Young Designer Silversmith Award

History of Competition

The Young Designer Silversmith Award began in 1994 to give an opportunity to a young person to become a successful contemporary studio silversmith. Out of the 16 winners, by 2010 13 continued to make their careers in this field. Stars include Shannon O’Neill, Theresa Nguyen, William Lee and Sidsel Dorph-Jensen all of whose work is now in the Company’s collection, as well as Karen Simpson who worked as a designer for Richard Fox and Grant Macdonald.

Students who win 2^nd or 3^rd prizes or receive commendations have gone on to win prizes in the Goldsmiths’ Craft Council Awards and have found that these awards have helped them achieve places on MA courses such as the Royal College of Art, or qualify them for the post graduate course at Bishopsland.

The Competition

The competition is a design competition for silversmithing students, targeted at those colleges running an approved course at BA or MA standard.  The design brief is themed for a particular piece of domestic or ceremonial silver.

All entries have to come to Goldsmiths’ Hall early in the New Year.  A panel of judges view all the entries and select the winner and commended entries.  The winner is then placed that year in a leading modern silversmithing workshop under a master craftsman to make up the piece.  The piece is then presented at a special ceremony to a national museum nearest the college.  All costs concerning the making of the piece are paid for by the Company.  The winner receives a £500 cash prize and the kudos of having work in a public museum at the very beginning of their career.  It is a springboard for success.

How to enter

If you have silversmithing skills, enjoy designing articles that have a
functional use, and are artistic as objects, GO IN FOR THIS COMPETITION!

Ask your tutor for this year’s application form, available from 1^st October.