Image Richard Boll

To celebrate St Crispin’s Day we are delighted to announce that the new Cordwainers Craft of Shoemaking Award, which is sponsored by bespoke shoemakers Carréducker, will be awarded at the Cordwainers Footwear Awards in June 2025.

‘With shoe and boot making listed as endangered by Heritage Crafts, we want to showcase and encourage the incredible shoemaking talent that is here in the UK’, said Jonathan Church, Master of the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers.

‘We have a worldwide reputation for excellence in British shoemaking, but there has been a dramatic drop in people entering the trade. It’s putting our reputation and the industry’s future at risk. We want to excite the next generation of shoemakers about the craft and to encourage them to become part of this very successful billion-pound footwear industry. We are thrilled to be launching the award with Carréducker’s generous support.’

Entries are invited from

• Shoemaking students – either current students or recent graduates (within 12 months)
• Apprentices
• Non-professional shoemakers who are not selling their shoes at commercial prices
• All applicants should be living in the UK.  There is no age limit.

The competition brief

• To produce a PAIR of shoes or boots for men, women or children
• Made using any construction methods
• The footwear must be functional AND wearable

The prize
The winning entry will receive a package of specialist training with the Carréducker Shoemaking School

• A two-day bespoke pattern making course
• A three-day closing techniques course
• A 12-day hand-sewn shoemaking course

Download the full competition brief here