Textile Society Awards

The Textile Society is committed to supporting and developing the study of textiles in the UK. 

The Society’s Student Bursaries of up to £1,000 support BA and MA final year projects or dissertations, internships and apprenticeships. Students undertaking education in any textiles, fashion or textile related course in the UK are eligible to apply.

Closing date: 12 February 2021

The Textile Society supports the development of professional practitioners.

The Society’s Professional Development Awards of up to £2,000 support the further development of professional practitioners within their chosen textile discipline, whether art, craft, design, curatorial, scientific or any other textile related field. 

The Awards are intended for professionals and PhD candidates working within a recognised field of textiles.

Applications are assessed annually, and the award is given on the strength of the applicant meeting the professional criteria within their discipline and chosen textile field.

Please note that BA and MA students are not eligible for these awards but are invited to submit applications for Student Bursaries.

Closing date: 1 October 2020

The Textile Society is committed to supporting and developing critical writing within the broad field of textiles. 

The Society’s Critical Writing Open Award of up to £1,000 is given for a piece of outstanding critical writing on any aspect of textiles and dress, including history.

The Award is open to all writers. The selected paper is published in the Textile Society journal Text. 

Please note that this is a biennial award that runs alternate years with the Research Symposium.

The next call for submissions will take place in 2022.

The Textile Society offers an award for textile related projects within the museum, archive or conservation sector. 

The Society’s Museum, Archive and Conservation Award of up to £5,000 is designed to support textile related projects within a museum, archive, or conservation studio for an exhibition, publication or conservation project that will help achieve greater awareness and access for the public.

Please note that this is not an award for individuals unless attached to a museum. Individual researchers are invited to submit applications for Professional Development Awards or the Critical Writing Open Award. In addition, the Society invites the submission of papers for presentation at its biennial Research Symposium.

Closing date: 30 September 2020

From time to time, the Textile Society makes a Special Award, perhaps in memory of a person’s contribution to textiles, or to mark a particular occasion.

The Textile Society Special Award 2019

In honour of Deryn O’Connor

A Textile Society Special Award, in honour of Deryn O’Connor and her contribution to the field of textiles, has been made to the Textiles Collection at the University for the Creative Arts at Farnham. The late Deryn O’Connor, formerly Principal Lecturer in Printed and Dyed Textiles has bequeathed her extensive personal collection of textiles and artefacts to the university’s Textiles Collection, and this special award of £700 will support the preservation of Deryn’s bequest prior to its accession.