Ireland’s Future Makers Awards 2021 – Winners announced
Posted 19.01.22
Design & Crafts Council Ireland presents €25,000 to emerging makers and students
Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) was delighted to announce the 26 winners who received awards and supports totalling €25,000 through the organisation’s Future Makers programme.
The winners were announced at the eagerly anticipated virtual awards ceremony on Wednesday, 19th January, hosted by TV presenter Emer O’Neill.
The prestigious Overall Emerging Maker Award (€3,500) was presented to ceramicist Chloe Lennon from Athlone. While the equally coveted Overall Student & Recent Graduates Award (€2,500) went to ceramicist Katharina Treml, who is based in Kilkenny.
This year the programme included a new award for Sustainable Design. Textile maker Lucy O Brien from Dublin received this new award (€2,000) in the emerging makers category and Amy Kerr, textile maker, from Kildare received the new Sustainable Design Award (€1,000) in the Student & Recent Graduates category.
The winners will be joining a long list of established previous winners including Eílís Murphy, artist and bookbinder; fashion designer Natalie B. Coleman; furniture designer Alan Meredith; jewellery maker Genevieve Howard; and designer-maker Úna Burke.
Future Makers is one of many DCCI programmes that support and invest in the next generation of talent at a crucial early stage in their career. The programme is one of the largest prize-funded design and craft award programmes in Europe. It includes exhibition supports, studio supports, materials supports, travel and training supports, residencies/training supports, and professional development supports along with two Overall Winner awards, as well as two new awards for Sustainable Design.
Future Makers is also the qualifying competition for the annual RDS Craft Awards, which comprise five awards of €10,000 each to makers at a formative stage in their careers. Winners will also have the opportunity to show their work to the public on a free stand at the Gifted fair in the RDS.
The winners come from a broad range of disciplines including ceramics, fashion design, textiles, furniture making, silversmithing and jewellery design.
Damien English TD, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail said: “The design and crafts sector already provides a significant contribution to the Irish economy. However, according to a recent economic assessment carried out on behalf of the DCCI by Grant Thornton, potentially the craft and design-intensive sectors could grow to 100,000 in employment with a turnover of almost €14 billion by 2026. Key to this is maintaining momentum to increase online sales and digitalisation and grow the number of talented craftspeople and designers into sustainable businesses across the country. Programmes such as Future Makers are vital to help with the sector’s ambition for expansion and growth.”
Rosemary Steen, CEO, Design & Crafts Council Ireland said: “Design & Crafts Council Ireland’s vision in our new 2022-2026 Strategy is to increase the contribution of craft and design to Ireland, economically, socially and culturally by 2030. Programmes such as Future Makers support emerging makers so they can develop businesses in a sustainable way, showcase their talents, and promote the benefits of crafts and design to society. On behalf of my colleagues at DCCI, I would like to congratulate the 2021 winners. We look forward to promoting them throughout their careers so that they can realise their potential and continue to raise the standards of Irish craft and design.”
Chloe Lennon, Overall Winner in the Emerging Makers category said: “I’m thrilled to win the Overall Award in the Emerging Makers category. This win means that I can buy a generator which I need to provide increased power so I can run a larger kiln. This will make so much difference to the volume of work that I can create. This is why these supports from organisations such as DCCI are so important, they enable emerging makers like us to invest in the equipment we need to create our work.”
Katharina Treml, Overall Winner in the Student/Recent Graduates category said: “This win will have a big impact on my work so I am absolutely delighted. I have already invested in kiln furniture and selected a kiln building site but up until now I could not fully fund the firebricks by myself. This will help me to buy the firebricks needed to build a small fast-fire wood kiln that I can fire by myself. I will now be able to create a bigger volume of more varied work, it is fantastic.”
FUTURE MAKERS AWARDS & SUPPORTS 2021 WINNERS:
EMERGING MAKERS CATEGORY
| Name | Support/Award | Discipline | Location |
| Chloe Lennon |
Overall Winner (€3,500) |
Ceramics including: Carved, Casting, Hand Built, Jiggered and Jolleyed, Thrown | Roscommon |
| Lucy O Brien |
Sustainability Award (€2,000) |
Textile making – Weaving: loom and tapestry | Dublin |
| Clare Holden | Exhibition Support (€1,000) | Fashion Design | Dublin |
| Emily Dillon | Studio Support (€1,000) | Ceramics including: Carved, Casting, Hand Built, Jiggered and Jolleyed, Thrown | Galway |
| Eve Doyle | Studio Support (€1,000) |
Jewellery Making/Goldsmithing Precious including: Chasing, enamelling, engraving, lapidary, repoussé |
Wicklow |
| Fintan Mulholland | Studio Support (€1,000) | Fashion Design | Monaghan |
| John Farrell | Studio Support (€1,000) | Furniture Making including: metal and wooden, acrylic and polyester resin | Offaly |
| Siobhán O'Sullivan | Studio Support (€1,000) | Jewellery Making/Goldsmithing Precious including: Chasing, enamelling, engraving, lapidary, repoussé | Dublin |
| Annemarie Reinhold |
Travel & Training Support (€1,000) |
Silversmithing / Hollowware | Cork |
| Deirdre Murphy | Travel & Training Support (€1,000) | Jewellery Making/Goldsmithing Precious including: Chasing, enamelling, engraving, lapidary, repoussé | Galway |
| Eva Lynch | Travel & Training Support (€1,000) | Silversmithing / Hollowware | Wicklow |
| Síofra Caherty | Travel & Training Support (€1,000) | Fashion Design | Belfast |
FUTURE MAKERS AWARDS & SUPPORTS 2021 WINNERS:
STUDENT & RECENT GRADUATES CATEGORY
| Name | Support/Award | Discipline | Location |
| Katharina Treml | Overall Winner (€2,500) | Ceramics including: Carved, Casting, Hand Built, Jiggered and Jolleyed, Thrown | Kilkenny |
| Amy Kerr | Sustainability Award (€1,000) | Textile making – Weaving: loom and tapestry | Kildare |
| Clara Salinger | Materials Support (€500) | Fashion Design | Dublin |
| Cliona McLoughlin | Materials Support (€500) | Textile making – Surface patterned including: painting, batik, printing, devore | Naas, Co. Kildare |
| John Mosse | Materials Support (€500) | Metal Working/largescale, non-precious including: casting enamelling, forging, welding, wire working | Kilkenny |
| Louise Cleary | Materials Support (€500) | Fashion Design | Dublin |
| Sean Brennan | Materials Support (€500) | Furniture Making including: metal and wooden, acrylic and polyester resin | Dublin |
| Amber Jones Brangan | Professional Development Support (€500) | Fashion Design | Dublin |
| Claire Dooley | Professional Development Support (€500) | Ceramics including: Carved, Casting, Hand Built, Jiggered and Jolleyed, Thrown | Meath |
| Kay Woodcock | Professional Development Support (€500) | Furniture Making including: metal and wooden, acrylic and polyester resin | Galway |
| Laura Matikaite | Professional Development Support (€500) | Ceramics including: Carved, Casting, Hand Built, Jiggered and Jolleyed, Thrown | Laois |
| David Hickey | Travel & Training Support (€500) | Furniture Making including: metal and wooden, acrylic and polyester resin | Dublin |
| Lia Cowan | Travel & Training Support (€500) | Fashion Design | Dublin |
| Siobhán McArdle | Travel & Training Support (€500) | Jewellery Making/Goldsmithing Precious including: Chasing, enamelling, engraving, lapidary, repoussé | Naas, Co. Kildare |
ENDS
For further information, or to receive images of the winners and their products please contact: communications@dcci.ie or Emma O’Brien, Communications Manager on 083 023 8743
About Future Makers:
The Future Makers Awards & Supports programme was launched by the Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) in 2009. The programme aims to assist students and recent graduates of full-time craft- and design-based studies or training to pursue an exciting and rewarding career in the craft and design industry. DCCI takes a leading role in recognising and rewarding excellence in craftsmanship and design innovation. It aims to provide practical support and professional encouragement to students and practitioners at critical points in their training and careers. Future Makers is the qualifying competition for the annual RDS Craft Awards, which provides 5 awards worth €10,000 to makers at a formative stage in their careers. For further information, please visit www.futuremakers.ie
The judging process for Future Makers:
Following a call-out for entries in May 2021, applications were assessed through a formal judging process. Entries for 2021 were evaluated by a panel of judges over two stages. The first round was judged by Frances McDonald, Contemporary Design and Craft Consultant and Laura Caffrey, owner of Irish Design Shop who selected a longlist. At the second round, judges Gemma Tipton, writer on contemporary art, design and culture and Fergal O’Leary, furniture designer maker, chose 26 applicants to receive awards and supports.
About Design & Crafts Council Ireland:
Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) promotes the commercial development of Irish designers and makers, stimulating innovation, championing design thinking and informing Government policy. DCCI's activities are funded by the Department of Trade, Enterprise and Employment via Enterprise Ireland. DCCI currently has 66 member organisations and over 3,000 registered clients.
Website: www.dcci.ie
Instagram/Facebook/Twitter: @DCCIreland