This prize makes visible, the spectrum of Black, Brown and minoritised excellence within a framework of creativity.

The aim of the FACE Excellence Prize is to amplify Black, Brown and minoritised creativity as a broad and limitless possibility and inspire all our minoritised creatives - working within a white centric system, to find belonging in a prize that recognises their unique contribution to style, culture, fashion and society.

NB: Open to all Black, Brown and minoritised creatives who identify as non-white.

Eligibility

Open to all Black, Brown and minoritised final year students in any BA fashion related course in the UK that could include but is not limited to journalism, marketing, photography, communication, fashion design, textile design, hair and make-up design, styling, creative direction.

Your Institution does not have to be a member of the Graduate Fashion Foundation. 

Submission

For this prize students can self-nominate. Tutors are not required to be involved in the selection of student work.

- Please submit your final BA project for consideration.  

- You will need to include your Institution, Course and Tutor to be considered.

Criteria

• Upload a selection of your final project of no more that 15 pages in one continuous PDF.

• You must also either:

  • Submit a film of no longer that 59 secs on Instagram detailing the ideas and outcomes of your project with the hashtag #FACE-Excellence. Students will not be judged upon the quality of the film submission, but its content and the way in which ideas, personality and mood are communicated as part of the film presentation.

  • Or submit a written statement of no more than 500 words detailing the ideas and outcomes of your project

• An initial digital submission of no more than 15x pages for the nomination for shortlisting. The full physical body of work will be displayed for the final judging session.

• The nomination can be a maximum of 10mb, illustrating the final project and a supporting statement.

Process

Part 1

Monday 23rd May, 2022 18:00 - Deadline for submission, students are to self-nominate and the nominations must be made by clicking on the link below:

This is a digital submission of a maximum of 15 pages of your BA project and a filmed hash-tagged Instagram post or written statement.  

Please visit https://forms.gle/WEtUY6nsuy8sRA2N9 to upload your submission.

Selection 

Industry experts will shortlist 12 students from entries submitted.

Tuesday 7th June 2022 - The names of the shortlisted students will be announced.

Part 2: 

Judging 

Tuesday 21st June 2022 - Awards Judging in central London onsite at GFW. Shortlisted students must bring their full entry for the final judging. This can be physical work plus digital elements if required. The judging will be an opportunity to talk through the students work, ideas and answer questions from the esteemed industry panel of black, brown and minoritised practitioners. 

All nominated students must attend the full judging day during GFW and ensure they attend all talks, meetings and judging sessions as well as the end of day Awards Presentation and celebratory networking event. Winners will receive a cash prize and promotion across the GFF networks.

Prize

A winner will receive £250 and FACE membership 

X2 runner ups will also be announced and receive £150 each. 

The winner will be presented with their prize during the daily award show at the Graduate Fashion Week  2022.

Award created by FACE: Fashion Academics Creating Equality www.weareface.uk in association with Graduate Fashion Foundation

PROCESS

PART 1

Monday 23rd May 2022 18:00 - Deadline for submission, students are to self-nominate and the nominations must be made by clicking on the link below:

This is a digital submission of a maximum of 15 pages of your BA project and a filmed hash-tagged Instagram post or written statement.  

Please visit https://forms.gle/WEtUY6nsuy8sRA2N9 to upload your submission.

Selection - Industry experts will shortlist 12 students from entries submitted.

Thursday 7th June 2022 - The names of the shortlisted students will be announced

PART 2

Judging - Thursday 23rd June 2022 - Awards Judging in central London.

Awards Judging in central London onsite at GFW. Shortlisted students must bring their full entry for the final judging. This can be physical work plus digital elements if required. The judging will be an opportunity to talk through the students work, ideas and answer questions from the esteemed industry panel of black, brown and minoritised practitioners. 

Winners will receive a cash prize and promotion across the GFF networks.

Last year’s prize was won by Joy Julius. Learn more about her project and what she had to say about the award here.

Learn about the inaugural prize below:

FACE is proud to collaborate with Graduate Fashion Forum

Collection by Evelyne Babin

Since last year FACE members Benita Odogwu-Atkinson, Gavin Douglas and Beatrice Newman have been working with Graduate Fashion Forum, the UK’s fashion student launch pad into industry, to amplify the presence of Black and Brown creatives with a special prize.

The prize will be judged by an esteemed industry panel of; NewGen Prize-winning and LVMH Award Shortlisted Designer Bianca Saunders, Creative Director and Cultural Curator Harris Elliott and Designer, Educator and Co-Founder of FACE Andrew Ibi.

For the first time in its 30-year history, this particular prize is open to all further education institutions and not just those that are members of the Graduate Fashion Foundation. FACE are keen to ensure that we can reach all our young creatives nationwide. Students who identify as non-white, are able to nominate themselves by submitting their final projects alongside video or written statements in support of their work.