Norwich University announces winners of 2026 Undergraduate Sustainability Awards
Students from BA (Hons) Architecture, BA (Hons) Fashion, BA (Hons) Illustration and BA (Hons) Interior Design were all recognised in this year’s awards, for their commitment to sustainable and ethical practice.
Norwich University of the Arts is delighted to announce the winners of its 2026 Undergraduate Sustainability Awards.
The awards recognise students’ commitment to sustainable and ethical practice. Presented by the University’s Sustainability Working Group, the awards were judged by Professor Hilary Carlisle, Dean of Creative Education, and Professor Dan Lockton, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Worlds.
The judging criteria included evidence of innovation and creativity in approaches to sustainability and materiality, including:
- How work activates community engagement
- How projects demonstrate the potential for long-term impact, scalability and practicality.
This year’s submissions reflected student work from across the University’s undergraduate courses. The 2026 winners are:
Louisa Venna Redelsperger – BA (Hons) Fashion
Good Clean Dirt
Born from a desire to regenerate a thriving textile system in East Anglia, Louisa’s project Good Clean Dirt is designed with the concept that the collection could safely return to the soil when no longer useful.
Judges’ comment: ‘An evocative way of reconsidering East Anglian material culture through distinctive folk aesthetics and linking tradition to wider industry. And a very cohesive design collection.’
Katie Gardiner – BA (Hons) Interior Design
(Re)Remembering
Katie’s project reimagines Wymondham Abbey’s graveyard as a living landscape, where memory and community intertwine. A series of memory gardens, reflection pools and gathering spaces offer a new community-centred form of remembrance.
Judges’ comment: ‘A really thoughtful reinterpretation of graveyards, often the only green spaces in many urban areas, as a new kind of landscape for reflection, care, and relationships with nature.’
Freya-Rose Topple – BA (Hons) Illustration
Till Death Do Us Part
Freya-Rose’s project features a book, sculpture and pigeon mask made from reclaimed and found materials including old cardboard, the covers of children’s books and old t-shirts.
Judges’ comment: ‘A powerful metaphorical weaving of ideas around more-than-human relationships with climate activism, beautifully and engagingly presented.’
Jade Luxwolda – BA (Hons) Architecture
A Second Life: Reclaiming Timber, Rebuilding Habitat
Situated within a vulnerable coastal landscape, Jade’s project explores how architecture can act as a catalyst for environmental regeneration, wildlife protection and community engagement.
Judges’ comment: ‘An intriguing approach to reconnecting with nature in coastal environments, with a space that feels ‘of’ the place rather than just in it.’
Student work photography: Chris Roberts
