must also have a Nominated Adult Contact so AWAF can communicate appropriately with the student, family and/or school.

Before you begin: 2027 Entry Checklist
  • Entrants must be Australian students in Year 9, Year 10, Year 11 or Year 12 in 2027, or the equivalent level of secondary education.
  • A Student Team may include a maximum of 3 eligible students in total.
  • The entry fee is AUD $50 per artwork. Each artwork requires a separate entry form and a separate AUD $50 payment.
  • Artwork may be at concept stage, early development, work in progress, substantially completed or completed when entered.
  • Before starting, have the student and education details, Nominated Adult Contact details, creative-background response, artwork concept, supporting visual material, materials information and payment details ready. Clear, well-lit images will help the Selection Panel understand the work.
  • There are no entry categories and students do not nominate an award. Every eligible finalist will be considered for the relevant awards.
  • You don't need to complete the entry in one sitting. Use Save and Resume at the bottom of the form to save your progress and return within 30 days. Uploaded files are not saved and will need to be added again.
  • Before payment and submission, the Nominated Adult Contact will be asked to read and accept the NSS 2027 Terms, Conditions & Entry Requirements, Code of Conduct and Privacy Collection Notice.
  • If selected as a finalist, each student and, where required, their parent or guardian will complete the separate finalist Photograph & Film Consent process.

01 About the Student Entry

Select one option: Individual Student or Student Team. A Student Team may include a maximum of 3 eligible students in total.
Enter the student's first name. For a team entry, list the first student here.
Enter the student's last name. For a team entry, list the first student here.
Select the student's school year level in 2027. Home-educated students should select the equivalent level.
If the student has their own email address and would like to receive copies of routine entry communications, enter it here. AWAF will still communicate through the Nominated Adult Contact.

02 School or Home-Education Details

Select one option: School or Home Education.
Select the state or territory where the school / home-education is located.
Enter school or home-education postcode.
If relevant, provide an official school or school-department social-media account. Do not enter a student's personal social-media account.

03 Nominated Adult Contact

Who should be the adult contact?
Every entry must include a Nominated Adult Contact. This may be a parent, guardian, teacher, home-education parent/educator or another responsible adult involved in supporting the entry. AWAF will send all formal entry communications to this person. Students may also receive copies where their email addresses have been provided.
Enter the first name of the adult AWAF should contact about this entry.
Enter the last name of the adult AWAF should contact about this entry.
Select the option that best describes this person.
Enter the email address AWAF should use for all formal communication about this entry.
Enter the best phone number for AWAF to use if it needs to contact this adult about the entry.

04 Accessibility or Support Requirements

If the student may need an adjustment or practical support to complete the entry or participate in the Showcase if selected, tell us here. Describe the practical support that may be helpful; you do not need to provide a diagnosis or medical details. You may also contact wendy@australianwearableart.com.au privately.

05 About the Student or Student Team

Tell us briefly about your creative interests, things you enjoy making, subjects or materials you like working with, and any relevant experience. You do not need to have made wearable art before. For a team entry, you may provide one combined response.
Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload You can upload up to 5 files.
If you have examples of previous creative work that help us understand what you like to make or the skills you are developing, upload them here. These do not need to be wearable art. School projects, personal projects, textiles, sculpture, fashion, craft, drawing, design, jewellery, costume or other creative work are all welcome. You will not be disadvantaged if you do not yet have a portfolio or previous wearable-art experience.

Images must be JPG or PNG files, no larger than 5MB each. Please name each file with your full name and a number, e.g. JoeBloggs1.jpg, JoeBloggs2.jpg.

06 2027 Wearable Artwork Details

Open entry

The National Student Wearable Art Showcase is one open field. There are no entry categories and students do not nominate an award. Every eligible finalist will be considered for the relevant awards. You may wish to review the NSS 2027 Student Awards before preparing the entry.

Enter the title of the proposed wearable artwork. A working title is fine at entry stage and may be refined if the entry is selected as a finalist.
Select the option that best describes the artwork now: Concept / Early Development / Work in Progress / Substantially Completed / Completed. Whatever stage the work is at, give the Selection Panel enough clear information to understand what you intend to create.

07 Tell Us About Your Wearable Artwork

Tell us in your own voice

This is the heart of the application. We want to understand the student's idea and what they hope to create. Students do not need to use formal art language - clear, thoughtful writing in their own voice is exactly what we want.

Describe the proposed wearable artwork in up to 350 words. You do not need formal or academic language - write clearly and in your own voice. Tell us about the central idea, story or inspiration; what you hope the work will communicate or make an audience feel; what the completed work looks like or may look like, including form, silhouette, scale and visual impact; and how it relates to the body and may move on the runway. Include a change or reveal only if it is genuinely part of the idea.

08 Show Us Your Idea

Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload You can upload up to 6 files.
Upload visual material that helps the Selection Panel understand what you intend to create. This may include sketches or drawings, a mood board, material samples or experiments, construction tests, photographs of work in progress, or photographs of a substantially completed or completed artwork. You do not need to be skilled at drawing - use the visual material that best explains the idea.

Up to 6 files (JPG, PNG or PDF), maximum 5 MB each.
Previous school or public presentation

Your artwork may have been used for school assessment, displayed or shared publicly before you decided to enter the National Student Wearable Art Showcase. However, from the time you decide to enter, no photographs, videos, sketches or other representations of your entry—including work-in-progress or detail images—may be published or shared on social media, websites, official school accounts or any other public-facing platform until its official Showcase presentation. Private sharing for school assessment, teacher feedback and your NSS application is permitted. The artwork must remain the student or Student Team’s original creative work.

09 Materials and Making

List the main materials you intend to use in your artwork.
In up to 150 words, explain how you plan to shape, join, construct, treat or otherwise work with the materials. Include any experiments, technical challenges, unusual methods or innovations that are important to the artwork. Describe transformation only where it is genuinely part of the idea.
Sustainability and award eligibility

AWAF encourages thoughtful material choices, including reuse, recycling, repurposing and innovative transformation where appropriate; all suitable materials are welcome. Students do not nominate an award at entry. Relevant finalists may later be asked for material-source information needed to confirm award eligibility, including the 80% principal-visible-material threshold for the Trash Transformed Award.

10 Help, Guidance and External Assistance

It is okay to have support

Students may receive encouragement, teaching, advice, feedback and appropriate practical help. We simply need to understand what the student created and whether significant creative, technical, specialist or digital assistance contributed to the entry. Appropriate assistance does not automatically disadvantage an entry.

Did a teacher, parent, mentor, contractor, specialist fabricator, generative AI tool or other external assistance make a significant contribution to the concept, imagery, design, construction or presentation? Select Yes or No. Ordinary classroom teaching, encouragement and general feedback do not need to be listed unless they materially shaped or made part of the entered work.

11 What excites you most about this artwork?

In up to 100 words, tell us what you are most excited about, proud of or curious to see come to life. Focus on one or two things that give the work its creative energy rather than repeating the full concept or materials response.

12 Final Entry Acknowledgements

Before submitting

These acknowledgements are completed by the Nominated Adult Contact submitting the form. The student should read the student-facing declarations with that adult.

Pay with Stripe
Minimum Price: $50.00
Save and Resume Later

AWAF 2026 – Entries Now Open

Each year, the Australian Wearable Art Festival evolves – and 2026 will be no exception.

After five incredible years establishing AWAF as Australia’s leading celebration of wearable art, we’re thrilled to announce that we are expanding our show and moving to the Novotel Sunshine Coast where we will be offering our artists and audiences an experience like no other.

Whether you’re already part of our creative family or stepping onto our runway for the first time, this is your moment to shine – bring the bold, the fabulous, and the utterly jaw-dropping.

What’s in store for 2026:

  • Same spirit and connection. AWAF prides itself on being a welcoming and inclusive environment for artists to meet, to be inspired and to be creatively challenged. The unique AWAF backstage environment will expand in 2026 with plenty of space allocated for artists, models, hair and makeup artists, photographers, dressers and volunteers all come together. It is often hard to believe that this is a competition, as everyone likens it to more a close-knit community of likeminded creatives.   
  • Align with one of our much-loved categories. No matter what your concept, there are plenty of options with our four main categories being Trashion, Avant Garde, Elements of Nature and Abstract Form. See full category details and entry guidelines in downloadable PDFs below.
  • A living gallery. AWAF likens itself more to a gallery than a catwalk. Each artwork and artist is showcased with care and respect.    
  • New venue, new energy. With a reimagined catwalk and an audience of up to 1,000 per show, expect a runway that’s bigger, braver, and built to amaze.
  • Two powerhouse performances. With expanded capacity, AWAF 2026 will return to two shows but become more than just a runway. There are more opportunities than ever to tell your story, to connect and to collaborate. You are involved in all parts of this fully immersive art experience.
  • Time to shine. Rehearsals and judging will take place on Friday 10 July, giving artists and models the time to refine their performance. Judging will run across both the Friday and Saturday, ensuring each creation gets the spotlight it deserves.
  • $15,500 prize pool — including a $5,000 Supreme Winner Award.

Event date: 11 July 2026
Entries close: 5pm, Monday 12 January 2026

Get ready to redefine the runway — we can’t wait to see your imagination take flight at AWAF 2026.

David Bongiorno 'Valkyrie'

Australian Wearable Art Festival – What’s Next?

Thank you to all the incredible artists who applied for AWAF 2025 — entries are now closed, and we’re so excited about what’s to come!

As we look ahead to AWAF 2026, we’re already shaping new ideas and bold changes.

While entries are not yet open, we encourage artists, designers, and creative thinkers from around the world to stay connected as we evolve our format, reimagine our venue, and continue pushing the boundaries of wearable art.

You can still download the Category Guidelines and Artist Information Pack below to get a feel for the AWAF experience. These documents remain a great reference for anyone interested in future festivals — though please note, there may be some changes for 2026.

Entry Guidelines

Register your interest as a designer in 2026