Tuesday, 19th August: Today, Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) announced the shortlist for Future Makers Awards 2025, featuring up and coming designers and makers from across the country. Established in 2009, Future Makers is a Design & Crafts Council Ireland initiative which recognises talent, potential, and creativity.
It is a platform to showcase the talent of the next generation of makers, designers, and craftspeople looking to take the step from training into enterprise and it provides them with much-needed financial support. The Future Makers award winners will be announced at a special event in the RDS Dublin on Tuesday, 9th September 2025.
Divided into student and emerging practitioner categories, Future Makers covers a wide range of disciplines and recognises vision, innovation and excellence among students and recent graduates. It is one of the largest prize-funded design and craft award programmes in Europe, with each winner receiving a mentoring package valued at €2,000 in addition to the award. In total, Future Makers offers an award fund of €25,000 and mentoring package of €52,000 in expert guidance and support to the award recipients.
This year’s competition saw an impressive range of entries from all around Ireland, each one demonstrating a unique approach to creating beautiful and functional works of art. From furniture and fashion design to ceramics and glassblowing, the shortlisted makers represent the most innovative and creative young designers and makers in Ireland, across both the student and emerging practitioner categories.
Judges this year are: Victoria Donovan; Anneliese Duffy Fallon; Leah Capaldi; Brankica Zilovic; Belén Llamas-Ferrier and Róisín Pierce.
Read more about this year’s judges here.
Read More
This initiative is one of the most important platforms Design & Crafts Council Ireland has to celebrate and support emerging talent in Irish design and craft. The shortlisted makers represent the next generation of creative excellence - innovative thinkers and skilled craftspeople who are ready to take the significant step from training into enterprise.
Mary Blanchfield
CEO of Design & Crafts Council Ireland
2024 Future Maker Award winners included Paola Di Legge, Alison Nea, Antonio Bozic, Christine Murphy, Darragh Mulryan, Edwyn James Hickey, John Farrell, Katharina Treml, Maria Atanackovic, Martin Ryan, Michael Healy, and Michael Murphy. Previous Future Maker award winners who have gone on to make their name and craft known internationally include Michael Stewart of Standing Ground, ceramicist, Chloe Lennon, jeweller, Genevieve Howard, fashion designers, Natalie B. Coleman and Sorcha O’ Raghallaigh, designer-maker, Úna Burke, furniture designer, Simon Doyle, ceramic artist, Kate O’ Kelly, and ceramic artist and educator Owen Quinlan, amongst many others.
I’m constantly blown away by the wealth of creative talent in Ireland. It’s a national treasure — one that deserves to be nurtured, celebrated, and protected for future generations. The makers of tomorrow are already here, and their vision is shaping our cultural legacy. Supporting them isn’t just an investment in creativity — it’s an investment in who we are.
Anneliese Duffy Fallon
Future Makers 2025 judge, owner of The Linen Shirt Company and founder of Fashion Connect Ireland
Shortlists
Emerging Maker – Discipline – County
Ellie Dunne – Textile making – Dublin
Emmet Bosonnet – Metalworking – Dublin
Patsy Atkinson – Textile – makingCork
Steven Doody – Furniture making – Wexford
Magdalena Wroblewska – Leather working – Cork
Karena Ryan – Textile making – Galway
Christopher Tuohy – Furniture making – Cork
Conor Cremins – Furniture making – Dublin
Desmond Kavanagh – Musical instrument making – Wicklow
Lydia Smith – Ceramics – Kilkenny
Mark Newman – Jewellery making – Dublin
Noel Donnellan – Ceramics – Limerick
Paula Pruteanu – Textile making – Dublin
Sarah Ruane – Textile making – Cork
Deirdre Murphy – Jewellery making – Galway
Eve Doyle – Jewellery making – Wicklow
Julie Lawlor – Jewellery making – Kildare
Muireann Ni Sheoighe Eachthighearn – Musical instrument making – Tipperary
Rachel Kenny – Paper making – Dublin
Siobhan Curtis – Leather working – Monaghan
Students and Recent Graduates – Discipline – County
Charles Imperial – Fashion design – Kildare
Dicle Kaya – Metalworking – Dublin
Harry Jones – Furniture making – Dublin
Myla Sivyte – Mixed Media Constructing – Dublin
Gerard Boyle – Furniture making – Galway
Orla Reilly – Jewellery making – Dublin
Valeria Schipschi – Textile making – Dublin
Cass O’Kelly – Jewellery making – Dublin
Clodagh Nathan – Textile making – Kildare
Aidan O’Brien – Furniture making – Kildare
Daniel Connor Petrin – Fashion design – Wicklow
Emma Anako – Textile making – Wicklow
Liam O’Flaherty – Furniture making – Kerry
Lidiia Myronenko – Fashion design – Wicklow
Nikki Hall – Ceramics – Dublin
Daniel Fitzpatrick – Ceramics – Limerick
Giulia Johnson – Fashion design – Dublin
Lucia Whelan – Jewellery making – Dublin
Lucy O’Sullivan – Furniture making – Kildare
Otilia Mahu – Jewellery making – Dublin
Rosannah Carter – Textile making – Wicklow
For more information, please contact Eimear Harding, Communications and Public Affairs Manager, DCCI, 083 023 8743 or email eimearharding@dcci.ie
To learn more about Future Makers, visit https://www.dcci.ie/dcci-future-makers/
For further press information please contact Claire Feely, Emma Kelly, Laura Daly or Eliza Gallagher at Elevate PR, 01 662 5652 or email [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]
