Textiles – Woven Competition: What It Is, Where It’s Run and How It’s Judged

An individual art entry for teens aged 13 to 19 in which the entrant presents a piece made by interlacing threads or strips on a loom or frame, rated by the panel.

Woven textiles are made by interlacing two sets of threads, the warp that runs lengthways and the weft that passes over and under it. The entrant submits one finished woven piece, such as a small wall hanging, a table mat, a bookmark band or a sampler of patterns, made on a loom, a frame or a simple card or cardboard loom.

In eTalenter’s templates the item appears once, in an international teen talent competition run at state or regional level and then at national level. It sits in the Art category beside two other textile classes: Knitted/Crocheted, where loops are formed with needles or a hook, and Non-Woven/Surface Design, where cloth is decorated or built without weaving. Weaving is therefore the class for work whose structure comes from interlaced threads. It is an individual entry for Teens (13-19), open to boys and girls together, in English. The assignment sets a maximum score of 5 and prints no time limit, because the piece is made beforehand and brought in.

On the day the piece is registered, labelled with the entrant’s number and laid flat or hung for the judges, who handle and look closely at the edges, the pattern and the back. A good woven piece has even tension, straight selvedges (the side edges), a clear design and tidy finished ends. A short title card is usual, and an organiser may allow a line on the fibres used.

Organisers run a textile class because it rewards patient craft skills that rarely appear in a drawing or painting show. For coordinators using eTalenter it is entered like any other Art item: register the entrant, record the panel’s rating, and the ranking is calculated within the Teens group.

Where Textiles – Woven is run

In eTalenter’s data this Textiles – Woven item appears on one template: an international teen talent competition for the 13 to 19 age band. Textile and craft classes are a familiar part of school and youth exhibitions, but this page describes only the format that template defines.

• International teen talent competition (state, regional and national levels)

Key facts

• Individual entry: one teen makes and submits one piece.
• Single age group, Teens (13-19); boys and girls compete together; English.
• Rated by the panel and ranked within the Teens group; the assignment sets a maximum score of 5.
• No time limit in the template, because the piece is made in advance and displayed.
• Woven work only: knitted or crocheted pieces and surface-decorated cloth belong in the sibling textile classes.
• Idea starters, not rules: a striped bookmark, a small table mat in two colours, a pattern sampler, a woven wall hanging on a stick.

On eTalenter, Textiles – Woven is filed under Art and typically scored with Rating out of 10. It appears in 1 ready-made event templates — each one can adjust its time limit, age-group assignment and scoring setup independently.

Across the templates that use it, Textiles – Woven is most often entered as an Individual competition, typically scored out of 5.

What judges look at in Textiles – Woven

What a Textiles – Woven panel is actually weighing up, and where the marks are usually won or lost:

• Evenness and tension: the weave should be firm and regular, with no gaps, loose loops or puckering along the sides.
• Edges and finishing: straight selvedges, secured ends and a neat back show control of the craft.
• Pattern and design: a planned arrangement of colour and structure rather than a random mix of threads.
• Idea and originality: a clear intention, such as a theme, a motif or a colour story, that is the entrant’s own work.
• Presentation on arrival: a clean, flat or well-hung piece with a tidy label; creases, stains and loose threads lose marks.

Treat these as the judging focus, not a fixed rubric: publish your own weighted criteria for Textiles – Woven under Scoring Setup, or start from the full art and drawing judging criteria guide.

How to prepare for Textiles – Woven

How entrants and their teachers usually get Textiles – Woven right on the day:

• Choose a size you can finish well; a small even piece scores better than a large uneven one.
• Pick one or two yarns of similar thickness and test the tension on a short sample before starting the real piece.
• Plan the pattern on graph paper first, marking colour changes row by row.
• Keep the warp threads evenly spaced and pull the weft gently so the side edges stay straight.
• Secure all ends by knotting or weaving them back in, then trim, and press or flatten the piece lightly before entry.
• Add a short title card and carry the piece flat in a clean folder so it arrives uncreased.

Frequently asked questions

Is Textiles – Woven judged individually or as a team?

Across eTalenter’s templates it’s most often run as an Individual entry, though an organiser can set either participation type when assigning the item to an age group.

Do I need a loom to enter Textiles – Woven?

The template does not specify equipment, so check with your organiser. Many teens weave on a frame loom, a card loom or a simple cardboard loom.

How is Woven different from Knitted/Crocheted?

Woven cloth is made by interlacing warp and weft threads. Knitted and crocheted work forms loops with needles or a hook, and has its own class in the same template.

Is there a time limit?

The template prints none, because the piece is made beforehand and brought to the display. Ask the organiser for the entry deadline and size limits.

Can a group or team enter?

No. In this template it is an individual entry, so each teen submits their own piece.

Want the full judging picture? Read the full art and drawing judging criteria guide, or browse every art competition item.