Wigs, Textiles and some powerful storytelling: The Royal Ballet & Opera Design Challenge 2024/25

Curtains up. Stage set. But this time, it wasn’t seasoned professionals crafting for the Royal Ballet – it was students, reimagining choreographer Christopher Wheeldon’s telling of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale through costumes, sets, wigs, make-up and their very own marketing designs.

This year’s Royal Ballet and Opera Design Challenge proved that when young designers are given the opportunity, they can channel their creativity into stage magic.

This was no small feat nor brief. Students had to shape their designs with all the technicalities of movement and stage presence in mind. Some created full-scale costumes, others scale models and mock ups. Every idea had to be backed by a body of research including character studies, sketchbooks and even a short video explaining their creative process.

This year’s competition saw incredible student talent from UAL approved centres and beyond. A few names stood out, rising to the top of the ranks:

• Costume Design Winner – Indigo-Pacha Reynolds, East Sussex College
• Marketing Design Winner – Jaina Chandler, East Sussex College

Highly Commended awards also celebrated outstanding creativity:

• Costume Design -  Scarlet Spicer-Hartgroves, Brighton MET College
• Marketing Design – Oliver Bevan, Colchester Institute

As well as those who were commended for their artistic skills:

• Costume Design Commended for Process - Lara Faith Blair, North West Regional College
• Costume Design Commended for Vision - Viola Doncheva, East Sussex College
• Set Design Commended for Relevance – Fungnam Limbu, USP College, Palmer’s Campus
• Set Design Commended for Clarity – Maia Poole-Wilson, East Sussex College
• Wigs, Hair & Make-Up Design Commended – Summer Baker, East Sussex College

These lucky winners were whisked away to Covent Garden for a guided tour behind the scenes at the Royal Opera House, before department visits with industry professionals and then getting the chance to see their work exhibited in the Royal Opera house’s Linbury Foyer. Not a shabby reward for a sketchbook and a bold idea.

For many students, this was the first time they’d worked to a live professional brief. According to Georgina Hooper, an educator at Greater Brighton Metropolitan College: “It encapsulates such an invigorating and multifaceted opportunity for a range of students. It unlocked a bigger picture for many about industry and transferable skills.”

Teachers describe the Challenge as a spark for these students, whose entry into the creative industries holds weight from the big name behind the challenge, welcoming them into the professional world of an artist, whilst simultaneously allowing them the creative liberty to explore. They step out of the classroom, holding onto portfolios of sketches that demonstrate an understanding of industry processes. And sometimes that spark lights the road ahead to a career.

Take Madelaine McLaughlin’s word for it, not ours. Back in 2012/13, she entered the Challenge as a set design student. Today, she’s an Innovation Manager and Creative Entrepreneur at Estu Global. She names the Challenge one of the biggest milestones in her career.

“It gave me my first spatial design project that sparked a lifetime of creating spaces,” she recalls. “Every space can be a stage, and we can create moments with considered design. Everything I’ve learnt from the Challenge has made me see my projects in minute detail as well as the big picture for impact.”

Madeleine’s progression – from North Hertfordshire College to Chelsea College of Art and then the Royal College of Art – shows just how far this competition can take a talented young creative.

For the Royal Ballet and Opera, the Challenge dictates the future of storytelling. Emma Wilson, Director of Technical, Production and Costume reminds us why this is so topical:

"It’s powerful for developing skills that meet the needs of the live stage environment, as well as behaviours and personal attributes that are sought after – and which cannot be replaced by AI or any other intervention – such as emotional intelligence, empathy and personal voice."

Lead Artist for the Design Challenge, Ruth Paton, adds:

"Our work is storytelling through ballet and opera. If we want [it] to be the most relevant, the most joyful, the most valuable it can be, to the widest demographic of people, then we must ensure that the work is also made by the widest demographic of people. Key to this is to ensure that anyone can imagine themselves in our roles. A good way to do this is by asking them to have a go."

Sandra Dartnell, Programme Manager, is already looking ahead:

The RBO Design Challenge is free to run in KS5 classrooms. Teachers are given lesson plans and resources to help them embed it into their curriculum. Students can choose pathways in:

• Costume design
• Set design
• Wigs, hair and makeup design
• Marketing design

And from there, the world’s your oyster. Some find this to be a turning point in their blossoming careers; others just want the chance to revel over their work being exhibited at the Royal Opera House. Regardless, you’ll never get to experience that thrill if you don’t try!

More information for teachers about the Design Challenge can be found on the Royal Opera House website. Teachers, register before 31 October 2025 to participate in the RBO 25/26 Design Challenge.