Future Makers offers a range of awards and supports to students and emerging makers. It is one of the largest prize-funded award programmes in Europe.

Future Makers is a Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI) initiative which recognises talent, potential and creativity. Its aim is to support the next generation of makers, designs and craftspeople to take the step from training into enterprise.

Divided into student and emerging practitioner categories and covering a wide range of disciplines, the Future Makers programme recognises and rewards vision, innovation and excellence in both making and the creative process among students and recent graduates.

Future Makers is the qualifying competition for the annual RDS Craft Awards, which provides 5 x €10,000 awards to makers at a formative stage in their careers. These five significant awards are for the development of business and craft skills for those pursuing a professional career in the sector.

The money can be spent on further education and training, research, development of new work, mentoring, purchase of equipment, studio improvements, website and residencies. Winners will also have the opportunity show their work to the public on a free stand (value €2,000) at Gifted – The Contemporary Craft & Design Fair which take place annually in the RDS.

See link below for further details.