Cordwainers Footwear Awards 2026

Delighted to announce the launch of the Cordwainers Footwear Awards 2026, comprising both design and shoemaking categories. New for 2026 is the Daniel Charkow Emerging Sole Award, launched in memory of the inspirational young shoemaker and winner of the Cordwainers Cup for Excellence.

Design awards
The design award competition is open to undergraduate and master’s students studying at UK universities or colleges, and also to aspiring footwear designers who are not in full-time education. Entrants are asked to produce an innovative and marketable shoe design supported by a body of creative and thoughtful visual research. Any type of footwear may be included; the product genre can be womenswear, menswear or childrenswear. All submissions should reflect UN goals for sustainability. Deadline for entries is 13 April 2026.

Prizes
The awards will be presented at a ceremony in London on 11 June 2026.
Each prize winner will receive a personal mentoring session, and in addition, cash prizes 
are as follows:
• First Prize £ 3000
• Second Prize £ 2000
• Third Prize £ 1000
• Sustainability Prize £ 1500
• The Stuart Weitzman Creativity Prize £ 1500
• The Daniel Charkow Emerging Sole Award £ 1500
• Up to two commendations £ 500 each

Participants will be eligible for more than one award and all those from the final 15 who are unplaced will receive £ 100. The full brief is available here. The annual Cordwainers Footwear Awards celebrate student innovation and excellence. The work of previous award-winners can be seen here.

Craft of Shoemaking Award 2026
Entries are invited for the Craft of Shoemaking Award 2026, in association with bespoke shoemakers Carréducker. The Craft of Shoemaking Award was developed by the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers and Carréducker to celebrate hand skills and to shine a spotlight on shoemakers in the UK. Handsewn shoemaking remains on Heritage Crafts’ Endangered Red List.

The prize

The award is open to:

Students (either current or recent graduates)

Apprentices

Cobblers and Repairers

Non-professional shoemakers and outworkers (who may work in the trade, but do not sell their shoes at commercial prices / under their own name)
The winner will receive a £ 3000 cash prize
 and
 12-days of handsewn shoemaking training with bespoke shoemakers, Carréducker, at their London studio.
Full details of how to enter are here.

Daniel Charkow Emerging Sole Award
The Daniel Charkow Emerging Sole Award will recognise a rising talent in shoe design and/or making who embodies the qualities that defined Daniel’s work and carries forward the values Daniel championed – creative courage, meticulous craft, and a deep respect for the art of shoemaking.
The winner will receive a £ 1500 award from the Charkow family.

Daniel was a visionary shoe designer and skilled shoemaker whose creativity, curiosity, and inventive use of materials reflected a deep respect for craftsmanship. Daniel graduated from the BA Cordwainers Footwear course at the London College of Fashion in 2023 with First Class Honours, having won both the Dato Jimmy Choo Award and the Cordwainers’ Cup for Excellence. He handmade shoes for private clients and major fashion week shows and was a member of world-renowned shoe designer Sophia Webster’s team. Tragically, Daniel passed away in 2024.

About the award
The award is open to entrants of the Craft of Shoemaking Award and the Footwear Design Awards.
Full details of how to enter are included here.

The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers. Saddlers’ House, Gutter Lane, London, United Kingdom.

Find Daniel (ShoeManDan) Charkow’s amazing shoes here.