Two Art & Design students named winners in Nottingham’s Young Creative Awards

Liss Cooke won the 19 - 24 Fashion and Textiles category, whilst Jessica Forgie won the 19 – 24 Graphic Design category

The Young Creative Awards at Nottingham Playhouse

Two Art & Design students have recently won prizes at Nottingham’s Young Creative Awards, the city’s annual showcase of young creative talent. Liss Cooke, a student on our MA Textile Design Innovation course, won the 19 – 24 age group for Fashion and Textiles. Meanwhile Jessica Forgie, a student in her final year of our BA (Hons) Fashion Communication and Promotion course, was named winner of the 19 – 24 age group for Graphic Design.

Now in its tenth year, the Young Creatives Awards presentation evening took place at Nottingham Playhouse in May to an audience of over 600 people. This was a record year for entries to the awards, with over 600 across the 11 categories to meet the theme of ‘no theme’; historically there has been a specific annual theme.

Liss Cooke at the Young Creative Awards

After receiving their awards, we caught up with our prizewinning students. We asked Liss about her work and being part of the competition. She explained: “For the Young Creative Awards, I submitted a collection of embroidered and embellished jewellery designs, with one large statement necklace at the heart of the collection."

She continued: "My work combines innovative digital machine embroidery with traditional hand embroidery, beading and applique.”

She added: “I was so surprised and shocked to be named as the winner! It was really lovely to feel that my work had been recognised for its distinctive quality.”

Jessica Forgie at the Young Creative Awards

Jess also told us a little about her work. She said: “The work I entered was a pattern piece about Nottingham, from a series I’ve created about counties. I created a pattern of illustrations which include images of things that remind me of that place, mostly including nature, as that is what inspires me most. So for Nottingham it features ducks, forests and deer. “

When asked how it felt to win,. she told us: “I was so amazed to be named winner; getting recognition was a real confidence boost. The competition has really made me see my potential to continue with illustration and get more of my drawings out there.”

Find out more about the Young Creative Awards here.

Published on 11 June 2018