The annual Leeds Arts University Sustainability Awards have been announced today with students receiving first and runner-up prizes of £250 and £125 across three categories: Higher Education, Postgraduate; Higher Education, Undergraduate; and Further Education.
Now in its fifth year, the awards recognise innovative and outstanding work that addresses environmental, social and ethical issues, with sustainability running clearly throughout the submissions.
Image: Dayoung Min, ‘Love is,’ 2020 (film still)
In the Postgraduate category, first prize was awarded to Dayoung Min, an MA Graphic Design student, for ‘Love Is’, a video book that delivers a touching poem about love in Korean and English. It talks about love in the broader sense of humanity as opposed to romance. The underlying message tells us that the common goals in reaching sustainability must come from an underlying foundation of love for the future and for our planet.
Image: Craig, Drake & Reast: ‘Home Sweet Home’ 2020 (film still)
In the Undergraduate category, first prize was awarded to BA (Hons) Animation students Faye Craig, Emma Drake and Bethan Reast for their submission ‘Home, Sweet Home.’ The animated short film considers social sustainability and the effects of home learning during the pandemic. The submission explores the obstacles and ideas for a more sustainable practise for future generations.
Image: Esme Leach ‘A better footprint’ 2020
In the Further Education category, first prize was awarded to Foundation Diploma in Art & Design student Esme Leach for her work on ‘A better footprint’. The sole of a trainer can last 1000 years in landfill, and her submission examines how we can all play a part in reducing our environmental footprint. From the sustainable materials that were considered to design a new piece of eco-footwear, to the social messaging, brand marketing and ultimately disposal of the items. Esme had a well-considered multifaceted journey of the life span of her footwear.
The runners-up in the Higher Education, Undergraduate category were: Aishah Abd Wahab, a BA (Hons) Visual Communication student, for her Children’s Book ‘If I owned a Tower-Tall Ladder’, which touches on the humanity aspect of sustainability through poetry. Nathan Gibson, a BA (Hons) Illustration student, for his magazine submission ‘Investigation into the Relationship between the Anthropocene and Sustainability’ considering the impact that our way of living has had on the planet.
Runner-up in the Further Education category was Niamh Spink, a Foundation Diploma in Art & Design student, for her social sustainability project called ‘Letters of a lifetime’ exploring adult illiteracy.
The awards are open to current students who are asked to submit work, based on their interpretation of “sustainability”, that reflects the aims identified in the University Sustainability Framework. The Framework helps educate our students about long-term, cultural, economic and environmental health and vitality, together with the importance of linking social, financial, and environmental wellbeing.
