Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé School of Art & Design celebrates a summer of creativity and success in the Graduate Festival 24
Over 1,400 graduating creatives unveiled their final-year work in the Graduate Festival 24, a series of 41 exhibitions and high-profile events from May to July.
By Amy Gill | Published on 6 September 2024
Categories: Current students; Student Showcase; School of Art & Design;
Gallery and studio exhibitions, industry events, films, competitions, showreels, catwalks and a fully choreographed stage performance were all in the creative mix this year.
Work was on show at the NTU City campus; at leading creative Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé spaces, and at prestigious London shows such as New Designers, Graduate Fashion Week and D&AD New Blood.
The final-year showcase of emerging art and design talent has a prestigious history of featuring award-winning work and innovation, and this year was no exception.
Kicking the festival off on 13th May, students of BA Costume Design and Construction, and BA Theatre Design for Performance, opened with a vibrant stage show and 10-day exhibition of work at NTU strategic partner organisation, Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé Playhouse.
Yeowon Yoon, BA Theatre Design for Performance
Awards included the Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé Playhouse Prizes for Stage Design and for Pantomime, won by Alex Hopkin-Spratt and Ellie Preston respectively, both of whom were awarded work placements on forthcoming live productions.
Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈély acclaimed theatre production company, Delfont Mackintosh, also awarded work experience opportunities for visionary project work to Yeowon Yoon (Theatre Design) and Holly Lowe (Costume Design).
Awards, prizes and industry recognition followed across a wide range of work throughout the entire Graduate Festival period:
Renowned industry accrediting body, The Chartered Society of Designers, presented 12 prizes for Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé-based work, including Most Developed Student to Monica Kelly (BA Costume Design); Best portfolio to Lucy Briscoe (BA Graphic Design) and Best Project for Societal Impact to Anna Deacon (BA Textile Design).
At the external London shows, NTU graduates came away with an impressive 29 awards for stand out creativity, including:
NTU X Graduate Fashion Week
NTU GFW stand
Graduate Fashion Week is officially the world’s largest graduate fashion event; NTU has taken part every year in its 30-year history. Student work was recognised with prizes on and off the catwalk at London’s Truman Brewery venue:
- YKK Accessories Award : Stephanie Daley
- Zandra Rhodes Fashion Textiles Award: Aiden Davey
- Snag Considered Fashion Award: Issie Wild
- GFW Gala Finale Catwalk Spotlights: Jessica Akers and Bridget Calthrop
- GFW Designers to Watch: Warintira Suwanvanichkul and Alisha Gawande
- UnTagged exhibition highlights: Iris Zhiting Guo, Ella Archer and Jessica Akers
NTU X New Designers London
Acknowledged by the UK design industry as a go-to destination for emerging creative talent, the New Designers Islington show spans 2 weeks, with a focus on differing disciplines in each week.
New Designers Week 1: Textile Design and Fashion Knitwear Design
- Disney Home Storyteller Award: Rosie Broadfoot
- Professor Jimmy Choo Entrepreneur Award: Sonia Suwanichkul
- Wilcom Award: Alice Aphra (Boult)
- Creative Conscience Award: Highly Commended: Flo Banham and Fiona Foster
- WCW ‘Entry to Work’ placement award: Phoebe Eade
New Designers Week 2: Graphic Design and Illustration
- AOI Spotlight Award: Isobelle Farrar
- Design Bridge and Partners Make a Move that Matters Award shortlist: Maddie Cunningham
- Oxford Products Young Creative of the Year Award: Joe Allsop
- Colour in Design Award: Sze Wan
- Design Bridge and Partners Make a Move that Matters Award:Sze Wan
- Landor Loves awards: Sze Wan and Finley Gray
- Affinity Digital Design Award shortlist: Sze Wan
- Disney Storytellers Award shortlist: Sze Wan
- Unilever shortlist: Nell Myatt
NTU X D&AD New Blood Awards
D&AD is a highly regarded association representing global creative, design and advertising communities and celebrates brilliance in commercial creativity. The annual graduate awards exhibition is a design industry staple.
- Best in Show: Natalia Posnett
- D&AD Wooden Pencil: Kristy Cheung
- D&AD Graphite Pencil: Maddie Cunningham
Michael Marsden, Dean of the Å·ÃÀ¾ÞÈé School of Art & Design said:
“Congratulations to all our students and staff on a highly successful Graduate Festival 24; the impressive breadth and high quality of work on display has been acknowledged by many of our visitors and industry contacts from the UK and overseas.
The showcasing of final-year work is a significant milestone in the creative journey our students take with us, giving an opportunity to celebrate personal development and achievement, as well as to connect with the external organisations and industries they will soon be working for to help shape our creative futures.”
Although the Graduate Festival doors are now closed for this year, a selection of 2024 undergraduate and postgraduate work can be viewed online at