IN A NUTSHELL
- H&M relaunches the H&M Design Award with expanded global reach
- South African fashion students can now enter for the first time
- The winner receives €150,000 plus global production and mentorship
H&M has announced the return of the H&M Design Award, now expanding to local students in fashion. This year’s edition will include financial backing, industry access and structured mentorship.
The award is now open to BA and MA students from more than 60 participating fashion schools across 25 countries including South Africa. Additional new countries joining the programme, include Australia, Mexico, Poland, Spain and Colombia.
In South Africa, students from Stadio School of Fashion, Fedisa Fashion School and Design Academy of Fashion have been invited to participate, giving local talent direct access to one of the most recognised platforms in global fashion.
The overall winner will be selected by a jury of fashion industry leaders and will receive a €150,000 endowment along with a year long tailored mentorship programme. The mentorship will focus on sustainability and circularity, production, marketing and PR. In addition, the winning collection will be produced and sold in selected H&M stores worldwide and online. Eight finalists will also receive €10,000 each to further support their creative journeys.
Previous winners including Minju Kim, Richard Quinn, Stefan Cooke, Priya Ahluwalia and Sabine Skarule have gone on to build influential international careers.
Entries are now open via designaward.hm.com, with 31 August 2026 set as the final submission deadline. A shortlist of 20 semi-finalists will be announced on 08 October, followed by the reveal of eight finalists on 22 October.
The overall winner will be selected at the end of November, with the collection launching alongside H&M in September 2027.
