Georgia wins Roy Wallington Merchant Taylors 'Best in Show' prize at 2026 Degree Show
Georgia Linsey-Bessant was named the inaugural winner of the Roy Wallington “Best in Show” Award at the York College & University Centre 2026 Degree Show.
The prize was presented by Shaun Parker, Master of The Company of Merchant Taylors in the City of York, in the memory of the company’s former trustee Roy, who sadly passed away at the age of 63 earlier this year.
BA (Hons) Fashion Design & Garment Technology student Georgia also received a cash prize of £1,000 and an invitation to exhibit her work in the Merchant Taylors' Hall.
The show was attended by hundreds of people over the weekend in the Spurriergate Centre.
It showcased and celebrated the final-year work of undergraduates on the college’s York School of Art degree-level courses, with Guest Speaker Cherie Federico, Director of Aesthetica Magazine and the Aesthetica Short Film Festival, also selecting Rising Talent Award-winning students from each area.
Cherie selected: Pauline Valente (Media Make-up, Special Effects and Hair Design), Lauren Harper (Fashion Design & Garment Technology), Amber White (3D Creative Practice), Walter Crawford (Graphic & Communication Design) and Rosa Kilbane (Film Production & Professional Practice).
Each student received a one-year subscription to Aesthetica Magazine with Cherie adding: “Seeing the 41 exhibiting students made it clear just how strong creative teaching and learning is at York College. Their work reflects a thriving pipeline of new ideas, practice and innovation at a time when the creative industries are one of the fastest-growing parts of the economy, expanding significantly faster than many other sectors and driving major national growth.
“It is therefore vital that we continue to support and invest in this momentum here in York and North Yorkshire to ensure our region is fully positioned to benefit from that growth. It was a real privilege to judge the inaugural Aesthetica Rising Talent Awards and to engage with the next generation of creative talent.
“As a UNESCO City of Media Arts, York has a globally recognised creative reputation and that was evident throughout the event. Meeting graduating students, inspiring staff from York College, and connecting with representatives from the region’s creative guilds highlighted not only the strength of our current ecosystem, but also the importance of sustaining and scaling it for the future.”
The Company of Cordwainers of the City of York Rising Talent Prize and £100, meanwhile, was presented to Fashion Design and Garment Technology student Carrie Slater by Master of the Cordwainers Joy Cullwick.
Lauren Harper was Highly Commended and, along with Carrie, has been invited to attend the St Crispin’s Feast at Bedern Hall in November, where their work will be on display and they will be presented with Cordwainers’ medals.
On the task of picking a winner at the show, Joy admitted: “I felt like a kid in a sweet shop looking at all of the fantastically created designs. I was really impressed by the high standard of work and attention to detail, as well as the flair and talent that was evident across all of the cohorts at the show.”
York Rotary President Elect Jane Albon and Assistant Secretary Mary Lumley, meanwhile, were on hand to present the winner and runner-up prizes to Beth Warriner and Jenny Ackroyd respectively for their K-Pop Design Competition, which tasked the Fashion Design & Garment Technology students with creating costumes for an imaginary K-Pop band.
The students received cash prizes of £250 and £100 and invitations to a York Rotary lunch in September.
The final prize of the night was the York College & University Centre Studentship Award, which was presented to 3D Creative Practice undergraduate Lily Carr by Art & Design Curriculum & Standards Manager Phil Simpson in recognition of her dedication to the course, support for others, volunteering at College and polite, respectful manner.
Please see below for some of the wonderful exhibits that were on display and scenes from the opening night...
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