Students nominated in annual Degree Show awards
19 May 2026
Graduates from across courses in our School of Art and Design have been recognised for their final year projects.
The 7th annual School of Art & Design Awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of final year students studying in our nine specialisms of Graphic Design, Fine Art, Fine Art & Art History, Illustration with Animation, Craft, Textiles in Practice, Product Design, Art History and Curating, and Interior Design.
We will also be announcing the winners of the PAC Global Inclusive Packaging Design Award with Kellogg’s and the Art School Commissions Awards.
The awards are made in recognition of academic excellence, original contributions to the subject specialism and impact into the global contexts of creative practice, innovation, sustainability, society, culture, and community. There will be a Winner and Highly Commended in each category
Results will be announced by Head of School: Prof Shelley McNulty at the opening of the Manchester School of Art Degree Show private view 05.06.2025 ground floor Lowry Building.
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Breakthrough Award
Recognises individuals who show creative excellence and experimentation, demonstrating curiosity, risk‑taking and a willingness to challenge conventions to produce original work.
Shortlisted
- BA Hons Graphic Design: Oliver Arnold
- BA Hons Illustration with Animation: Sumeya Ahmed
- BA Hons Textiles in Practice: Ella Bartram
- BA Hons Product Design: Dario Cosenza
- BA Hons Product Design and Craft: Emma Mitchison
- BA Hons Interior Design: Lara Aptowitzer
- BA Hons Fine Art: Isabella Cagnoli
- BA Hons Fine Art & Art History: Jennifer Huck
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Studio Practice Award
Celebrates projects that demonstrate strong studio practice through innovation or high‑quality execution, showing clear process, technical development and iterative refinement.
Shortlisted
- BA Hons Graphic Design: Kyle Duncan
- BA Hons Illustration with Animation: Seren O’Toole
- BA Hons Textiles in Practice: Kate Burrows
- BA Hons Product Design: Dario Cosenza
- BA Hons Product Design and Craft: Nathan Gallimore
- BA Hons Interior Design: Emily Ng
- BA Hons Fine Art: Jessica Kirk
- BA Hons Fine Art & Art History: Olivia Madland-Shorter
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Futures Award
Recognises projects exploring how art or design can respond to social, cultural, global, political, technological or environmental change through informed and imaginative inquiry.
Shortlisted
- BA Hons Graphic Design: Honor Hill-Norton
- BA Hons Textiles in Practice: Katie Macpherson
- BA Hons Product Design: Tom Fish
- BA Hons Interior Design: Lydia Hughes
- BA Hons Fine Art: Ines Aberdeen
- BA Hons Fine Art & Art History: Olivia Madland-Shorter
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Community, Diversity & Inclusion Award
Recognises work that engages people or themes to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, demonstrating ethical awareness, collaboration and respect for lived experience.
Shortlisted
- BA Hons Graphic Design: Rabia Qadeer
- BA Hons Illustration with Animation: Ashley Lulendo
- BA Hons Textiles in Practice: Jayne Plummer
- BA Hons Product Design: Rosie Matchett
- BA Hons Product Design and Craft: Lucy Harman
- BA Hons Interior Design: Lara Aptowitzer
- BA Hons Fine Art: Paula Meir
- BA Hons Fine Art & Art History: Ace Cresswell
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Critical Contexts Award
Recognises outstanding critical and contextual research, evidenced through practice or writing, and distinguished by clarity, originality and informed engagement with relevant debates and contexts.
Shortlisted
- BA Hons Graphic Design: Lily Truelove
- BA Hons Illustration with Animation: Sumeya Ahmed and Roisin Garton
- BA Hons Textiles in Practice: Rosa Evans
- BA Hons Product Design and Craft: Jasmine Murray
- BA Hons Interior Design: Emily Oakes
- BA Hons Fine Art: Sahara Patel
- BA Hons Fine Art & Art History: Ace Cresswell and Jennifer Huck
- BA Art History & Curating: Frederick Jamieson
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Heritage and Archives Award
Recognises projects that engage thoughtfully with archives, collections or historical materials through original interpretation, critical reflection and re‑examination of cultural narratives.
Shortlisted
- BA Hons Graphic Design: Katie Johansen
- BA Hons Illustration with Animation: Bruno Wraight
- BA Hons Textiles in Practice: Martha Holmes
- BA Hons Product Design and Craft: Emma Mitchison
- BA Hons Interior Design: Eleanor Candlish
- BA Hons Fine Art: Lucian Wojtal
- BA Art History & Curating: Miriam Parry
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Expanded Practice Award
Celebrates interdisciplinary or cross‑media practices that extend creative boundaries through exploratory thinking, experimentation and innovative approaches to form, method or context.
Shortlisted
- BA Hons Graphic Design: Oliver Arnold
- BA Hons Illustration with Animation: Meg Miller
- BA Hons Textiles in Practice: Laura Nunn
- BA Hons Product Design and Craft: Emma Mitchison
- BA Hons Fine Art: Kamil Duda
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PAC Global Inclusive Packaging Design Award with Kellogg’s
Celebrates excellence in inclusive packaging design, recognising outstanding creativity, critical thinking, and innovation in work that champions PAC and Kellogg’s IOU purpose of promoting packaging design by everyone, for everyone.
This is a Manchester Met Design Department specific award in collaboration with PAC Global and Kellogg’s to recognise and support students with innovative and inclusive packaging design ideas.
Priorities will be given to students from marginalised groups and the prize will be €1,000. Students for this award were nominated by programme leaders in Art & Design. The award will be selected by a panel chaired by Dr Jea Na, Jon Spruce and Darren Raven from the Design postgraduate team - with the winner announced as part of Design Dept Degree show awards.
Shortlisted teams:
- MA Design Innovation: Saakshi Shetty Senadira and Kenuli Rajapakse
- MA Graphic Design: Michelle Liu and Wania Suhail
