At the close of the 2022 Great Wisconsin Quilt Show, our event team discovered an issue with our 2021-22 Quilt Contest. The quilt selected as Best of Show was awarded in error because it had been exhibited at our 2018 event.

According to our Quilt Contest rules, “Quilts must have been made in the last five years and must not have been exhibited previous years at The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show.”

Therefore, this quilt should not have been accepted into the 2021-22 Quilt Contest. However, this does not diminish the high level of skill executed in the creation of this amazing work of art, and we are honored to have showcased such talent at our event.

The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show accepts full responsibility for this error, and we are taking steps to ensure this never happens again.

Officially, the Best of Show title will be awarded to a different quilt that received a top place in one of the ten categories in the Quilt Contest. We will award the $1,500 prize and Best of Show ribbon to the new 2021-22 Best of Show winner.

The integrity of our Quilt Contest and event are high priorities of our team. But another unfortunate result of this error is that the new Best of Show winner was not celebrated or showcased as such during our 2022 Great Wisconsin Quilt Show. To help remedy this, we will showcase the new Best of Show-winning quilt on social media, and we have invited them to exhibit their quilt in a celebratory position at the 2023 Great Wisconsin Quilt Show to honor their accomplishment.

The Great Wisconsin Quilt Show sincerely apologizes for this mistake. We know that mind, body and soul goes into making these incredible quilts, and entries are submitted with great pride. Rightfully so, this is an emotional endeavor, and we do not take this error lightly.

Congratulations to the new Best of Show winner, Barbara Clem from Rockford, Illinois and her quilt pictured here, “Lullabye in 3/4 Time.”