2015 - 2020
2015 - Strange Bedfellows
Bishopsgate Institute, 5th of November 2015 The 2015 brief prompted entrants to explore the design identities of any country, and how design can be used to convey, create or reflect a sense of its identity through an object or experience. They were also asked to look beyond current trends; what might their chosen country’s design output look like in 20 years?
2015
Open Prize Category Winner 1st prize: Jacky Puzey
2015
Student Prize Category Winner 1st prize: Emily-Rose Spreadborough Wilcom Institutional Prize: London College of Fashion
2016 - Objects of Desire | Artist Heirloom
Bishopsgate Institute, 3rd of November 2016. The aim of this brief was to create quality design that consumers will cherish for years rather than dispose of when a new trend arises, challenging the instant gratification that fuels trend cycles, often resulting in poor production quality. For the first time ever, a new Textile Art category was added, providing entrants with the opportunity to explore their creativity and showcase their talents in a variety of ways, and the judging was as demanding as ever.
2016
Fashion Open Category Prize Winner 1st prize: Annalisa Middleton
2016
Fashion Student Category Prize Winner 1st prize: Jin Kim
2016
Textile Art Open Category Prize Winner 1st prize: Sally Wilson
2016
Textile Art Student Category Prize Winner 1st prize: Devi Vallabhaneni Wilcom Institutional Prize The Royal College of Arts
2017 - Celebration
Bishopsgate Institute - 2nd of November In 2017 Hand & Lock celebrated their 250th anniversary and that was reflected in the brief, written by Polly Kenny, the Programme Director Materials at the London College of Fashion. Entrants were asked to ‘celebrate, let go, let loose and indulge in childlike freedom, celebrate history, global culture, sense of place, sense of identity, and celebrate embroidery and life’. The finalist’s 32 submissions were carefully exhibited in Bishopsgate Institute’s spectacular Great Hall. Interior design embroidery was presented alongside contemporary art, fashion and accessories.
Hand Embroidery – Fashion – Student Category
1st Prize: Stav Ofman (Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, Israel – Mentored by Alastair Macleod)
Hand Embroidery – Textile Art – Student Category
1st Prize: Elena Thornton (Royal School of Needlework, UK – Mentored by Alice Walsh)
Hand Embroidery – Fashion – Open Category
1st Prize: Ami Waring (UK – Mentored by Carol Alayne)
Hand Embroidery – Textile Art – Open Category
1st Prize: Ada Zhang (China – Mentored by Jess de Wahls)
Wilcom Digital Embroidery – Fashion
Kayleigh Mace (Nottingham Trent University, UK – Mentored by Carol Alayne)
Wilcom Digital Embroidery – Textile Art
Raychel Murphy (Queens University, Belfast, Ireland – Mentored by Jess de Wahls)
Worshipful Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers Award
Elena Thornton (Royal School of Needlework, UK – Mentored by Alice Walsh)
Gilda Baron Award
Carmen Manzano (LCF, UK – Mentored by Nelly Agassi)
Chairman’s Award
Elena Thornton (Royal School of Needlework, UK – Mentored by Alice Walsh)
2018 - Material Alchemy meets Modern Morality
Bishopsgate Institute, Thursday 15th November The 2018 brief called for a focus towards celebrating culture, gender and individual heritage in the global atmosphere of transformation. The objective was to make the work stand for something bigger than itself, conveying a meaningful message relevant to the transient state of the world.
Hand Embroidery - Fashion - Open Category
1st Place – Maud Thomas
Hand Embroidery - Textile Art - Open Category
1st Place – Silvia Perramon Rubio
Hand Embroidery - Fashion - Student Category
1st Place – Emma Wilkinson
Hand Embroidery - Textile Art - Student Category
1st Place – Alex Standring
Wilcom Digital Embroidery Award - Fashion Category
Winner – Amelia Taylor
Wilcom Digital Embroidery Award - Textile Art Category
Winner – Jessie Dickinson
The Worshipful Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers Award
Winner – Alex Standring
The Worshipful Company of Broderers Award
Winner – Lizzie Lowe
The London and South East England Section of the Textile Institute Award
Winner – Helena Allan
2019 - Fool the Senses
Bishopsgate Institute - Wednesday 20th & Thursday 21st of November The 2019 Brief encouraged the entrants to 'fool the senses'; consider the texture and feel of their embroidery, to create embellishments with a sumptuous surface that intrigues and surprises, with a particular focus on sustainability and unconventional materials that can be repurposed and given a new life in their work.
Fashion Open Category
Winner - Sheila Ramsay (Mentor: Hazel McDonald)
Textile Arts Open Category
Winner - Hannah Mansfield (Mentor: Georgina Bellamy)
Fashion Student Category
Winner - Faye Arguelles (Mentor: Davida Hadden)
Textile Art Student Category
Winner - Inge Tiemens (Mentor: Alastair Macleod)
Wilcom Award for Digital Embroidery Textile Art
Winner - David Morrish
Wilcom Award for Digital Embroidery Fashion
Winner - Daisy Rawson
The Worshipful Company of Gold and Silver Wyre Drawers Award
Winner - Frances Stone
The Worshipful Company of Broderers Award
Winner - Jung Byun
2020 - The Poetics of Colour
For the 20th anniversary of the Hand & Lock Prize, we wanted entrants to use colour as a fundamental component of the design process, to develop colour-led textile designs for fashion and art textiles. Instead of our usual London Prize-giving event, we decided to take the event online and present a week of virtual events for everyone around the world to watch from the safety of their home. Our virtual visitors enjoyed interviews, discussions about the specially written prize briefs (which can still be found on our YouTube channel), got a first look at our finalists' work and watched the live winners' announcement.
Open / Fashion Category
Olga Ochkas (Mentor – Nadia Albertini)
Open / Textile Category
Sorrell Kerrison (Mentor – Rebeckah Kemi Apara)
Student / Fashion Category
Rotem Izhaki (Mentor – Nelly Agassi)
Student / Textile Category
Martha Blackburn (Mentor – Nelly Agassi)
Royal School of Needlework Associate Award for Innovation and Technical Excellence in Hand Embroidery
Martha Blackburn (Mentor – Nelly Agassi)
The Textile Institute, London & SE England Section, Associate Award
Rachel Ellenbogen
Wilcom Associate Award for Digital Embroidery: Fashion
Nahida Mahmood
The Wilcom Award for Digital Embroidery: Textile Art
Daisy Rawson
The Worshipful Company of Broderers Associate Award
Lucy Tiley
The Worshipful Company of Gold & Silver Wyre Drawers Associate Award
Naomi Aindow
