MEDIA RELEASE Immediate release [Insert date] Time to craft the perfect entry Entries open for the

2013 Royal Melbourne Show Art, Craft & Cookery Competition Entries are now open for the 2013 Royal Melbourne Show Art, Craft & Cookery Competition conducted by Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria (RASV) with more than $30,000 in prizes on offer. This year, the RASV will award $1,000 to the Best in Show art exhibit, with all remaining category champions receiving $500 worth of prize money and trophies. In addition more than $10,000 worth of vouchers have been supplied by Tupperware for all cookery, decorated cakes, preserves and junior sections, as well as the Popular Choice Awards. Entries in the Royal Melbourne Show Art, Craft and Cookery competition will be displayed during the 2013 Royal Melbourne Show from Saturday, 21 September to Wednesday, 2 October at Melbourne Showgrounds where home grown talent will showcase more than 400 classes, from cake decorating and preserves to millinery, fashion and photography. RASV CEO Mark OSullivan said, The Art, Craft & Cookery Competition is open to people of all ages and the cross-section of sections and classes means there really is an opportunity for everyone to enter. Theres nothing like winning a blue ribbon in the Royal Melbourne Show Art, Craft & Cookery competition and this year we have increased the prize money to make entering even more appealing, said Mr OSullivan. This year the RASV has introduced three classes with the support of Patons the Royal Baby Award (knitting), Crochet Baby Award (crochet) and Contemporary Challenge, where entrants have the chance to win $500 by designing and creating a fashion accessory with wool. Students can also test their creativity around this years theme How does your woolly garden grow? This year the Needlework Tapestry Guild will celebrate its 50th anniversary with the introduction of the Phillip Peck Award, worth $500, for outstanding tapestry.

As a new initiative to involve a younger generation of crafting artists, The Great Tea Cosy Swap has been introduced for the 2013 Art, Craft and Cookery competition as a free open class. Each tea cosy entered will be matched by a monetary donation to the McGrath Foundation and at the conclusion of the Royal Melbourne Show tea cosies will be swapped and returned randomly to participants. For your convenience, Art, Craft and Cookery competition entries can be lodged via the new online system. The RASV encourages competitors to utilise this quick, simple facility to enter the Art, Craft and Cookery Competition this year. For more information, or to enter the Art, Craft & Cookery Competition visit http://www.rasv.com.au/Events/RMS_Home/RMS_Art_Home/ or contact Annette Shiell of the RASV on +61 3 9281 7444 or at annette.shiell@rasv.com.au. [ENDS] For all media enquiries please contact Wrights PR for the RASV 03 9690 9911: Jess Jafer, Account Executive, on +61 403 042 855 or at jjafer@wrights.com.au