Lichting celebrates the most promising fashion talent by featuring the best academy graduates of the year in one event. Lichting was founded in 2007 to bridge the gap between the academies and students on the one side and the talent-hungry fashion industry on the other. Lichting is an initiative of HTNK and Amsterdam Fashion Week.
Requirements
Participants of Lichting each stand out in what they do; whether that is couture, digital design, performance, commercial product, innovative design or handcrafted materials, the condition is that you create impressive work and excel in your work.
All Lichting participants;
• graduated in fashion design at an HBO fashion academy
• graduated between 1 January 2026 and 1 August 2026
• deliver an outstanding performance in fashion design
• can make their concept, process & work clear in the application
• are available at all dates Lichting takes place:
– Online intro meeting 13 July 17:00
– Presentation to Dutch jury – 10 August 2026
– Portfolio & pitch workshop – 14 August 2026
– Panel pitch to international panel – 1 September 2026
– Lichting show – 2 September 2026
– The Hub – 3 September 2026
Selection Procedure
Lichting 2026 works in three selection rounds:
1. Selection by academies or open call:
– The 7 Dutch fashion academies have the opportunity to send in one student each. These graduates are guaranteed through to the Dutch jury pitches.
– All design graduates can apply via an open call
2. The Lichting organisation selects 25 candidates for the third round (this includes the academy picks)
3. The 25 selected candidates each present their concept, process and work in a short presentation to a Dutch jury, who will select ten final participants for Lichting 2026. These ten participants are in the Lichting trajectory and show.
The participants will receive guidance and preparation to pitch their work to an international panel and present their work during the Lichting show for panel, press and a curated audience. The panel will pick one winner for Lichting 2026. The Lichting winner receives a cash prize of €5.000.
Apply
Click here to fill out the application for Lichting 2026.
The deadline to apply is 3 July 18:00
questions? hello@htnkinternational.com