This prestigious award, in partnership with Graduate Fashion Week (GFW), honours outstanding graduating students from Black and minoritised, non-white backgrounds, on any BA fashion related course in the UK and Internationally. Everyone can self-nominate. Find out more about the FACE Excellence Prize.
FACE Excellence Winners L-R Sarah Ajayi (2025 Manchester Metropolitan University|Mahalia Ellis (2024) Birmingham City University| Nothando Ngwawaira (2023), University of Westminster | Meerim Mamatova (2022), Kingston School of Art | Joy Julius (2021), Kingston School of Art
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. Finding belonging in a prize that recognises their unique contribution to style, culture, fashion and society.
Courses can include, but are not limited to journalism, marketing, photography, communication, fashion design, textile design, hair and make-up design, styling, creative direction, etc.
Applicants do not have to belong to GFW member institutions. Applicants will submit work and a supporting statement via the GFW 2026 awards portal. A panel of industry experts will shortlist 12 candidates, who will then be invited to present their work during Graduate Fashion Week in London to a panel of FACE judges.
The FACE Excellence Prize was established in 2021 to address racial inequity in fashion education and to amplify underrepresented voices in the industry. FACE: Fashion and the Arts Creating Equity www.weareface.uk is committed to fostering equity and inclusion within fashion education and the broader industry.