City of Glasgow College celebrates major success at Craftex 2026

City of Glasgow College celebrated outstanding success at Craftex 2026, with students receiving an impressive collection of awards across a wide range of creative disciplines, cementing the College's reputation as one of Scotland's leading centres for craft, design and technical education.

Students claimed top honours in graphics, furniture making, jewellery, ceramics, glass, textiles, construction, digital media and culinary crafts, reflecting the breadth of talent, creativity and technical excellence developed across the College's creative curriculum.

One of the competition's highest accolades, the prestigious Gold Medal, was awarded to furniture student Mosleh Akhgar, whose craftsmanship, creativity and attention to detail impressed the judges. His award-winning piece was inspired by Gustav Stickley's iconic Morris Chair Flat-Arm Model 332, showcasing traditional furniture-making techniques alongside exceptional joinery and design skills.

Reflecting on his achievement, Mosleh said: "Studying the furniture course at college took things to the next level for me. Over the past three years, I have gained many technical and social skills and developed a strong interest in learning about furniture. I feel very lucky to have had access to a high-level workshop and to have worked with such a supportive team."

Jewellery student Ana Mekhtieva also received one of the event's most prestigious awards, the Glencairn Sponsorship Award, recognising exceptional promise and achievement by a foundation-level student. The College's success continued in ceramics and glass, with students winning every category award in both disciplines. An NQ Applied Arts group received the Best Team Entry award for its collection of smoke-fired ceramic pieces, while fellow student Evy Craig was recognised for a beautifully crafted quilted textile piece.

The College also celebrated success in graphics, with Damien Hepburn and Zara MacKenzie winning the Advanced and Non-Advanced Advertising and Illustration categories respectively. Strong performances across model making, interior design, industrial design, carpentry and digital media further demonstrated the high standard of work produced by City of Glasgow College students.

Lisa McGovern, Curriculum Head for Craft and Design, said: "Craftex provides an invaluable platform for our students to showcase their skills, creativity and professionalism within a real exhibition setting. These achievements reflect not only the dedication and talent of our students, but also the commitment of our staff to providing an inspiring learning environment that prepares students for successful careers in the creative industries."

The outstanding results at Craftex 2026 highlight the creativity, innovation and technical excellence that continue to define City of Glasgow College, with students once again demonstrating they are among Scotland's brightest emerging creative talents.