Apply now for It’s Nice That’s Ones to Watch 2026!

Ones to Watch is It’s Nice That’s curated list of next generation creative talent from across the globe. Last year’s cohort featured 65 incredible emerging creatives across graphic design, illustration, photography, moving image and art. Could you be part of our 2026 cohort? Submit your work for a chance to be featured.

This time last year we opened applications for Ones to Watch, searching for creatives new to the industry all over the globe. As the deadline approached we watched the incredible work of emerging practitioners flood in and the standard was high. We were so impressed by the sheer amount of thoughtful, innovative, imaginative and joyful projects we discovered that we’ve hardly been able to wait to go all over again for 2026’s showcase. Our curated list of next generation creative talent is back and we’re looking for a fresh array of up-and-coming creatives working across disciplines that are breaking new ground. Think this could be you? You can now apply to be in with a chance of being included in the final selection of talent in this year’s showcase.

Ones to Watch is here to platform and champion creatives that are just getting their foot in the door, to shine a light on their incredible and largely unseen work, but it’s also a way to keep our fingers on the pulse of some of the most exciting visual developments brewing today – which often sits, of course, with those that have a fresh creative eye.

The 65 creatives selected last year each have a dedicated profile on our Ones to Watch 2025 showcase, which was viewed by 160,000 people. It’s safe to say that this led to some success stories, like illustrator and animator Chris Duffy getting his first animation commission or designer Maria Figas landing an internship at a design agency and getting a few more freelance projects under her belt. From the survey we sent out to last year’s alumni, it was clear to see that it helped the creatives featured connect with other creatives in the industry, attract press, get discovered by agencies, win commissions and most importantly grow the online community that surrounds their work.

Graphic designer Ruby Brown told us: “Being selected completely changed the trajectory of my career and gave me an incredible amount of exposure.” For illustrator Abigail Rai, Ones To Watch wasn’t just the thing that helped her land her first commission from a big brand – “It boosted my confidence and belief that I could pursue illustration as a career when people around me were telling me it could just be a hobby while I work a proper job,” she tells us. For Yung Hsuan Wang, being selected “had a really meaningful impact on my confidence as an emerging artist. As an international student and early-career artist based in London, receiving this recognition made me feel that my work was being seen and valued within a professional creative context.”

The categories we cover are graphic design, illustration, photography, moving image (animation and short film) and art. It’s completely free to apply, all you need to do is fill out our online form, submitting a short statement and a small selection of work images or videos. The It’s Nice That team look at all the work and choose the final line-up, to be announced in Autumn 2026.

The deadline to apply is 30 July at 23:59 GMT. Good luck!

Criteria

This opportunity is intended for individuals at the very beginning of their creative careers, including students, those in entry-level roles, and people transitioning into the creative industry. If you have more than one year of professional experience in a creative field, or are already established and moving between creative roles (for example, from art director to photographer), we kindly ask that you do not apply, to make space for those starting out in the industry.

To be considered for It’s Nice That’s Ones to Watch 2026, applicants must comply with one of the below criteria:

• Currently in full-time education (college, sixth form, undergraduate)*
• Currently in part-time/full-time postgraduate study and currently unemployed or in employment outside of the creative industry
• Currently in part-time/full-time postgraduate study and in the first year of an entry-level creative role
• Currently unemployed or in employment outside of the creative industry with no more than a year’s experience in the creative industry
• In the first year of an entry-level role within the creative industry after education
• In the first year of an entry-level role within the creative industry after switching to a creative career**
• Work submitted must be individual, not created as part of a partnership or collective. Applicants who are part of collectives may apply if the submitted work is clearly their own.

*You don’t need a degree to apply. If you do have one, graduates from any year are eligible as long as you have no more than one year of experience in the creative industry.

**If you have more than one year of professional experience in a creative field, or are already established and moving between creative roles (for example, from art director to photographer), we kindly ask that you do not apply, to make space for those starting out in the industry.