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the Winners 2025
Congratulations to all of our winners and finalists in the 2025 and a massive thank you to everyone who took part, sponsored, attended and helped.
The award for
Film
Winner:
Genevieve Rogers
Inspiration
This project is a promotional storytelling campaign for a fictional lip gloss release from ISAMAYA BEAUTY’s INDUSTRIAL collection. Each ISAMAYA collection exists within its own distinct visual world, and my campaign builds on that by connecting with the brand’s audience through shared values of self-expression, rebellion, and avant-garde aesthetics.
My film explores themes of self-worth, vanity, and identity, drawing attention to how insecurities and societal beauty standards can distort one’s sense of self. I aimed to create a piece that challenges conventional beauty narratives and celebrates self-ownership, while also engaging the viewer through rich, stylised storytelling.
My core creative influences were Isamaya Ffrench’s INDUSTRIAL 1.0 and 2.0 campaigns, Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance and You and I music videos, and Steven Klein’s fashion films and imagery, particularly his work for American Vogue and Gaga’s Alejandro. Their shared visual language—blending surrealism, sexuality, and high fashion—deeply informed my style. I also drew secondary inspiration from Kill Bill, The Substance, and Stranger Things for their tone, narrative, and use of uncanny, medical-futuristic motifs.
Creation
I developed this cross-media campaign as part of my final major project on the UAL Level 3 Creative Media Production course at City College. The two-month pre-production phase involved in-depth research into audience psychology, visual branding, and conceptual styling to ensure my work resonated with the ISAMAYA BEAUTY demographic.
The film was shot over three hours in the college’s television studio. I also designed and sewed the nurses’ costumes, with support from my friend Lisa, and paid close attention to every detail—from styling to sound—to reflect my audience research. The final campaign combines fashion, makeup, and sound design to immerse the viewer in a dark, high-gloss vision of beauty, power, and transformation.
Credits
CREW
Written, Directed and Produced by Genevieve Rogers
Camera operator Genevieve Rogers
Edited by Genevieve Rogers
Nurses’ costumes designed and sewn by Genevieve Rogers and Lisa Kracewicz
Costumes and Styling by Genevieve Rogers
Set designed, lit and dressed by Genevieve Rogers
Set constructed by Jacob Roll and Ryan Fulcher
Makeup and hair by Genevieve Rogers and Pip Ellen
Runner Lisa Kracewicz
CAST
Starring Mia Di Giovanni
Nurse 1 Grace Ozgan
Nurse 2 Franchesca Wynne
CREATURES:
Reece Fuller
Alicia Fortini
Dorothy Dorman O'rourke
Tallys Champion
Freddie Wilson
Pippa Likins
Natalia Tuttle
MUSIC
Club classics ft. bb trickz by Charli xcx and Bb Trickz
365 ft. shygirl by Charli xcx and Shygirl
Climbing Up the Walls - Remastered by Radiohead
Runner-up:
Digby Harrison
“I Look to the Sky”
The purpose of creating this film was to create something that was representative of that time of limbo between sixth form and university and the mixed emotions that come with that in a young
person's life. As this was a time I and many of my closest friends were going through at the time of writing this film. And to honor that turbulent time in our lives through a piece of art like I feel like
was an opportunity to gain an understanding of our own conflicting emotions around this juncture in our lives as young people.
Highly commended:
Edward East
Django Davies
The award for
animation & games art
Winner:
Rocket Wiseman
Synopsis
I Think I Love You is a game about loving humanity, in a future where it's long gone, from the perspective of something that admires the human experience, and that is in love with an object that embodies it.
My Game, and Why
I Think I Love You is a short 2D top-down exploration RPG set in the future, and humanity is long since dead. In I Think I Love You, you play as a robot that seeks to demolish the remnants of the Sainsbury Centre to build something new in its place, and you visit the site to see if there’s anything there you might be able to salvage. Whilst visiting, you meet Hot Mess, the 2024 exhibition on addiction and agony by Lindsey Mendick, and you fall in love.
Literally.
Throughout the game the protagonist reflects on the beauty of human experience, the horror of being non-sentient knowing you cannot feel, and their undeniable love for Hot Mess and Lindsey Mendick, ending at its climax where you realise that you feel love because you are an amalgam of every person to ever live, and how, in unity, every human through you loves the inherent beauty in tragedy that Hot Mess depicts.
Is This AI Commentary?
This game isn’t really about AI, it's about humans. The game may not explicitly say it, but the protagonist robot fictionally runs on a generative AI model.
Generative AI mosaics human data and produces outcomes from reoccurring patterns in that data. This is something I wanted to explore and to use as a medium to celebrate humanity. What would the most survivable, prevalent human data be? Why not love?
The protagonist can’t think or feel or experience anything or know anything, and it knows this, and it dwells on it. Meeting Hot Mess brings it the revelation that it’s ok that nothing it feels is truly it’s own, because it’s an amalgam of every human being that ever thought and felt and loved; an honour, to forever mosaic human feeling. This robot is a museum of human expression and consciousness, No Worries If Not is an ode to human tragedy and
agony. They’re both immortal archives of human expression.
Runner-up:
Millie Rye
'I love you and the crows on your roof' is a short slice-of-life cinematic rendered using Unreal Engine 5, centred around of me and my housemates and our time living together at university, sentimentality, and beauty in the mundane. This film was
completed in May 2025 as my Final Major Project during my final year studying Games Art and Design BA Hons at NUA.
Highly commended:
Noah Richards
Sam Bennett
Zak Smith
The award for
performance & production arts
Winner:
Cian Daynes
The inspiration for my design for this dance show was very much looking into the music and how I made me feel and then trying to use light to tell the story. One of the reasons I love lighting dance shows/movement based theatre is because it not about what people say or there facial expressions but full body movement so I looked into using shadows and how different angles of light respond to the body and what effect that creates on the audience some inspirations for this was Tom Visser who has done some incredible work with crating shadows on the performers to help draw your focus in to that specific person (his most recent performance was Oedipus at the London Vic Theatre. I also heard a talk from someone named Lucy Carter who has won many awards for her designs. After looking at these to I realised that when lighting a dance show I’m also the set designer now due to budgets I can’t do the extravagant things they have done in there shows but what I can do is use light to direct people’s attention where I want it to be for example I often used back light for still slow moving sections so you could focus on the movement of the silhouette not the face of the person as this helps take in the emotion of the piece from every performer no matter how they look. To make this show work I have to operate the show this involves clicking a go button to fire designated states but due to human error and my strong belief that everyone show get a almost identical/Consistent show from the actors on stage to the audience I decided to use something called time code this is where I mark where in a track I want a cue to fire by sending something called a MIDI signal this means that as long as I take/have the time to make everything perfectly timed then it will be the same every show, now having said that technology doesn’t always work perfectly Luckly I prepped for this by creating a button/Macro which relinquishes control away from time code so I can operate the manually, this is way in some clips I’m pressing a button and in some they fire automatically.
Runner-up:
Joey Newton
When writing this song, I was deeply influenced by the toxic individuals who have come and gone in my life. This is reflected in metaphors such as "parasite" and "this fracture in our lives." While these symbols can represent any form of negativity, for me, they encapsulate the pain of broken friendships and relationships that many of us endure.
I chose "parasite" as a potent metaphor, so I felt it was crucial for the music to match its intensity. In creating the chords, I aimed for a sound that was almost sinister, channeling my emotions through some minor keys. My goal wasn't to create harmonies that were traditionally pleasing, but rather to evoke the reality of the feelings I was experiencing.
The award for
VISUAL ART & photography
Winner:
Ellie Mai Butler
I am an abstract/expressionist painter who specialises in creating playful yet evocative pieces with an emphasis on texture and colour.
After being continually dissatisfied with the quality of my work throughout my first two years at university, I experienced a period of severe burnout during which is when i stopped creating altogether. In an attempt to reignite my passion, I vowed to stop making art for other people and instead to create art that is a genuine reflection of myself. During this period, I became fascinated by the idea of reductionism, which I channelled into a series of small black-and-white drawings that evolved over time into larger textural paintings with unique and vibrant colours. The series I started is called ‘Coming Together’ which explored these concepts through various mediums. They all led up to my final piece for my Bachelor’s degree show ‘Finally Together 'symbolic of my confidence as an artist and an accumulation of experimentation.
My piece takes the concept of abstraction very literally – I split the subject into smaller ‘segments’ that are visually distinct from each other but come together to form a cohesive image. This reflects my deep fascination with the binary between abstraction and figuration. I want to use my work as a bridge between the two concepts and to persuade people that “abstract art is true art,” allowing those outside of the contemporary art world to view abstract art through an analytical lens rather than one that is purely reactionary.
‘Finally Together’: The connection of the pieces despite its separation over the two canvases is representative of our conspecificity as people even with our superficial differences. I incorporate vast arrays of colour spreading across both pieces to invoke memories of being a child and use textured gels to enhance visual stimulus and sensory play. My work is very intuitive and I didn’t know what my paintings would become. I let the process shape the paintings rather than approaching it with any preconceived plans. The piece was inspired by an accumulation of my lived experience both in and outside of my art degree. People, places, things and the imaginary inspired me. Working on large scale was an opportunity for me and the viewer to be utterly immersed in the experience of colour, texture and symbolism of my practice.
Runner-up:
Daisy Campbell
My practice engages with the image as a site of mutable meaning—where narrative, memory, and identity converge in shifting relation. I am particularly interested in the relationship between pictorial stillness and compositional, tonal, and material suggestions of temporality. The muted palette endeavours to imbue the work with a feeling of timelessness, evoking the sepia hues and soft focus of early photographic forms, such as tintypes, while the worn appearance of the mixed media recalls the making process.
Highly commended:
Olivia O’Callaghan
Aalia Ashraf
Bowen Hagger-Utting
The award for
FASHION
Winner:
Isla Clarke
Working within the theme of decay I put together my initial photos and accompanying mind-map, producing gouache paintings of lichen and leaves. These responses directed me towards a more natural area of decay - tree bark and mould.
Throughout, I experimented with new techniques such as bioplastics which I found to be challenging. Amy Cottrell produced garments and accessories from these, creating whimsical and avant-garde pieces. I experimented with different types, changing the consistency by varying the amount of water in each batch. I found this interesting because of the diverse uses and positive environmental impacts. Unfortunately, as my samples were not overly successful, this was a technique I wouldn`t experiment with further in the future. After researching Zwia Lipkin`s work, I created a mock- embroidered quilt, while this process did not directly inspire my work, her subject matter of tree bark was one I continued to use through my own processes of mono printing and fabric manipulations, incorporating a sense of decay through puff binder. I think these were some of my most effective samples and directly translated into my final outcome.
While constructing my toile, I had problems connecting the top and skirt seam together, as the top hem was much larger than the skirt. To resolve this, I placed a fold in the skirt by the side seams to ensure the two fabrics met correctly. However, in my final piece I gathered this excess around the whole garment to distribute it more evenly. For my outcome I used a digital print of one of my samples instead of mono printing directly onto the pattern pieces. This helped to reduce production time, however the disperse dyes only work on synthetic fabrics and so I had to change from a cotton base to an acetate fabric. I`ve advanced my skills in pattern cutting by adapting the basic blocks to create short puffed sleeves, a princess bodice and a short skirt.
During the construction of my final garment, I encountered a couple of problems which I overcame and have learnt from. On the whole, I feel that my final garment fulfilled the theme and my vision. My dress outcome includes puff binder “mould” on tree bark to suggest a natural decaying process, which I think I have executed well and linked to my theme.
Runner-up:
Sinead Burrage
My concept takes inspiration from my childhood, using reflections and lighting to hold memories. I took imagery from stained glass windows in churches of importance to me and liquid light techniques used at psychedelic shows in the 1960s, after seeing this technique used at Norwich Psych Fest in 2022 (by Whyte Light Visuals). I then used clothing from mine and my mother’s wardrobe, as well as garments she had made for me to pattern my design, exaggerating elements to link to performance art and bringing a character to life.
Highly commended:
Mia Bartram
Molly Higton
Genevieve Rogers
The award for
MUSIC
Winner:
William Booth
– CHEST
Chest is a musical project made up of Russel Eldon, Stanley Horseman, Joel Reader, Teo Koshak, and William Booth. We formed in early 2023 and have been developing and evolving ever since. What started as a loose collaboration has grown into something with real momentum and a clear identity — though it’s one that’s always shifting, always in motion.
Our sound is shaped as much by the stage as the rehearsal room. Live performance plays a huge role in our creative process. Each show pushes us to reinterpret what we’ve made, to react in real time to how it feels in the room — loud, exposed, alive. That constant feedback loop between playing and writing helps us keep the music honest and grounded in energy, not perfection.
We’re heavily influenced by the spirit of 90s guitar music — raw, emotional, a little chaotic — but that’s just the starting point. Each member brings their own background and inspirations into the mix: from shoegaze and grunge to post-punk and experimental sounds. It means that no song is ever just one thing — everything we make comes out of that collision of influences, instincts, and personalities.
Our writing process is collaborative and organic. Sometimes a riff or phrase will spark a full arrangement; sometimes a track takes shape slowly over weeks of playing it live and letting it change. We don’t stick to formulas — we let the music go where it wants to go, trusting that if it feels authentic to us, it will land with others too.
Runner-up:
Arthur Black
– Same Page Club
In the past year I have written, composed and recorded 2 EPs inspired by my own life experiences and finding a way to compartmentalise loss and grief and understanding myself. Through this process I taught myself a lot about production, composition and dynamics and all of the things required when producing a body of work. I am now working on the roll out of these EPs and have written an album in the time it took me to record both of them, I plan to record this later in the year.
Highly commended:
Lila Nayman
The award for
writing
Winner:
Billy White
The most basic source of inspiration for ‘And the Walls Came Tumbling Down’ came from traditional murder mysteries such as Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. Although I enjoy reading and watching whodunits, I find that they often lack thematic depth, being more concerned with crafting intricate plots and surprising twists. I wished, therefore, to create a detective story which paid homage to traditions of the genre but which was also thought-provoking. In achieving this, I was particularly influenced by the 2019 film Knives Out, which not only presents a compelling mystery but also features social and political commentary. While I do not believe ‘And the Walls Came Tumbling Down’ is a work of great profundity, it comments on the nature of free will and of fiction itself – and it does so by experimenting with breaking the fourth wall.
I chose to make my protagonist a fourth wall-breaking detective after enjoying several metafictional stories such as Fleabag. I did not merely wish to create a character who broke the fourth wall, however, but to make the story’s metafictional nature crucial to its plot. (The story’s title references both the mystery itself and the breaking of the fourth wall which occurs throughout.) Therefore, the story constantly references its own fictionality for both dramatic and comedic effect. Perhaps most importantly, the breaking of the fourth wall allowed me to create the story’s twist ending, which is one that would not have been possible in a traditional murder mystery and which I hoped the reader would not predict.
The ending is not simply intended to be surprising, but also to pose questions about the very nature of fictional characters whose actions are predetermined – at least from the perspective of their creator, the story’s author. I consistently capitalised the word ‘Author’ as an attempt to compare him to God, about whom similar discussions have arisen. (To name one, if we were created by an omniscient God with infallible knowledge of our future actions, how can we possess free will?) The philosophical questions posed by the ending reminded me of the godlike character Doctor Manhattan in Watchmen. At one point, Manhattan states, ‘We’re all puppets… I’m just a puppet who can see the strings.” I included a similar line of dialogue in the story as an homage – one of which I imagine the literarily-minded Detective Reynolds would approve.
And the Walls Came Tumbling Down
Billy White
I do not wish to startle you, dear reader, but the story I am about to tell you is highly unusual.
It is you and you alone whom I am addressing. One need not be an internationally renowned police detective, as I am, to realise that the fourth wall is being broken. Nay, it is not merely being broken; it is being destroyed utterly. The technique is not new, of course: it has been used everywhere from Don Quixote to the traditional Christmas pantomime. Indeed, it is possible that the Author of this piece has endowed me, his creation, with the ability to speak to you in this way because he has been watching too much Fleabag. Whatever the case may be, I am all too aware of my status as a purely fictional character, and of the fact that it is only in your imagination, dear reader, that I truly exist. Therefore, please bear with me.
My name is Marcus Reynolds. As stated previously, I am a police detective. The press has described me as ‘the Shakespeare of deduction’, a soubriquet which, though obsequious, I confess I find flattering. My most celebrated cases include ‘The Theft of the Somerset Sapphires’, ‘The Scandal of the Three Garters’ and ‘The Chocolate Mousse Adventure’. I cannot, alas, relate these stories here, primarily because the Author has not yet deigned to write them. It seems that he, like me, prefers to focus on the case at hand. And by jingo, what a case it is.
The case in question is of the murder of Lord Humphrey Woodburn, sixty-seven years old, a member of the landed gentry and one of the wealthiest men in England (for it almost goes without saying that it is in this green and pleasant land that this story takes place). On the morning of 12th April 1934 his Lordship’s corpse was discovered in his study, which was locked from the inside. The only key to the room was found in Woodburn’s trouser pocket. Even more puzzling was the cause of the lord’s death: he had been viciously bludgeoned with a copy of Marshall W. Taylor’s A Collection of Revival Hymns and Plantation Melodies – a book which his Lordship, who had been a committed atheist, had reportedly never owned. It was an enigmatic situation indeed, and I was asked to investigate it even before the post-mortem examination had taken place...continue reading
Runner-up:
Maria Belderbos
This short story collaborates with the art of St John the Baptist’s Cathedral, in particular with its stained glass windows, through a poetic-prose hybrid piece exploring the positive role of faith, art and creativity for those struggling with mental illness.
Highly commended:
Grace Murray
Meg Roser
Lily Fitzgerald
Norwich freemen's award for
Creative Entrepreneur
Winner:
Tegan Frary
‘The Vision Lens’ is a freelance business project that I have developed through the inspiration of my passion for videography. While studying media at college, I produced promotional videos and found that video content is high in demand, but many businesses cannot afford to employ a full-time videographer. Through this I have identified a problem, and with ‘The Vision Lens’, I can be the solution by working as a sole-trader to provide high-quality videography with affordability for my clients. I have been slowly developing this idea while studying, with the aspiration of creating an income through my passion. At this stage, ‘The Vision Lens’ is an idea, but it’s also a business plan that I am incredibly excited to pursue as I leave college. I am looking forward to starting my journey as a freelance videographer, and seeing the development of my ideas turning into a reality will be very fulfilling.
The branding for ‘The Vision Lens’ is inspired by the theme of promotional videography, since I will be using my ‘Lens’ to capture the ‘Vision’ of the businesses I will work with. Developing a colour scheme was a fun exercise, with the colour purple as a distinctive theme inspired by the colour of the Mac I work from. I used a combination of softwares to develop the logo, making sure that the ‘Lens’ remains a well-defined motif.
Entering the YNCA has helped me to structure my business plan for the coming months. Influenced by my current videography experience, I have been able to plan the first 6 months of the business as well as an outline of my budget, which is a necessary step for me to take now that my time at college is coming to an end. As a one-woman band I’m committed to building ‘The Vision Lens' from an idea into a trusted business, developing signature video styles and package offers, while building strong partnerships and retainer clients. With
further development I will be able to find a niche of businesses to work with, making my target market more distinct. Ultimately, through ‘The Vision Lens’ I wish to provide long-term value with my video products, using media professionalism to produce impactful promotional videos that remain effective through the rapid evolution of online video trends.
joint Runners-up:
Jaz brook
Youth Climate Solutions is a youth-led climate action social enterprise start-up that aims to create a climate-conscious future.
We’re a climate action organisation, focusing on three key areas: climate education, skill and career development, climate philosophy, anthropology and communication and climate consultancy, business development and policy.
noreen honest
25-year-old artist and founder of NMH, a Norwich-based creative brand rooted in faith, art, and nature. I graduated from Norwich University of the Arts in 2023 with a BA (Hons) in Fashion Communication and Promotion, alongside a Diploma in Textile Design. NMH was born from my passion to combine expressive, faith-inspired art with meaningful everyday products. My work focuses on wildlife portraiture using oil pastels, celebrating the beauty and complexity of the
natural world. Inspired by scriptures such as Job 12:7–10, I see each piece as a reflection of creation and a reminder of the Creator.
Highly commended:
Stan Read
Daniel Abodunde