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Another stunning summer: Look back on th...

15/09/2025

Another stunning summer: Look back on the 2025 achievements of our award-winning students and alumni

10 wins for BA (Hons) Modelmaking at New Blades

Graduating cohorts from our creative courses attend a number of London shows, exhibitions and expos. Our BA (Hons) Modelmaking graduates attended New Blades and came away with an impressive 10 awards, including Best in Show for Izzi Hopper.

Izzi’s work, which included a giant set of keys, also garnered the prizes for Best Architectural Model and Best Finish.

There were further awards for Kit Jones, Inigo Robbins, Abbie Hume, Niamh Sheppard and Stefanie van Dellen.

BA (Hons) Modelmaking graduate I. Hopper holding three trophies in a gallery space with white walls at New Blades Modelmaking expo, London.

BA (Hons) Modelmaking graduate K Jones standing behind detailed Gothic-inspired spaceship model on display stand.

BA (Hons) Modelmaking graduate I. Robbins with stands in white room at New Blades Modelmaking Expo with display cases and artwork.

BA (Hons) Modelmaking graduate A. Hume stands by display at New Blades Modelmaking expo with a model pinball machine and other models in the background.

BA (Hons) Modelmaking graduate N Sheppard standing in front of assorted models on display on white pedestals.

BA (Hons) Modelmaking graduate S van Dellen stands with bakery product models on display, branded packaging, and promotional materials on white table at New Blades Modelmaking expo.

From packaging to animation – Illustration graduates fire on all cylinders

BA (Hons) Illustration graduate Léane Ruggli has had no shortage of recognition for her work, even before she walked across the graduation stage.

Alongside receiving Highly Commended status for the Affinity Digital Design Award at New Designers, she's made the finals in two categories at the World Illustration Awards. Specifically, New Talent Design Product and Packaging and the SAA Award for New Talent (Cross Category).

Meanwhile, fellow graduate Beck O’Hara took home a highly coveted Graphite Pencil at this year’s D&AD New Blood Awards for a project entitled They’ll Talk to the Sun.

Created as an entry for War Child’s Secret 7” charity auction, Beck had to create a 7” vinyl cover, choosing to respond to Gregory Porter’s Merchants of Paradise.

At AUB, BA (Hons) Illustration students are free to apply their skills to different outputs, even animation.

Chris Duffy hit a pinnacle with his Cormac McCarthy-inspired student film Bear Hunt, which was selected for the Annecy International Animated Film Festival – the world’s leading event for animated film.

Young woman with shoulder-length brown hair wearing white t-shirt and black lanyard, smiling at camera against wall of colourful artwork.

B O'Hara holding D&AD New Blood Graphite Pencil Award, smiling at stand at New Designers with colourful books behind.

C Duffy stands before white wall displaying colourful artwork and illustrations.

Textiles Design students continue legacy of success

BA (Hons) Textiles Design students added to their course’s awards cabinet with an assortment of prizes across the summer season.

AUB talent, past and present, was recognised at this year’s Batsford Prize, with five nominations in total.

Amber Moore took home the Applied Art and Textiles award, while classmate Isabella Sheridan and 2024 graduate Cerys Watkins (who since progressed to study MA Illustration at AUB) were named runners-up.

In the same category, Abby Prince and Evie Smith were also shortlisted.

It doesn’t stop there for our Textiles Design students, who were also recognised at this year’s New Designers event in London. They took home a further five awards – specifically a win for Abby Prince – AJS Award for Digital Textile Innovation (Luxury Embroidery) – plus four Highly Commended for Ella Barrell, Hannah Lee, Ashleigh Vine and Chloe Wells.

Textile art samples in green, brown, and grey tones featuring woven patterns, frayed edges, and layered fabric strips arranged on white wall.

Knitted strips in green, blue, beige and grey woven together in basket-weave pattern on grey knitted background.

Four crocheted stone covers in grey, green and blue yarn with decorative patterns, arranged vertically on white surface with yarn strands.

Two people examining fabric samples at white table in exhibition space with colourful textile displays and industrial ceiling.

People examining colourful textile displays at trade show with patterned fabrics hanging on white exhibition stands

Two people sitting on gallery floor surrounded by colourful fabric samples and art materials, with vibrant textiles hanging above.

Pencils, Sparks, and plenty to watch from BA (Hons) Graphic Design

The D&AD New Blood Awards are a key date in the AUB BA (Hons) Graphic Design calendar. Three students from the graduating cohort took home prizes this year, including one Wood Pencil Award for Pawan Bhandari and his project, Boppin’.

Pawan shared his award with his collaborator, BA (Hons) Film Production graduate Bertie Courtenay.

The D&AD awards also recognised Matthew King, winning the Portfolio Award; as well as both Rosie Loraine and BA (Hons) Visual Communication’s Aditi Chotra, who were named ‘One[s] to Watch’ for their respective projects.

Graduating BA (Hons) Graphic Design students also did well at the RSA Sparks, with two graduates coming away with awards – Madeleine Brissenden (RSA Spark Entrepreneurs Award for Cool Spot) and Amelie O’Sullivan (RSA Spark Chacegrove Family Foundation Entrepreneurs Award for Work Hard Play Hard).

At the RSA Spark Showcase, Amelie took part in a panel alongside BA (Hons) Graphic Design Senior Lecturer Marten Sims, as well as Dr Joanna Choukeir, RSA Director of Design and Innovation; Crispin Truman OBE and Holly Lewis.

Amelie’s work also garnered her other prizes, including runner-up for Dragon Rouge and Highly Commended for WMH&I Brand Britain. Creative Bloq also named her their ‘one to watch’ from D&AD New Blood.

P Bhandari and B Courtenay standing together against vibrant graffiti wall with red, yellow, blue geometric shapes. One wears striped shirt and beanie, other in cream polo shirt and jeans.

Five people standing together on stage at RSA event, including woman in blue floral dress and man in orange trousers, with purple presentation screen behind.

Moving image and menswear take centre stage at Graduate Fashion Week

AUB’s BA (Hons) Fashion and Fashion Communication courses broke all previous records for Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) with over 20 award nominations, selections, showcases and more across the two courses.

BA (Hons) Fashion Communication’s Emma Avent shone with collaborative project, the symbiotic film, which won her the GFW Moving Image Award. She was also nominated for the Terry Mansfield Publication Award.

From the fashion design side, menswear was the hot topic, with BA (Hons) Fashion’s Ethan Hopkins winning the AUB catwalk show with his autumn/winter collection, Fallen Clan.

Ethan’s work was further showcased in the GFW Best of Gala Show and, alongside fellow graduate Amaani Chowdhary, the GFW Menswear Showcase.

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Male model on runway wearing olive green knit hat, patterned jumper, brown leather harness, and beige trousers with horned headpiece.

Male model wearing a woollen checkered shirt, half-untucked, and a thick woollen jacket with a large shaggy collar.

Models on runway wearing dark grey military-style jacket with red top and orange hooded jumper, audience seated on both sides.

Model in oversized red puffer jacket and dark trousers walks runway at fashion show with seated audience and industrial ceiling.

Cross-course collaborative film makes it to student Oscars

At AUB, students are encouraged to collaborate across disciplines and keep those relationships alive after they graduate.

This has been realised recently in the short film Synergy, written and directed by BA (Hons) Commercial Photography alumna Honor West and recent BA (Hons) Dance graduate Emilie Bouet Conran.

The project, which also brought together a massive team of AUB students and alumni of courses ranging from BA (Hons) Film Production to BA (Hons) Fashion Communication, has since made the finals at the Student Academy Awards.

Group of ten people posing in white circular room with skylight overhead showing trees above.

Film crew recording blonde woman in brown outfit against white chalk cliff face with rocky debris below.

Film set with blue lighting, camera on tripod, person with raised arm holding light sabre, draped fabric backdrop visible above.

Ballet dancer in white outfit performing leap in curved white room with large window showing greenery outside.

Postgraduate students dominate shortlists at Costume Society Awards

Our undergraduate students aren’t the only ones who go to awards. At this year’s Patterns of Fashion and Patterns for Performance Awards, presented by the Costume Society, three of our postgraduate students ended up shortlisted.

For an innovative take on Shakespeare’s Prospero, Sophie Fretwell, currently a PhD candidate but also an AUB graduate of both MA Animation Production and BA (Hons) Costume and Performance (now BA (Hons) Costume), was named runner-up in the Patterns for Performance Award.

Meanwhile, two MA Historical Costume students – Parker Spear and Verity Joy – came away with Highly Commended in their respective categories.