The 2026 International Contest
Carrefour’s International Contest is an outstanding showcase for quilters from around the world.
A theme emerges from the minds of the organizing team in the fall every year. It kicks off the new contest, open to patchwork lovers from all over the globe. All the participants spend the next several months imagining and crafting their entries before registration, in the spring.
Then, three judges examine all the entries based on photos and select the 30 quilts that best represent this year’s theme and whose execution shows the finest quality.
The awards ceremony will take place on Friday, September 18 at 2:30 p.m. at the Pavillon Osmont in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines. It is open to all, with no guarantee of seating.
Visitors at Carrefour are encouraged to vote for the People’s Choice Award (a check worth €1,000 goes to the maker) during the 4 days of the show. The votes will be counted once the show is over, and the winner will be announced the week after the show.
Beyond the walls
From buzzing megacities to remote cabins, from ever-moving cities to peaceful retreats in nature — our habitat reflects how we live, the choices we make, our dreams, but also our fears, struggles, and hopes.
It can be built of stone or leaves, shaped by silence or neighborhood life, filled with memories or imagined landscapes.
Behind every house lies a story.
To inhabit is not just to build. It’s about coexisting with a place and adapting to a living balance.
More broadly, our homes are part of nature — that fragile, living fabric that connects people to the landscape.
This raises a vital question: What are we choosing to protect?
Beyond the walls, a world waiting to be told.
A story to invent, stitch by stitch.
The 30 finalists
The thirty finalists make up the annual exhibition of the International Contest, which is presented for the first time each year in September at the Carrefour – the European Quilt Show.
The award ceremony is held there with great fanfare to honor the artists with numerous awards that are then announced: the Best of Show, the People’s Choice Award, and prestigious gifts from the sponsors.
After this launch, the 30 works embark on a long journey over several months, traveling to top art galleries, museums, and patchwork events around the world — a wonderful opportunity for the artists to showcase their work internationally!
They will be presented to the public for the first time from September 17 to 20 at the Pavillon Osmont in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines. Come and discover them!
Important information
Deadline for entries
May 15, 2026
Registration fee per file
€30
Quilt size
80 x 120 cm (length x height)
Participation in the contest is only possible once the work has been completed.