15 Student Achievement and Recognition Recognising student achievement remained an important aspect of faculty engagement. The Dean’s Merit List event acknowledged high-performing students and encouraged peer motivation, while the annual student exhibition showcased work to parents, alumni and industry stakeholders. The accompanying online exhibition archive extends professional visibility beyond the physical exhibition. The faculty also continued to identify and support high-performing students through UJenius recruitment initiatives. Students achieved notable successes in national and international competitions. Three Fashion Design students were selected among the top ten in the South African Fashion Week Student Competition. Graphic Design students received three Loerie Award finalist placements (including one bronze), nine Pendoring finalists and four wins (including two silver and one gold, with Courtney Hodgson winning the overall student award), five Gold Pack finalists, and a DEFSA top “What If” award. Four Visual Art students reached the Top 100 of the Sasol New Signatures competition. An interdisciplinary team of Graphic Design Honours, Multimedia and Industrial Design students won the national Women in Tech® competition and will represent South Africa at the global finals in Texas in 2026. Industrial Design students exhibited furniture projects at Cape Town Furniture Week as part of an inter-institutional exhibition and entered six teams into the AAKRUTI Global Competition, addressing real-world technological challenges. Two honours student groups were selected as finalists in the DEFSA “What if Design…” competition, with one team placing in the top three nationally. The Industrial Design Wom+n in Tech initiative also showcased postgraduate student projects at an Innovators Trust industry event, where the top two projects received mentorship opportunities and equipment sponsorship. Collectively, these initiatives demonstrate the faculty’s commitment to technologically informed pedagogy, responsive student support and the development of graduates equipped for rapidly evolving creative and professional environments. “These initiatives demonstrate the faculty’s commitment to technologically informed pedagogy, responsive student support and the development of graduates equipped for rapidly evolving creative and professional environments. 2025 Pendoring winners Fiona O’Connor (silver), Divine Ikechukwu (gold), Graphic Design HOD Christa van Zyl, Courtney Hodgson (Gold & overall 2025 Pendoring winner) and Chrystal De Witt (silver) 2025 Industrial, Digital Media and Graphic Design student winners of the national Women in Tech competition
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