Submission Deadlines
Registration Period Open: December 2024 - 14th April 2025
Entrants need to register online here
£29 per student entry and £39 per open entry
Online Submissions: 15th April 2025 - 6th July 2025
Online design upload portal is open for entrants to submit four images of their work and final designs. No physical work needs to be submitted at this stage, entrants are only required to send completed work if they become a finalist in the Prize.
Finalists Selected: 25th July 2025
All entrants are notified if they are through to the next round. You will be contacted by 25th July and if successful, allocated a mentor.
Deadline for Finalists: 5th September 2025
Final pieces must be received at the Hand & Lock studio
The Prize Giving Ceremony: November 2025
An exhibition showcasing all of the finalists' works will be followed by the award ceremony. This will take place during the first week of November. Invitations and specific dates will be sent out later in the year.
Type of Entry
Student Category:
To qualify for the Student Category you must be in full or part time higher education at the time of registration. Registration as a students means you will benefit from subsidised entry fee and can submit work you are creating as part of your course.
Open Category:
If you aren’t in full or part time higher education, you will qualify for the open category. Registering in the open category is for anyone of any age. You can be a skilled practitioner, a passionate enthusiast or even a recent graduate.
Categories
Fashion
Fashion entrants should design a fashion garment that takes inspiration from the Prize brief. Your submission should showcase your design skill as well as your ability to embroider. Judges will look at your concept, execution, construction, embroidery skill and overall presentation.
Textile Art
Entrants should examine the brief and produce an object that showcases their embroidery skills. The object could be a piece of jewellery, an artistic sculpture, an embroidered tapestry, a piece for home interior design etc. Judges will look at originality, embroidery technique, execution, construction and overall presentation.
The Fashion Category
The Fashion category is open to anyone who has incorporated embroidery into a fashion garment. Finalists in this category are required to design a single fashion garment inspired by the Prize brief.
Your submission should consist of a complete outfit. While not every piece of the outfit needs to be embroidered, at least one standout piece should feature embroidery. Please ensure the entire look is cohesive and ready for display—for example, submitting only a top, jacket, trousers, or skirt as standalone pieces will not be eligible.
Only one complete outfit may be submitted; multiple outfits or collections will not be accepted. However, accessories that complement the outfit are permitted as part of the final submission.
What size should I make my garment?
UK Female clothing size 8: Due to the mannequins we use, please do not make your designs smaller than the following measurements: Bust 81cm / 32″
Waist 66 cm /26″
Hips 86.5 cm / 34″
UK Male Clothing size Medium: Due to the mannequins we use, please do not make your designs smaller than the following measurement:
Chest 96 cm / 38″
Waist 88 cm /35″
The Textile Art Category
The Textile Art category allows finalists to enter any piece of embroidery that falls under the textile art remit. This includes, but is not limited to, jewellery, fashion accessories, interior design, artwork and sculpture. Textile Art finalists should design an art piece or object that takes inspiration from the Prize brief.
Textile Art pieces may be one piece or a small collection, provided it is supported by the design concept (for example, a triptych). Hand & Lock would prefer that the collection consists of 4 or fewer smaller pieces. All types of hand embroidery, hand-guided machine embroidery and digital embroidery will be accepted.
All prize pieces must be free standing or come with supports or wall hanging systems so they can be exhibited. Hand & Lock will be able to hang 2D pieces on the wall and display 3D items on a plinth or the floor, depending on their size.
Again please note, you will be required to enter one completed art work/object. (All types of hand embroidery, hand-guided machine embroidery and digital embroidery will be accepted).
What size should I make my piece?
- 3D textiles pieces must be no bigger than 1m x 1m.
- 2D framed pieces and wall hangings must be no bigger than 1.55m high x 2m wide.
- Any items that require power must have their own battery pack.
PLEASE NOTE: Associate Award prizes are available to some Prize categories and not others. The organisation offering the Associate Award might have their own specific criteria for judging that means only specific categories qualify. For more information on the Associate Awards and their judging criteria please see the awards page.
Online Submission Guidelines for the First Round of Judging
For the first round entrants should only submit images. These images should convey a combination of your overall vision, your design journey, your research and include fine details. If your submission is incomplete, images of your work in progress and a rendering of your overall scheme can be submitted.
Our judges will use these images to asses your embroidery vision and how you have chosen to interpret the brief. Judges will look for evidence of your inventive and original interpretation, as well as your technical ability and overall design.
For the online submission you will be asked to upload 4 images. These images should meet the following criteria:
Your images must be JPEGs, preferably in square format.
The 4 images should show;
Image 1 – The concept of your design, research and development e.g the beginning of your story and how your design connects to the brief. (This can be a collage of images but do not include text or images of your Pinterest board.)
Image 2 – Samples, progress and where you will be heading e.g the middle of your story (DO NOT submit multiple images or text)
Image 3 – A close up of your work e.g something important that you feel is important that the judges see and showcase your strengths and techniques (DO NOT submit multiple images or text)
Image 4 – Finished piece/Work in progress e.g the end of your story, if not yet completed, a clear idea of what your final design will look like. (DO NOT submit multiple images or text)
Additional Information
– There is also an option to add supporting text to explain each of your photos, your concept and relationship to the brief, and techniques/materials used and about your final piece (max 200 words per image).
– Please note that judges will use these images to determine who goes through to the next round and it is vital they understand your overall vision. Please ensure the images are in focus and not too light/dark.
– No physical work needs to be submitted at this stage, you are only required to send your work to Hand & Lock if you become a finalist in the Competition.
– Your images should demonstrate that you have followed the specially written brief.
– Your images should not be doctored, edited or filtered, obscuring your overall design vision or your embroidery skill.
Examples of Submission Images
Finalists Submission Guidelines
If you are selected by the judges to become a finalist, only then will you need to send your physical work to Hand & Lock. Your piece will be photographed and then exhibited at a live public event. As such, your physical submission must meet the following criteria:
– If submitting for the Textile Art category you may submit any embroidered object that is not considered a fashion outfit. This includes, but is not limited to, jewellery, fashion accessories, interior design, art-works and sculpture. It should be ready to hang or display.
– If easily prone to damage or especially delicate please supply adequate packaging and a sturdy container.
– If submitting a fashion garment please ensure that you submit one full outfit (designed to be worn by a model/mannequin).
– If submitting a fashion garment, your submission should showcase your design and embroidery skill.
