FACE Excellence Award 2026
This is our sixth year of FACE Excellence!
Now in our sixth year, this prize makes visible, the spectrum of Black and minoritised excellence within a framework of creativity.
The aim of the FACE Excellence Prize is to amplify Black 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.
We work with Graduate Fashion Week Forum to make this prize open to all Black, Brown and minoritised final year students on any BA fashion related course in the UK and internationally. This can include, but is not limited to journalism, marketing, photography, communication, fashion design, textile design, hair and make-up design, styling, creative direction, etc.
You can self noiminate for this prize each May. Winner announced in June as part of GFW event
You do not have to be in a member insitution of GFW
Open to all who identify as non-white.
Open to all BA Graduating students
Meet our Winners 2021-2026
Rachael Adegoke
Westminster University
“I see my work as a contemporary dialogue about Black dandyism.”
Read more about FACE Excellence Winner 2025 Rachael Adegoke here
Pictured with Judge Maxwell Agbede Founder of Maxim CIC.
Sarah Ajayi
Manchester Metropolitan University
“I didn't just learn technical and creative skills, I discovered resilience. I realised I’m stronger than I thought. I’m really happy about that.”
Read more about FACE Excellence Winner 2025 Sarah Ajayi here
Pictured with designer Julian MacDonald
Mahalia Ellis
Birmingham City University
“It’s all about embracing the richness and complexity of Black culture. Key from me was making a clear rejection of the narrow definitions often imposed on Black creativity.”
Read more about FACE Excellence Winner 2024 Mahalia Ellis here
Nothando Ngwawaira
University of Westminster
“Winning the FACE Excellence Award has given me a focus to decide how how I go forward.”
Read more about FACE Excellence Winner 2023 Nothando Ngwawaira here
Meerim Mamatova
Kingston School of Art
“We are people, who share one big house, a land where we should all feel welcomed, and a place that we should all feel at home.”
Read more about FACE Excellence Winner 2022 Meerim Mamatova here
Pictured with FACE member and GFW Trustee Gavin Douglas
Joy Julius
Kingston School of Art
“When I entered the room and saw people like me. I had so much confidence that these judges would see my work and understand my thinking. It was a very important moment.”
Read more about FACE Excellence Winner 2021 Joy Julius here