University of Brighton students win national design awards for tackling real-world challenges from dementia care to waste reduction

From an inclusive toaster designed to support people living with cognitive decline, to clothing made from abandoned festival tents and a tool that helps mechanics work more efficiently in tight engine spaces, the winning projects highlight how student designers are responding to everyday problems through practical, research-led innovation.

Across multiple categories, judges praised the strength of ideas emerging from Brighton, with particular emphasis on thoughtful research, user-focused design and environmental awareness.

Among the winners was Product Design student Bhavnesh Rohit Modgill, who received the Joseph Stannah Award for Your Last First Toaster – an inclusive household appliance designed to help people experiencing cognitive decline maintain independence.

Inspired by watching his grandmother gradually lose confidence using everyday products after suffering two strokes, Bhavnesh reimagined the domestic toaster to make it more accessible, intuitive and longer lasting. Featuring tactile surfaces, large buttons and high-contrast colours, the toaster simplifies everyday use while a redesigned internal architecture makes it easier to repair and maintain, extending the product's lifespan. Rather than creating a specialist product, the design is intended to be intuitive and inclusive for a wide range of users.

Judges praised the project as a "great and engaging idea" supported by "excellent research and development".

Bhavnesh Rohit Modgill

Daisy Brook

Students from the University's 3D Design and Craft course were also recognised nationally. Daisy Brook won the VAA New Artist/Designers Award for Beyond Time, a sculptural installation of ceramic kinetic sculptures that combine sound and movement to encourage moments of mindfulness and reflection. Inspired by the contrast between traditional ceramics and modern technology, the work explores how movement, sound and handcrafted materials can reconnect audiences with the present moment.

Judges described it as "a visually compelling hanging sculpture that marries sound and movement whilst exploring presence – excellent!" Fellow student Rebecca Cormack was named runner-up.

The University's 3D Design and Craft exhibition also received the New Designers Best Stand Award, recognising the quality, creativity and presentation of the graduate showcase.

Innovation in product design was also recognised through Torin O'Neill's success in the Dolmen Future Innovator Award. His project, TS68, is a modular battery-powered ratchet developed to help mechanics work more effectively in increasingly compact vehicle engine bays. Through interchangeable components, the tool can be configured in 68 different ways, improving access to confined spaces while reducing the need to switch between multiple tools.  

Judges commended the project for its functionality, extensive user testing and consideration of sustainability throughout the design process.  

Torin O'Neill

Tilly Lawless

Another standout project came from Product Design student Tilly Lawless, who won the We Make Stuff Happen Up Award for Bâche, a fashion concept that transforms abandoned festival tents into limited-edition garments.

Each year, an estimated 250,000 tents are left behind at UK music festivals, generating around 900 tonnes of waste. Tilly's project recovers discarded materials and reimagines them as contemporary clothing, challenging attitudes towards waste and fast fashion.

Judges described the project as an "excellent sustainability initiative" with a strong creative vision.

James Tooze, Course Leader for Product Design at the University of Brighton, said: "These projects demonstrate how design can be used to address real issues that affect people's lives, whether that's supporting independent living, reducing waste or developing products that respond to changing needs and behaviours. It is great to see our student's work being recognised on a national stage at New Designers, with projects that embody core principles of the course in combining strong creative thinking with empathy, research and an understanding of the impact design can have beyond the studio."  

Jem Ryan, Course Leader for 3D Design and Craft, said: "It's fabulous to see our students recognised by industry in this way. The awards not only reflect the creativity, ambition and diversity of practice which defines the course, but also the confidence our students have in using materials, making and storytelling to engage with wider social, cultural and environmental conversations."

New Designers is one of the UK's leading showcases for emerging creative talent, bringing together graduates, employers, manufacturers and industry specialists to celebrate the next generation of designers.

The University's success at this year's event highlights the growing role design can play in helping address contemporary challenges, with students developing ideas that combine creativity, technical skill and social impact.

Additional University of Brighton successes at New Designers 2026

BA (Hons) 3D Design & Craft

• Daisy Brook – Winner, VAA New Artist/Designer Award

• Harriet Taviner – Shortlisted, Conran Shop Design Award; shortlisted, Colour in Design Award ("Ones to Watch"); shortlisted, Society of Dyers and Colourists Colour Award ("SDC Loves"); ND Selects

• Rebecca Cormack – Runner-up, VAA New Artist/Designer Award; shortlisted, Guild of Enamellers Emerging Maker Award; Commendation, Hockley Mint

• Anna-Maria (Annie) Stavreva – Runner-up, Made Materials Innovation Prize

• Stan Miles Abbott – Shortlisted, Based Upon Award for Alchemy

• Izzy Berry – Shortlisted, We Make Stuff Happen: Up Award; work selected for "Opus Magnum Loves"

• Amber Hunter – Shortlisted, We Make Stuff Happen: Up Award; shortlisted, Colour in Design Award ("Ones to Watch")

• Rose Barlier – Work selected for "John Lewis Loves"

• Edie Muir – Shortlisted, Colour in Design Award ("Ones to Watch")

• Morgan Todhunter – ND Selects