The ancient Greeks believed that there were four basic elements of nature – earth, water, air, and fire – and they used these elements to classify everything in the world around them. In many ways, this idea has influenced our general understanding of the world ever since.

For the 2024 HATalk Competition, we challenged hat makers everywhere to create an original hat or headpiece inspired by the concept of WATER, one of the classical elements. This was an abstract theme that could be defined and interpreted in any number of ways. As always, we wanted everyone to be as creative as possible!

Four winners were chosen by a panel of expert judges, who focused on the following criteria: quality of workmanship (both inside and out), originality of design and connection to the theme. The Public Prize Winner was selected through an online vote.

We received 70 fabulous entries from around the world. Click on the images below to find out more about each one.

Our expert judging panel was made up of Denise Innes-Spencer, Judy Bentinck and Anél Heyman.

In addition to the Judges’ choices, one Public Prize winner was chosen through an online vote.

The following prizes were shared between the 2024 HATalk Competition Winners.

The HATalk Competition is an online, photo-based competition. It is open to anyone, anywhere in the world, and entry is free of charge.

When you have finished making your entry, you will need to photograph it. The judges will make their decision based solely on the images that you submit so make sure to take high-quality images that show your entry at its best, including a photo of the inside so that the judges can see your workmanship. If possible, we’d like to see photographs of your hat being worn by a real person to demonstrate fit and balance. For examples of outstanding entries, check out our past HATalk Competition Winners.

Once you have your images ready, fill in the online submission form and upload your images by the closing date – Wednesday, 4 December 2024 at 23:59 GMT/London Time. You will also need to provide a written description of how your entry relates to the competition theme – WATER – and list the materials and techniques that you used to create it.

Please don’t enter hats or headpieces that have previously been entered into any other exhibition, competition or contest. We are looking for original pieces that have not been submitted for judging before. Read the following rules and requirements carefully before submitting your entry.

• Only one entry is allowed per person.
• There is no fee to enter this competition and no purchase is necessary.
• Completed online entry forms with uploaded image(s) must be received by 23:59 (GMT) on Wednesday 4 December 2024 – submissions received after this date will not be accepted.
• Individuals must be at least 16 years of age to enter.
• This is an international hat making competition – entries are accepted from any country.
• Submissions must be an original design made by the person entering the competition.
• Submission must not have been entered, at present or in the past, into any other competition, contest or exhibition, either online or in person.
• By submitting an entry, you are giving permission for your photos and the information relating to your entry to be shared on the HATalk website, newsletter and on our social media channels.
• All hat styles will be given equal consideration.
• There are no size regulations – both hats and fascinators can be entered.
• Written descriptions should not exceed the maximum word count and must be in English.
• Materials and techniques should be entered as a list.
• Hats must be entered under the maker’s actual name, not the name of a business.
• The allocation of the prizes is at the sole discretion of the competition organisers.
• Prizes are not redeemable for cash and cannot be resold, transferred or exchanged. No change will be given for part-use and expiry dates must be adhered to.
• The organisers reserve the right to offer an alternative and substitution for any prize in exceptional circumstances.
• The stated cash values of non-cash prizes are approximate and are subject to change.
• The judges’ decision is final. No further correspondence will be entered into upon their decision. Unfortunately, it is not possible to provide individual feedback on competition entries.

The judges will make their decision based on the images that you submit, so please provide high-quality photographs of your work. Please read through the following image requirements carefully to make sure that your photos are accepted.

• You must submit at least 3 images with your entry.
• Videos are not allowed.
• Include 1 image of the inside of your entry, so that the judges can see your workmanship.
• If possible, please also include 1 or more images of your entry being worn by a real person. This is not a requirement but it will help the judges to get a better idea of the fit and balance of your piece.
• You may include up to a maximum of 5 images. The judges will be shown all submitted images but the organisers reserve the right to limit the number of images displayed on the website for public viewing.
• All images should be 1000 pixels wide x 1250 pixels high. Images of different sizes will be accepted but they will be hard cropped to 1000 pixels x 1250 pixels for display on our website and some content may be lost.
• The images must be either PNG or JPEG file types. Please do not upload PDFs or other file types.
• Images may not have any added writing, text, logos, watermarks, frames or filters.
• No collages are allowed – each image should be of a single view of your creation.