Awards at AQC
Congratulations to the winners in 2025:
The Hall of Fame award: Pauline Rogers
Shining Light: Nickel Lambie
Rajah Award: Brenda Gael Smith
Lut-da Award: Beverley Perel
There are a number of exciting awards presented each year at the AQC Gala Dinner, recognising achievement in the quilting community.
Nominations for these awards can be accepted from any individual or group. They are designed to acknowledge people who have made an outstanding contribution or achievement in the area of quilting.
Rajah Award
This award acknowledges an outstanding contribution to quilting in Australia, whether it be a contribution as a quilting teacher, designer, author, historian, guild worker, retailer, etc or a combination of work in several of these areas. This award is called the ‘Rajah Award’ in tribute to the historic Rajah quilt made by convict women en route to Australia in 1841.
Lut-da Award
This award acknowledges an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to their community through quilting. Their work may have been to assist individuals or groups in need, or to develop programs to assist the general community, and must have utilised the medium of quilting. This award will recognise an individual who has worked for their community, via the medium of quilting. It is called Lut-Da after the aboriginal word meaning “to give”.
Shining Light Award
We believe in the importance of encouraging our junior quilters. With this aim, we present a special award to recognise achievement by a junior quilter. The Shining Light Award has a nominee age limit of up to 18 years of age.
Previous Rajah Winners are:
Narelle Grieve – 2005
Margaret Rolfe – 2006
Lessa Siegele – 2007
Faye Cunningham – 2008
Gloria Loughman – 2009
Barbara Macey – 2010
Mary Hitchens – 2011
Judy Hooworth – 2012
Jenny Bowker – 2013
Michele Hill – 2014
Di Ford-Hall – 2015
Beth Miller – 2016
Lynn Hewitt – 2017
Julie Haddrick – 2018
Jan Frazer – 2019
Pam Holland – 2022
Jen Kingwell – 2023
Lorraine Carthew – 2024
The Quilting Community Awards are awarded by
The Hall of Fame award:
This is a special award, presented by Expertise Events to recognise long term service in the quilting and sewing industry. Past winners have been Di Hobbes of Blessington, Judy Hall of Punch with Judy, Kerrie Hay of Bernina, Deborah Segaert of Universal magazines, Kathy Doughty of Material Obsession.