Indianapolis is known for hosting the world’s largest motor race – the Indianapolis 500 – but did you also know it is now home to a completely different kind of competition?

I recently returned from “Indy,” where I was a guest of Indiana Fashion Week and served as a judge for its local emerging designer prize. As part of my work at the CFDA, I have served on selection committees for several young talent programs, most notably the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund. The other judges joining me in Indianapolis were designer Rinat Brodach from Season One of “Making the Cut,” and Elliot Carlyle, who works as the coordinator for CFDA Connects, a program that provides support to regional fashion weeks.

The talented designers I met in Indianapolis were impressive from start to finish, and the creators of INDFW did a perfect job organizing the initiative.

The competing designers were:

* Stacy Hogan from BBS Clothier – Built By Stacy featured extended sizes in her beautiful collection.

* Emily Gartner showed a wedding and garden party-inspired collection with custom textiles – perfect as she is preparing for her son’s wedding.

* Jessica Palmer of Jewel Fire Clothing named her collection “Dancing With Myself” – and mixed denim, vinyl, and dragon brocade.

* Monty Matuka’s brand is MELI, which stands for More Equality, Less Ignorance. His mission is to promote confidence, community, and mindfulness. In addition, the brand seeks to promote equality and cross-cultural awareness.

* Dara Brandon from Wear in the World loves to travel and creates clothes you can wear anytime, everywhere.

* Misty Dodson of Bond Girl No. 9 is a graduate of the Art Institute of Indianapolis. She is committed to cruelty-free materials and showed elegant faux furs and vegan leather.

* Cahmelan Porter from Komäfi is known for upcycled streetwear.

* Starry Richard started StarBone Designs with the desire to empower women by giving them unique garments with a classic silhouette and flirty flair.

It is never easy to select one winner when there is so much talent deserving of an award. In the end, the selection committee decided to award Monty Matuka, who won $5,000 toward production costs.

The fashion industry tends to focus on New York and Los Angeles. But, as I reminded the guests at an INDFW reception, the “A” in CFDA stands for America, and fashion talent lives and works all across the country.

With CFDA Connects, we are committed to bolding the A in our name.