On January 13th the H&M clothing brand opened call for applications for the H&M Design Award. This award has been launced by the brad and will be presented on February 1st in Stockholm at the Sweedish fashion week.

The award is accompanied by a prize of 50,000 euros and the sale of the designer’s creations in some of the chain’s stores. The winner will also get to see his creations on the runway during the Fashion Week in Stockholm. The award is slated to become an annual event, says H&M. Entries will be subject to the votes of visitors to the dedicated site, but also to that of a jury made up of professionals from leading design schools.

For the time being, the competition is open only to students from fourteen designated schools: in Sweden (Stockholm’s Beckman’s College of Design and Textilhögskolan in Boras), in Danemark (Copenhagen’s DKDS and Kolding’s Design Skolen), in Germany (the Universität der Kunste in Berlin, the Université de Pforzheim, and Weissensee), in Great Britain (the Brighton School of Architecture & Design, Central Saint Martins, and the London College of Fashion), in the Netherlands (ArtEZ in Arnhem and Amfi in Amsterdam) and in Belgium (the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Anvers and Cambre in Brussels). Curiously, no French or Italian schools have been selected.

One may register at the following web address: designaward2012.hm.

It should be noted that, for once, the Swedish brand is not at the forefront: the Spanish brand Mango has set up its El Boton prize several years ago – with a 300, 000 euro award at that!