Established in 2000 to promote the fine art of embroidery, the annual Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery is now a global competition for aspiring embroidery students and designers, giving them the opportunity to showcase their talents and gain vital exposure and experience.

The 2022 Hand & Lock brief wants you to take inspiration from the power of nature. Evolution, adaption, biomimicry, texture, colour, craft and sustainable practices. Be innovative and imagine a future where humans learn from nature to live in harmony with nature.

There are two categories: Student Category and Open Category. And two types of entry:

• 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.

• 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.

The Prize receives hundreds of entries from fashion students and talented embroiderers from all over the world. Former winners have gone on to start their own successful businesses, work in the industry for top design houses and even join the team at Hand & Lock.

Eligibility

Open to embroiderers, students and enthusiasts anywhere in the world. To qualify for the Student Category you must be in full or part time higher education at the time of registration.

Prize

The Hand & Lock Prizes are awarded to three winners in each of the four student and open Fashion/Textile categories, for a total of 12 Hand & Lock Prize winners. The winners in each category will be awarded with 3,500 USD as a top prize, six months subscription to Selvedge magazine, a prize bundle of industry standard threads from Madeira and a weekend course at Hand & Lock.