About the Awards

The Footwear Friends Annual Awards are now in their fifth year and are an established way of recognising and rewarding British Design talent. Footwear Friends, the industry charity, celebrates its 175th Anniversary this year and has a proud record of helping those most in need in the Trade. These sponsored Awards also enable Footwear Friends to support young entrepreneurs who are the future lifeblood of the industry. There are three key Awards for 2011. The Designer Award of £5000 is to be used to further Designers/Entrepreneurs business expertise and is generously sponsored by the Birkenstock and NPS Shoes Ltd. In addition there is a 12-month tailored mentoring programme by industry experts The Meltzer Travel Award of £750 – this is primarily to assist in attending key Trade Shows. Donated by Philip Meltzer in memory of Joe Meltzer. The Award also includes a mentoring programme for the successful candidate. The FN/Platform Award winner is given the opportunity to show their emerging brand on a sponsored stand at the USA’s premier footwear show - Magic in Las Vegas.