Smashed it! Relive AUB student successes over Summer 2024

Bournemouth Film School (BFS) celebrates as one of its graduate films, Lullaby for the Lost, has been confirmed as a finalist in the upcoming Student Academy Awards.

The film follows a sleeping man’s fading memory of his late mother, as it unravels through a recurring dream.

Written and directed by Tom Potter and produced by Orla Fleming, Lullaby for the Lost made the shortlist in the Alternative/Experimental category, alongside entries from the United States, China, Argentina and India.

BFS is the only undergraduate provider in the UK to receive a nomination this year.

The finals ceremony will take place on 29 October 2024.

AUB students’ appearance at Graduate Fashion Week (GFW) in June got our summer awards season off to a good start, bringing home five awards between BA (Hons) Fashion and BA (Hons) Fashion Communication.

11 BA (Hons) Fashion students showcased their collections on the GFW catwalk with Emily Lanham winning Best in Show for a bedding-inspired menswear collection, while Nicole Singleton brought home the Next Trend Forecasting Award. Their classmate Holly Evans won the prestigious Fashion Illustration Award.

The catwalk show opened with an impressive digital fashion showcase created by Emma Andrews and Alex Matheson, featuring a virtual reality showroom inspired by AUB’s own CRAB Drawing Studio. For this, both Emma and Alex were nominated for the Digital Fashion Award, which ultimately went to Emma.

In addition, Brandon Bolland from BA (Hons) Fashion Communication won the Fashion Styling and Creative Direction Award for a portfolio of editorial stories addressing a wide variety of issues. Brandon has said that he'll continue his final project, MASC Magazine, beyond graduation, with the official launch planned for 2025.

The successes for BA (Hons) Fashion didn't stop at GFW, either. Jodie Alford went on to win the British Fashion Council’s Student Fabric Initiative competition with a look that was included in her final university collection, Balance.

The competition brief required students to utilise dead stock to create one full look. Jodie was selected as one of four finalists to exhibit their garments at the Institute of Positive Fashion Forum, where high-profile industry attendees ultimately chose her as the winner.

Third-year students from BA (Hons) Textiles Design enjoyed a steady run of victories from competitions and awards bodies throughout the summer months.

This began with the Batsford Prize, which saw five third-years come away with commendations with two wins for Rose Cordery, plus two runners-up and another two shortlistings.

Among the runners-up, Ella Nathan went on to further success with her collection, Iberian Impressions, an interpretation of Portuguese and Spanish landscapes, featuring a rich colour palette. This collection not only earned Ella the Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation Prize, but also won her the opportunity to showcase at the prestigious Tex+ 2024.

AUB’s BA (Hons) Modelmaking students stole the show at the annual New Blades recruitment expo, winning two thirds of the available awards – 14 out of 21. This exceeded the monumental 12 prizes that students won at last year’s show.

Among the winners for 2024 were Ed Allen, who took home four of the 14 awards, including Best of Show, as well as Most Ingenious, the Outside the Box Award, and Best Product Model.

Immy Hughes, whose models included samurai armour for a cat, was named the Runner-Up Best of Show and also came away with Best Model Making. Meanwhile classmate Katrine Linderoth was victorious in three categories – Best Use of Creative Materials, the Leviathan Workshop Award and Fixie’s Best Use of 3D Printing.

The summer also saw a variety awards for our BA (Hons) Graphic Design graduates. Particularly at the D&AD New Blood Awards, where Pencil awards went out in various categories to AUB talent.

Gergana Sarieva, Phoebe Hart and Conrad Wells took home the Wood Pencil for their project IMAX Feeling, a live brief for IMAX. Meanwhile, their peers Klaudia Ptasinska and Karla Noren scooped the prestigious Graphite Pencil. Fellow classmate Duc Anh Le was awarded a Wood Pencil of their own for their IMAX Expansion project, as well as taking home the D&AD Portfolio Prize.

Our BA (Hons) Visual Communication students enjoyed their share of accolades at the New Blood Awards, especially the Best of Show, which went to Maddie Cope for her project, Out of Pocket. In addition, a team of four – Hannah Lacey, Oliver Monger, Alfie Shaw, and Hopper Miller – won a Wood Pencil for Iris, a response to a life brief from agency 21 GRAMS.

BA (Hons) Visual Communication at AUB has since rebranded to BA (Hons) Communication Design and Strategy.

The awards for BA (Hons) Graphic Design kept on coming at the Royal Society of Arts (RSA)’s Student Design Awards as three more graduates emerged with prizes.

Tess Taylor was named Young Innovator of the Year, as well as Highly Commended in the ‘Apply AI’ category, both for her project Terra Hex.

In addition, Ailsa Smith took home an RSA Student Design Award for the ‘In your skin’ brief with sun care brand XPOSURE. Meanwhile, Amelia Blantern earned Highly Commended in the Innovation Award category with her project, Steady.

BA (Hons) Film Production graduates celebrated after another successful run at the Kodak/NAHEMI Student Commercial Awards this year.

Five commercials created by our students collected prizes, including two – Tea Rebellion and Death’s Open Mic – which shared third place overall in a competition spanning more than 60 entries.

Tea Rebellion also won Best in Brief for the McVitie’s brief, while Death’s Open Mic took second place for the Action on Salt brief.

Meanwhile, The Real Deal, also created for the McVitie’s brief, following an up-and-coming gangster as he tries to sell fake biscuits, took away the Craft Award for Best Editing.

AUB also shared the Second-in-Brief spot for McVitie’s with entries Baz and Biscuit and Breaking Point.