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This category is open to footwear designers currently studying in the UK or Ireland. University lecturers can nominate up to three students, or students can enter themselves. Please submit one project only in a single PDF of up to 10 pages, including supporting imagery. Please also include graduation dates.

Criteria against which your entry will be judged:

• Evidence of stand-out footwear design
• Imagery of final developed product
• Strong on-trend design ideas
• Clear commercial understanding of the product and process
• Comprehensive market knowledge
• Clear understanding of the customer
• Proven technical skill
• Passion for footwear design and the industry

Qualifying period:

7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

This award is for footwear specialists only: independent retailers operating in the UK and/or Irish markets with fewer than 12 stores and/or concessions. Successful entrants will also supply revenue and profit details and number of staff working at the business.

The winner of this award will have shown resilience and agility during current challenging economic conditions, while working with and supporting its suppliers, partners and local community.

Criteria against which your entry will be judged:

• What makes your independent business stand out?
• Evidence of a strong business strategy and plan for growth
• Customer experience and clear understanding of customer profiles
• Comprehensive buying strategy
• Proven multichannel integration
• Stand-out retail store environment
• Strong, results-driven marketing, social media and content plans
• Great staff development strategy and place to work

Qualifying period:

7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

Sustainability is a business necessity, and this award will go to a UK or Irish footwear brand, retailer, etailer or supplier that has improved its environmental impact, conditions in its supply chain or launched an impressively conscious product during the year. This must have sustainable production methods or components. Circularity initiatives including rental, resale and recycling initiatives are also welcome.

Criteria against which your entry will be judged:

• The difference made to the business and its operations
• How the initiative was implemented
• How the activity or product achieved its objectives
• Relevance to target audience

Qualifying period:

7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

This category is open to all footwear retailers, pureplays and brands operating in the UK and/or Ireland. Judges will be looking for a company that can demonstrate a strong understanding of social media either through an ongoing campaign or programme, or one-off activity. Whether through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok or any other social media platform, the business should show how the channel has been harnessed to drive sales, brand awareness and messaging during the past year.

Criteria against which your entry will be judged:

• Details on the activity including launch dates
• How the activity achieved its objectives
• Sales, traffic and brand awareness results from the activity
• Relevance to target audience
• Quantifiable evidence on how social media activity has driven results and sales

Qualifying period:

7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

This category is open to wholesale and direct-to-consumer footwear brands trading in the UK and/or Ireland for between one and three years at the entry deadline of 5 February 2027.

The judges will be looking for a strong business plan, a unique selling proposition and robust financial performance. Website design, UX (user experience), product offer, customer service, marketing initiatives, stockists (if relevant) and customer engagement will all be taken into account.

Criteria against which your entry will be judged:

• USP – what makes this brand stand out? Is it filling a gap in the market?
• User experience and understanding of customer data
• Evidence of multichannel integration
• Strength of customer service with clear delivery and returns processes
• Strong, results-driven marketing, social media and content plans
• Sales figures for the most recent financial year
• Number of employees and how this has grown
• List of stockists (if relevant)
• Plans for future growth

Qualifying period:

7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

This category is open to any multichannel or pureplay footwear retailer or brand that operates in the UK and/or Irish markets. This award recognises the strategies that fuel online growth and demonstrate strength of the supply chain. Judges will be looking for an operator that can prove it is leading in the online space and explain how digital is transforming the business.

Criteria against which your entry will be judged:

• Technological innovations and any new digital initiatives made in the qualifying period
• Strength of customer service with clear delivery and returns processes
• Strong, results-driven marketing, social media and content plans
• Great user experience and engagement
• Online sales figures and traffic numbers with year-on-year comparisons

Qualifying period:

7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

This award recognises a business that manufactures footwear either for its own brand, or for retailers and brands operating in the UK and/or Irish markets.

The award will go to a company that demonstrates reliable delivery of orders, a good working relationship with its retail partners, a safe working environment and standards, great-quality products and outstanding customer service.

Successful entries will include the number of people on the workforce and how they are being supported, factory locations, details of materials used within production and how the business is reducing its environmental impact. Please also list retail partners.

Criteria against which your entry will be judged:

• How have you improved working conditions for your teams? Including any training and upskilling
• How have you embedded sustainability principles within your production process?
• What makes your business stand out?
• Evidence of quality and longevity of your product
• Details on location of factories and number of employees
• Details on volumes and styles produced

Qualifying period:

7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

This category is open to all footwear retailers, brands and pureplay etailers operating in the UK and/or Irish markets. Judges will be looking for a campaign that has made a quantifiable impact by driving sales, brand awareness and messaging, regardless of the size of the budget.

Criteria against which your entry will be judged:

• Sales results from the marketing campaign
• How the campaign achieved its objectives
• How activity was integrated across all channels
• Relevance to target audience

Qualifying period:

7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

This category is open to footwear designers operating in the UK and/or Irish markets. The designer can be part of a design team within a brand or multiple, or an independent footwear designer. Entrants will be required to send in three product designs.

Criteria against which your entry will be judged:

• Evidence of stand-out footwear design
• Strong on-trend design ideas
• Clear commercial understanding of the product and production process
• Proof of commercial success
• Comprehensive market knowledge
• Clear understanding of the customer
• Proven technical skill
• Passion for the role, the business and the industry
• How the individual has made an impact on the business
• Information on career background including any training, places of study, dates of graduation
• Information on the factors that drive the designer where they seek inspiration

Qualifying period:

7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

This award will be presented to the multiple retailer that our judges deem has the best footwear offer for its customer base. Entries can be either footwear-specific businesses or wider retailers with a footwear offer to shout about. Retailers must detail the proportion of sales the footwear category accounts for. Footwear brands should enter the Men’s Footwear Brand of the Year and Women’s Footwear Brand of the Year categories.

Criteria against which your entry will be judged:

• A strong sales performance showing year-on-year comparisons of footwear sales
• A footwear selection that is imaginative and relevant for your customer base
• A drive and ambition for footwear
• Strength of customer service
• Strong results-driven marketing, social media and content plans

Qualifying period:

7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

This category is open to footwear teams in fashion retailers, pureplays, footwear specialists, brands and suppliers operating in the UK and/or Irish markets. Judges will be looking for a team who can demonstrate how they have contributed to the overall objectives of the business.

Entrants must outline their exceptional understanding of the market and the customer, explain why the team stands out above the rest, show how it achieved measurable results and give evidence to support this.

Entrants must describe the size of the team and roles within it, how it engages with the rest of the business, and how it innovates to drive the overall business strategy. Please supply an image, and names and job titles of teams entered.

Criteria against which your entry will be judged:

• How the team works together successfully to achieve and surpass objectives
• Financial details and evidence of how the team drove sales or another metric of success
• Details of how the team drove brand awareness and engagement
• How the team is innovating
• Other achievements of the team in the qualifying period

Qualifying period:

7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

This award will go to the best wholesale or direct-to-consumer women's footwear brand operating in the UK and/or Irish market today. Footwear departments within fashion retailers should enter our new category: Footwear Offer of the Year.

The winner will demonstrate creativity, a flair for design, and will have shown resilience and agility in current challenging economic conditions, while working with and supporting its suppliers and partners.

Criteria against which brands will be judged:

• Evidence of a strong business strategy and plan for growth in the coming year
• Strong sales results showing year-on-year comparisons of footwear sales
• Demonstrate stand-out products that have performed particularly well
• Innovative product and a strong brand ethos throughout the business
• Solid sales performance
• Strength of customer service
• Strong results-driven marketing, social media and content plans
• List of stockists where applicable

Qualifying period:

7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

This award will go to the best wholesale or direct-to-consumer men's footwear brand operating in the UK and/or Irish markets. Footwear departments within fashion retailers should enter our new category: Footwear Offer of the Year.

The winner will demonstrate a flair for design and understanding of its customers’ needs. Entrants should show resilience and agility within in its operations, and will have supported its suppliers and partners.

Criteria against which your entry will be judged:

• Strong sales results showing year-on-year comparisons of footwear sales
• Demonstrate stand-out products that have performed particularly well
• Evidence of a strong business strategy and plan for growth
• Innovative product and a strong brand ethos throughout the business
• Strength of customer service
• Strong results-driven marketing, social media and content plans
• List of stockists where applicable

Qualifying period:

7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

This award will go to the best wholesale or direct-to-consumer kids’ footwear brand or department operating in the UK and/or Irish markets. The winner will prioritise kids’ foot health, and will have shown resilience, agility and innovation in the current challenging economic climate, while working with and supporting its suppliers and partners.

Criteria against which your entry will be judged:

• What makes your kids’ footwear brand stand out from the competition?
• Demonstrate understanding of kids’ foot health
• Evidence of a strong business strategy and plan for growth
• Demonstrate stand-out products that have performed particularly well
• Innovative product and a strong brand ethos throughout the business
• Solid sales performance
• Strength of customer service
• Strong results-driven marketing, social media and content plans
• List of stockists where applicable

Qualifying period:

7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

This category is open to forward thinkers who power footwear retailers and brands across the UK and/or Ireland. Judges will be looking for individuals or specific teams who are driving cultural change within their businesses, through strategies that empower people across head office, stores or supply chain. This could include cultivating a progressive environment that makes your workforce feel welcome and heard, as well as initiatives that have improved the livelihoods of those within the fashion supply chain.

Entries should include strategies and initiatives that demonstrate measurable, tangible results.

Criteria against which brands will be judged:

• Detail on the initiative including its name, timeframe, action points and results
• The tangible benefits the initiative has had on teams and the business
• Measurable evidence of change driven by the project
• How this led to improved business operations

Qualifying period:

 7 February 2026 - 5 February 2027

Nominated by the Drapers team. To be announced on the night.

Judged by a consumer poll. To be announced on the night.