Entrants are required to design and enter a garment of their own choice in the fabric/fibre suitable to the section. Garments must be made within the last 12 months.    

Garments shown at graduation shows/showcases are allowed as are garments entered in school sections that have been previously entered in their school make & model shows provided that no photos or videos of such garments are available to be viewed on public, open social media accounts and/or other digital platforms.  The only exception to this is when the garments are shown in promotional materials created, shared and/or distributed by design schools/schools which contain digital images/video of the garment(s) entered. Garments that have been entered in any other competitions are not permitted to enter.

There are no design restrictions however at least 80% of the entered must be of original construction. Designers may a suitably qualified person to make all or some of the garment.  Designers may provide accessories for their entry, however, accessories must make up no more than 20% of the entire entry.  It is within the discretion of the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards committee to assess whether an entry has complied with this 80/20 condition. Garments deemed unsafe or impractical to be on the catwalk will still be judged but may be displayed in some other way during the show.

Entrants who design and create garments (of any type or form) for commercial trade are not eligible to enter the Hokonui Fashion Awards. Organisers reserve the right to accept or reject any entry under this clause. 

Entry is open to all ages. You do not have to be a design student to enter the Awards. To be eligible to enter the school sections, entrants must be enrolled as a primary, intermediate or secondary school student at date of entry.

To be eligible for the ‘The Young Designer Award’, you must be 21 years of age on the 30 June 2026, and you must state date of birth on your entry form when entering.

To enter: Entrants must complete one Entry Form per garment . Each garment may only be entered in one section. The completed online entry form and entry fee must be received no later than Friday 22 May 2026.  See above for more details.

A) Garment Details Form: Download copy of Garment Detail (PDF) at the top of this page. Print and complete two copies to accompany garment. Garments are to have arrived by 5pm Wednesday 24 June 2026. Any garments received after this time will no longer be eligible for entry. Please refer to the important checklist, below, of items that must each garment to successfully complete your entry process.
B) Garment Delivery Requirements: Proper packaging and dispatch of garments and the costs are the responsibility of the entrant.  All garments must be packaged for posting/delivery.  Such packages must be named.  The organisers take no responsibility for garments lost in transit.  Please use Mainfrieght, our accredited courier.  Please make sure the return address is correct and you have a return tracked ticket enclosed.  Failure to comply with this will mean your garment may not be accepted.  Any contact with Mainfreight Gore regarding the delivery status of your garment may mean your garment is withdrawn – please use your tracking number for this purpose.

Personal deliveries will be accepted between 1-3pm on Wednesday 24 June 2026 to Gore Town & Country Club, Bury St. Please note: Garments still need to be in an appropriate package with correct paperwork. Personal collection of garments, after the show, is Monday 27 July 2026 from the Gore Town and Country between 9am - 10am only.

Address to send garments: Hokonui Fashion Design Awards, c/o Mainfreight Transport Gore, 2 Oldham Steet, Gore, 9710.

Garment preferred sizes: 10 – 12.
Male size: 102-108cm chest.  Waist 81-86cm.

Garments will be modelled by models selected by the organisers.  Designers are unable to specify their own models.

At no time shall a designer make contact with a model, member of the HFDA Wardrobe team or member of the judging panel, either in person or via message communication regarding garments in the 2025 HFDA Show. Any contact will result in immediate disqualification of the designers garment(s).

Once garments are in the hands of the organisers they cannot be uplifted until Monday 27July 2026 between the hours of 9am - 10am, from the Mackay Room at the Gore Town and Country Club. No garments can be collected on the Saturday night after the show.

It is the responsibility of entrants to insure their property from the time of initial dispatch to the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards through to its return to the entrant.    

Garments will be on and off models many times during fittings, judging and shows.  Organisers will take care to prevent makeup and other markings during this time but are not responsible for marks or damage to garment due to being worn.

If you wish to withdraw your garment, you must notify the entries co-ordinator by 12pm on the 30th May 2026 to be eligible for a refund of your entry fee. If entries are withdrawn after this date, the Hokonui Fashion Design Awards committee still need to be notified so we can withdraw entry and ensure our information is updated and correct.

Organisers may keep prize-winning garments for up to 12 months after the Awards for promotion and display purposes. The Award of Excellence garment becomes part of the permanent HFDA Display Collection and will be retained by the HFDA Committee for at least two years after the show it was entered in with the right to retain longer if needed.

Organisers have the right to use any photography and video footage taken over the course of the event for publicity and promotional purposes. HFDA has no obligation to commission and/or supply images and/or videography of any/all garments.

All contact from designers relating to any part of the 2026 Hokonui Fashion Design Awards must be directed to the Entries
Co-ordinator.  Failure to do so may result in the designers garment being withdrawn.

In the event that the MLT Hokonui Fashion Design Awards 2026 is cancelled, the following refunds will be given to designers:

By entering the 2026 MLT Hokonui Fashion Design Awards, the entrant accepts all conditions of entry and declares that all details are true and correct.

Privacy:
21.1 - For the purpose of facilitating the efficient running and of the HFDA show, entrants authorise HFDA;
21.1.1 - To collect and retain personal information about them including (but not limited to) the entrants name, address, details, date of birth, bank account numbers, and education provider; and
21.1.2  - To use certain information (such as name, town, education provider) & disclose as necessary either publicly and/or to contractors engaged by the HFDA committee, for the purpose of producing the HFDA show and materials associated with same (such as the HFDA website, digital platforms, programmes and on-screen displays). Personal details may be used by the HFDA committee for future and/or on-going contact with entrants in connection with HFDA matters.
21.2 - Information will be collected, held and used on the condition that;
21.2.1 - It will be held securely within the HFDA digital workspace
21.2.3 - It will not be released to a third party (other than set out above) without the entrants written authorisation.
21.3 - To the extent required under the Privacy Act 1993, entrants entitled to have access to and request correction of the information which has been collected by HFDA.

All judges decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into.