Elevate Africa has opened applications for the Threads of Africa Fashion Film Prize 2026, a pan-African competition challenging designers, filmmakers, and storytellers to document and reimagine endangered African textiles and garment traditions through short film.
The competition arrives at a pivotal moment for the continent’s fashion industry.
Africa’s fashion market was valued at approximately $31 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow significantly by 2030, yet structural barriers — including limited financing, inadequate infrastructure, and skills gaps — continue to hold back its full potential.
Meanwhile, global exhibitions such as “Africa Fashion” have underscored both the richness of African design and the urgency of preserving its historical depth.
Built around the theme “Stories of Rebirth,” the 2026 prize calls on fashion designers, filmmakers, students, and creative teams of African descent — from across the continent and the diaspora — to submit a three-to-five-minute fashion micro-film centred on an endangered or forgotten African textile, garment, or technique.
Submissions must blend documentary-style storytelling with visual documentation of the creative process, making a compelling case for cultural and economic revival.
“Threads of Africa Fashion Film Prize is more than a competition; it is a movement to reclaim our narratives, and revive our traditions,” said Princess-Iman Sado, Threads of Africa Project Lead. “It is our way of weaving a stronger, and better-connected Africa.”
The 2026 edition builds on a successful debut in 2024, which drew over 520 participants from Nigeria and across West Africa.
Past winners include Adeyoola Adenusi of Adeyoola’s Rehab, Tammytara Abaku of The Abiyetara Brand, both from Nigeria, and Philip-Oppong Antwi of Phyll Quahsey from Ghana.
This year, the prize pool has been significantly expanded, with up to $25,000 in non-dilutive grants on offer. Winners will also receive mentorship opportunities and a dedicated showcase at Elevate Africa’s 2026 Convening in Ghana, along with broader amplification through the organisation’s platforms and partners.
Elevate Africa says the programme is designed not only to celebrate creativity, but to drive intra-African collaboration, stimulate policy conversations around heritage preservation, and support a more integrated African fashion economy.
Applications are open now. Creatives can learn more and submit entries at www.threadsofafrica.org.
