After a six-year hiatus, Swedish fast fashion retailer H&M announced the return of the H&M Design Awards on Wednesday. The prestigious award is intended to support aspiring international design talents on their way into the fashion industry through financial support and intensive support.
The competition returns this fall with an even more international focus. Students in bachelor’s and master’s programs from more than 60 participating fashion schools from 25 countries can apply. Eight new countries are represented, including Australia, Mexico, Poland, Spain and Colombia.
A renowned international jury selects the winner. This person will receive prize money of 150,000 euros as well as one-year, tailored mentoring in areas such as sustainability, circularity, production and marketing. The winning collection will also be produced and offered in selected H&M stores and online retailers worldwide. Eight finalists will each receive prize money of 10,000 euros.
The H&M Design Award is aimed particularly at young designers. We are looking for talents who are characterized by creativity, innovation, quality craftsmanship and a strong vision for sustainability and who are prepared to question conventions in the fashion industry. The last winner to meet these criteria was Latvian Sabine Skarule in 2020. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, she received 50,000 euros for her collection “+371,” which was inspired by the craft practices of her childhood. Previous winners include Richard Quinn, Stefan Cooke and Priya Ahluwalia. In the past, the jury included Imran Ahmed, founder of Business of Fashion, as well as the designers Olivier Rousteing and Erdem Moralioglu.
Applications for the H&M Design Award are possible from January 29, 2026 via designaward.hm.com. The prerequisite is the submission of a digital portfolio. The 20 semi-finalists will be announced in October.
This article was created using digital tools translated.
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