2023 HATalk Competition
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 2023 HATalk Competition, we challenged hat makers everywhere to create an original hat or headpiece inspired by the concept of EARTH, one of the classical elements. This was an abstract theme that can be defined and interpreted in any number of ways. As always, we wanted everyone to be as creative as possible!
The Judging
Four winners were chosen by a panel of expert judges, who looked at the following criteria:
- Quality of workmanship (both inside and out)
- Originality of design
- Connection to the theme
Our expert judging panel is made up of two returning judges, Denise Innes-Spencer and Judy Bentinck, and a brand new member – two-time HATalk Competition winner Anél Heyman.
Denise Innes-Spencer is the Founder and Creative Director of The British School of Millinery. Denise studied under Rose Cory and has been working in the field for over 30 years. She has collaborated with fashion and bridal designers such as Ben de Lisi, Jayne Boulton and Suzanne Neville and has also made hats for film and television. Denise’s first book, Tiara Headdresses, was published in 2017.
Judy Bentinck makes bespoke hats for high-end clients and celebrities. She comes from a background in textile design and theatre costume design and trained in the craft of millinery with Rose Cory. Judy is a Founder Member and Director of The British Hat Guild. She is the author of the instructional book Designing and Making Hats and Headpieces and runs a variety of millinery courses from her central London studio at Cockpit Arts. She also teaches a Millinery Workshop and Vintage Millinery Workshop at Central St Martin’s UAL.
Anél Heyman is the creative mind behind Anél Heyman Designs, creating beautifully handcrafted hats and headwear from her home studio in Brisbane, Australia. With over 12 years of perfecting her craft and learning from expert milliners around the world, Anél has developed her skills in traditional millinery as well as challenged herself with new materials and techniques to design unique and sophisticated headwear. She also teaches a variety of local and international workshops online and in person.
In addition to the Judges’ choices, one Public Prize winner was chosen through an online vote.
How to Enter
HATalk Competition Entry Details
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, 13 September 2023 at 23:59 BST/London Time. You will also need to provide a written description of how your entry relates to the competition theme – EARTH – 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. A full list of the competition rules and image requirements can be found at the bottom of this page.
The Prizes
The following prizes will be shared between the 2023 HATalk Competition Winners.
£500 Guy Morse-Brown Hat Block Voucher
A £500 (GBP) voucher for Guy Morse-Brown Hat Blocks. Voucher may be used toward shipping costs. Expires Sept 30, 2024.
£250 The Trimming Company Voucher
A £250 (GBP) voucher for The Trimming Company. Voucher may be used toward shipping costs.
300€ Plooij Hats and Materials Voucher
A 300€ (EUR) voucher for the Plooij Hats and Materials online millinery shop. Voucher may be used toward shipping costs.
$250 Ribbon Connections Voucher
A $250 (USD) voucher for Ribbon Connections, Inc. Voucher may be used toward shipping costs. Expires Dec 31, 2023.
Custom Fabric Flowers from M&S Schmalberg
A selection of handmade fabric flowers from New York City flower specialist M&S Schmalberg. This prize is worth approximately $250 (USD) and free shipping is included. The selected flowers will be at the sole discretion of M&S Schmalberg and cannot be exchanged or substituted for their cash value.
$250 B Unique Millinery Voucher
A $250 (AUD) voucher for B Unique Millinery. Voucher may be used toward shipping costs.
$100 Judith M Millinery Supply House Voucher
A $100 (USD) voucher for Judith M Millinery Supply House. Voucher may be used toward shipping costs.
Hatters Millinery Supplies Prize
2 x millinery prize packs containing a selection of quality materials from Hatters Millinery Supplies. Each prize pack is worth approximately $250 (AUD) and free standard shipping is included. The selected supplies will be at the sole discretion of Hatters Millinery Supplies and cannot be exchanged or substituted for their cash value.
1-Year Subscription to HATalk e-magazine
Unlimited access to all HATalk published issues and online tutorials for 1 year. If the winner has an existing HATalk subscription, the renewal date will be extended by 1 year. This prize is worth $60 (USD).
HATalk Competition Rules and Requirements
Read the following rules and requirements carefully before submitting your entry.
2023 HATalk Competition Terms and Conditions
- 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 (BST) on Wednesday 13 September 2023 – 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.
- Men’s and women’s hats 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 listed with bullet points.
- Hats should 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.
2023 HATalk Competition Image Requirements
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.
