Celebrating The Next Generation: Our Creative Talent Awards Exhibition

At Unique Magazines, we believe independent publishing is about more than putting ideas onto paper. It’s about creativity, storytelling and giving people a platform to share their perspectives with the world.

This belief was at the heart of our Creative Talent Awards Exhibition, hosted at The Mag Studio, where we brought together an inspiring collection of student created publications to celebrate the next generation of publishing and creative talent.

From fashion and identity to community, culture and self-expression, the exhibition showcased the individuality, imagination and hard work behind each project, offering visitors an opportunity to discover fresh perspectives through print. The exhibition also marked an exciting milestone in our wider Creative Talent Programme, an initiative developed to connect students with the creative industries and create opportunities for emerging talent.

The Start of Something Creative

Our Creative Talent Programme officially launched on 30 September with a University Mixer, welcoming over 20 students to The Mag Room and Mag Studio at Unique Magazines. The event brought together students from four universities to browse independent magazines, meet fellow creatives and learn more about the opportunities available through our new, free programme.

Working in partnership with Northumbria University, the University of Sunderland, University Centre Middlesbrough, and The Northern School of Art, we wanted to create a space where students could connect beyond their university courses, share ideas and gain insight into the creative industries.

As part of the programme, we introduced our Sessions & Makes, a series of student focused workshops developed in collaboration with industry professionals. Covering everything from magazine publishing and photography to styling, branding and marketing, the sessions were designed to help students build their skills, confidence and industry connections. Alongside these opportunities, we launched the Creative Talent Awards, recognising the creativity and potential of students developing their own publications.

Student Creativity In The Mag Studio

The Creative Talent Awards Exhibition gave us the opportunity to transform The Mag Studio into a space dedicated to celebrating student publishing. Bringing together a diverse selection of publications, the exhibition highlighted the many different ways print can be used to explore ideas, tell stories and challenge perspectives.

Each publication brought something different to the space, reflecting the individual interests, experiences and creative approaches of the students behind them. Some explored fashion as a form of identity and self-expression, questioning the expectations and conventions that influence how we present ourselves. Others used photography, interviews and editorial design to document communities, explore contemporary culture or challenge traditional approaches to visual storytelling.

Despite their different subjects and styles, the publications shared something important: a commitment to using print as a space for creative expression. For us, this is what makes independent publishing so exciting. There is no single way to create a magazine, and the exhibition was a reminder of just how much can be communicated through the combination of words, imagery and design.

A Celebration of Different Voices and Perspectives

One of the most rewarding aspects of the exhibition was seeing the range of subjects that students had chosen to explore. As part of the exhibition, we were delighted to recognise two students whose publications particularly stood out to us.

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Winner: Abbie Reardon, Hot Mess Magazine

Our Creative Talent Awards winner was Abbie Reardon, creator of Hot Mess. Exploring the experiences and uncertainties of navigating life in your twenties, Hot Mess brings together fashion, lifestyle, culture and social commentary in a publication that speaks directly to a generation finding its place in the world.

Through its distinctive visual identity and engaging editorial content, Abbie created a publication with a clear sense of purpose and a strong understanding of its audience.

Runner-Up: Lois Dawson, Common Ground Magazine

Our runner-up was Lois Dawson, creator of Common Ground. Rooted in Billingham, Teesside, where Lois grew up, Common Ground celebrates working class life through family, friendship and local culture. The publication uses personal storytelling, photography and interviews to explore how identity is shaped by the places we come from and the communities we belong to.

We felt Common Ground reflected many of the values we champion at Unique Magazines. It was authentic, personal and accessible, demonstrating the power of print to document everyday experiences and give a voice to communities.

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Other projects approached fashion and identity from different perspectives. Niamh Jackson’s Unbecoming questioned the unspoken rules surrounding clothing and self-expression, while Finley Simpson’s Altered Form challenged convention through experimental fashion imagery and creative direction. Sarah Healey’s Expected explored the pressures and expectations that shape how we see ourselves, while Eve Fenny’s Total Brut brought together fashion, Brutalist architecture and Northern identity to question ideas around beauty, class and preservation.

Congratulations to Abbie and Lois, and to every student who took part in the exhibition. The creativity, thought and dedication behind each publication made the awards a celebration of emerging talent. Together, these publications demonstrated how student publishing can open up conversations about the world around us, offering new perspectives on familiar subjects and giving space to stories that deserve to be shared.

Creating Opportunities Beyond the Classroom

The Creative Talent Awards are about more than recognising individual projects. We want to create opportunities for students to see their work presented in a different environment, beyond the classroom or university studio, and to experience what it means to share their ideas with a wider audience.

At Unique Magazines, we’re fortunate to work with independent publishers and creatives who use print to tell stories, build communities and explore subjects they’re passionate about. Through the Creative Talent Programme, we hope to make this world more accessible to students, creating opportunities to learn from industry professionals, build connections and explore where their creativity might take them.

Seeing student publications exhibited at The Mag Studio was an important part of that ambition. It was also a reminder that independent publishing continues to offer space for new voices, unconventional ideas and stories that might not find a home elsewhere.

Looking Ahead…

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing a series of dedicated articles on The Magazine Club, introducing some of the talented creatives who took part in the Creative Talent Awards. We’ll be exploring the inspiration behind their publications, the creative decisions that shaped their projects and the experiences of bringing their ideas to life. From the first spark of an idea to the finished publication, we want to give readers a closer look at the people and processes behind the work.

Our Creative Talent Awards Exhibition celebrates what happens when emerging creatives are given the opportunity to share their ideas and perspectives through print. We’re incredibly grateful to the students who trust us to showcase their work, the lecturers and universities who support the initiative, and everyone who takes the time to engage with the publications.

As we continue developing the Creative Talent Programme, we’re excited to build on these connections and create more opportunities for students to explore the creative industries. We’re proud to play a part in celebrating and supporting the next generation of independent publishing talent.

Discover the Creative Talent Programme now.

See you in the Mag Room,
Jessica