The Prize 2015

The annual competition encourages the use of hand embroidery in fashion and seeks to discover emerging embroidery talent.

Guests were greeted with champagne on arrival and given a Hand & Lock tote bag filled with sponsors’ goodies. Items included a Liberty print pocket square, an Alice Made This gift voucher and a Hand & Lock tape measure. Most importantly guests were given their voting slips in preparation for the live judging.

Finalists’ work from Australia, Russia, Japan, France and the UK stood in two circles in the centre of the hall and after a brief speech from the Hand & Lock Chairman the live voting commenced. After 45 minutes of intense judging, the public vote was combined with the judges scores to establish the winners and runners up.

Shortly after 8pm winners in both the Student Category and the Open category were announced, followed by the announcement of the Wilcom Institutional Prize.

Open Category Prize winners
1st prize: Jacky Puzey
2nd prize: Anastasia Brown
3rd prize: Sara Hadlow

Student Prize Winners
1st prize: Emily-Rose Spreadborough
2nd prize: Alice Selwood
3rd prize: Giverney Voltath

Wilcom Institutional Prize: London College of Fashion
1st place winners receive $5,000, a commemorative framed hand embroidered plaque produced by Hand & Lock’s skilled craftsmen, tickets to any Fashion Textile Museum exhibition, a year’s subscription to Selvedge magazine, an interview and images on Mr X Stitch, £100 of Madeira threads, a work placement and a weekend course at Hand & Lock.

The evening concluded with a few words from the Chairman, Alastair Macleod: ‘Hand & Lock would like to extend a massive thanks to all the first stage entrants, the 11 finalists, the eight mentors and all sponsors who helped make the 2015 Prize a night to remember. See you all in 2016’