Student Categories
Future Maker Student Award
1 Award of € 2,500
To reward excellence, creativity, technical ability and to give support to students demonstrating most potential to develop their creative practice beyond their current course of study. The Future Maker Student Award offers professional support and the opportunity for students to build their profile at a very early stage in their career.
Award for Sustainable Design
1 Award of €1,000
This award rewards talented and innovative designers and makers who embed sustainability into their practice. Sustainability can take many forms from responsible sourcing of materials, made to order production, natural dying and glazes, utilising processes or technology to reduce waste, reducing your products carbon footprint etc. By applying for a Future Makers Support, you will automatically be considered for this award.
Materials Awards of €500 x5
Contribution to the cost of materials for the development of a specific piece or body of craft and design based work that requires new, diverse or special materials for its creation. This category now includes the purchase of equipment to produce a body of work also.
Travel & Training Awards of €500 x4
Towards the cost of national or international design and craft based residency programmes or specialised course in a craft and design discipline during college or summer term. Residency funding aims to support students in the development of their practice and skills and to gain experience of international trends and best practice.
Professional Development Awards of €500 x3
Assistance for students to develop the business and marketing side of their practice. This support is designed to help prepare students for leaving college. Money can be used towards professional images of work, design work associated with promoting your practice as a maker or designer, costs associated with set up of a website, for business training/mentoring for example relating to finance, marketing, pitching or management.
Pathway to the RDS Craft Awards 2024
Design & Crafts Council Ireland's Future Makers Awards is the qualifying competition for the RDS Craft Awards. RDS Craft Awards offers five x €10,000 bursaries for emerging Irish craft makers. To be eligible to apply for the RDS Craft Awards emerging makers must have received a Future Makers Award in the preceding year.
For more information, please visit the RDS website