Image by Charleston Magazine

Update December 17:

The 16 semifinalists in Charleston Fashion Week's Emerging Designer Competition have been announced.

The competitors will show their fall collections in groups of four each night during CFW 2011 in March.

For more on who made the cut, hop over to the post.

First reporting:

Charleston Fashion Week is proud to announce it will be expanding the 2011 Emerging Designer Competition to include applicants from beyond the Southeast.

Organizers of the fifth annual Charleston Fashion Week have expanded the criteria for submissions to further advance the successful competition and double the number of semifinalists accepted to debut their fall collections. Pioneering this change, CFW Creative Director Ayoka Lucas adds, “This was an organic decision that will inevitability enhance the quality of collections shown and increase media attention for the 2011 semifinalists.”

Residents of Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia are now welcome to submit online applications for the 2011 competition.

The 2011 Emerging Designer Competition: East will showcase Fall collections from 16 aspiring designers throughout the five-night event. A panel of fashion experts will pick a nightly winner to move on to Saturday's finals, and the chance to walk away with a prize package to include: a free runway show during CFW 2012, a $20,000 website from F22 Designs, and a cash prize. Further details regarding the 2011 prize package will be announced later this summer.

For more information on all things Charleston Fashion Week, click here.