not just a shop Window Design Competition

1Competition brief
2Application stages, process and payment
3Privacy notice and agreement
4Your details
5Examples of work
6Self-employment monitoring
7Equal opportunities
8Confirmation

Application deadline: 10 am Monday 1 September 2025

We're inviting recent UAL graduates (of up to 3 years, between 2022-2025) to submit examples of their work or portfolio. 

You'll have the chance of being commissioned to design and set up a window display for not just a shop.

What we're looking for

We're looking for applicants interested in creating an engaging ‘festive’ window display in the central section of the street facing window of not just a shop, in High Holborn.

Based on your portfolio and supporting application, up to 3 graduates will be selected and paid to create 3 display ideas and pitch these to the not just a shop team.

One idea will be chosen and the selected graduate will be commissioned to set up the window display. There'll be a separate materials budget.

The installation date is 23 and 24 October 2025 and the design will be up for 8 weeks (until 19 December). 

Your task if selected

If selected, you'll need to produce a design that creates impact and interest for passing traffic. The design will also need to encourage customers into the store. 

There are a number of factors to consider including:

  • Scale
  • Materials
  • Environmental impact
  • Budget
  • Timescale
  • Installation of final design.

You'll need to research and source materials for the window installation. This will take place on the allocated day, with support from not just a shop team.

You can find additional details about the brief, including examples of previous window displays on the Competitions and live briefs page.

Eligibility

  • Recent graduate (up to 3 years, between 2022-2025) from one of our 6 colleges on a BA, MA, PhD or FdA level course
  • Disciplines including but not limited to: Graphic design, communication design, photography, painting, drawing, illustration, sculpture and animation.
  • Examples of your work or your portfolio must be well presented in one collated file (Word, PDF or JPEG that includes multiple images).

Criteria

Selected applications will show:

  • High quality design and production skills
  • Creative, unique and consistency in style
  • Commercially viable style, for example have wide public appeal, avoiding niche themes
  • Demonstrate suitable experience in similar or relevant projects. This could include examples of physical 3D modelling, construction or prop making; large scale painting or installations; designs or proposals for similar spaces; and project management experience. 

Application stages, process and payment

Stage 1: Application

Deadline: 10am, Monday 1 September 2025

Submit an application form with examples of relevant work and previous projects.

Stage 2: Idea pitching

Pitch date: Friday 19 September 2025

Up to 3 applicants will be shortlisted to pitch 3 ideas for a window design.

Each applicant will have 20 minutes to pitch 3 ideas and answer questions from the panel. This could either be online or in a pre-prepared video.

Payment to you: £75 for idea generation and pitch

Stage 3: Installation

Install date: Thursday 23 October (from 3pm) to Friday 24 October (9am - 5pm)

Selected applicant will be:

  • Given time to refine their chosen idea and receive feedback
  • Required to create a scaled drawing
  • Required to research and source materials and create an installation plan.

Installation to take place with support of not just a shop team.

Payment to you: £600, equates to £200 day rate, x 3 days (£25 an hour, 8 hours per day)

Accessibility requirements

If there are any barriers to your participation in this opportunity or you have any access requirements (not limited to disability), please get in touch in advance to start the discussion and see how you can be supported. You can contact us at notjustashop@arts.ac.uk.

Terms and conditions

Application stage​

  • This commission is open to recent graduates up to 3 years (between 2022-2025) from all UAL colleges and courses​.
  • Examples or your portfolio should clearly show the illustration or design style and be representative of your work. ​
  • Examples can be produced in any medium but must be submitted as a high-resolution digital image, collated into one PDF, a word document or JPEG (max 3MB)​.
  • Examples of work or your portfolio entered must be your own original artwork, of which you hold and will maintain the copyright to​.

Pitching stage ​

  • The intellectual property of all ideas pitched to not just a shop will remain with the applicant and will not be used at a later date without consent and discussion with the applicant.
  • If not just a shop wishes to commission an unsuccessful pitch idea, they'll be in touch to discuss with the applicant and fees will remain the same as selected pitch​.
  • Applicants pitching their ideas will receive £75 for their time to create 3 ideas and present to not just a shop. They'll be paid through invoice and set up on our finance system as a new supplier, invoices are paid within 30 days. ​
  • Pitching will take place digitally through Zoom and will include no more than 3 panellists. ​
  • There will be an option to present your work via video in advance if preferred. ​

Commission stage​

  • The intellectual property of selected design will remain with applicant​.
  • Applicants selected for commission will be paid through invoice upon completion of installation and will be set up on our finance system as a new supplier. Invoices are paid within 30 days.​
  • Final design will be in consultation with not just a shop team and signed off providing the design is realistic in terms of installation time frame, sustainability of materials used and health and safety.​
  • Applicant must follow to the timeline provided and submit required final plans and designs as requested​.
  • not just a shop team have the right to terminate the commission should the applicant not follow to provided timeline or complete the installation in its entirety by Tuesday 28 October.​
  • Should the commission be terminated, the applicant will be paid a maximum of £100 to cover incurred costs and time, and will not be paid the full fee. ​
  • Photographs of the final installation will be used across UAL marketing and advertising materials to promote not just a shop and future competitions or commissions. You will be credited whenever images of your window display will be used. ​
  • not just a shop will cover all installation materials and related costs up to £300 (separate to the fee). not just a shop can pay for these costs directly or can reimburse applicant on final invoice. ​
  • not just a shop will print an A2 information board that includes a paragraph of information about the design (supplied), the applicants website, social handle or logo, and will be approved before print. 

Privacy notice

The information you provide below will be collected by UAL in order to enter you into the not just a shop window brief application and for your work to be considered for commission of a window display in High Holborn (GDPR legal basis 6(1)(b) ‘necessary for...entering into a contract’). 

The personal data and designs of unsuccessful applicants will be deleted within 2 months of the application deadline. 

Find your subject rights and UAL's privacy information.

Privacy check(Required)

Your details

Name(Required)
Course level(Required)

Will you be available on site in High Holborn for the installation date (Thursday 23, Friday 24 October)?(Required)
Are you a current student?

Examples of work

The examples of your work could include:

  • 3D modelling or construction
  • A large scale painting or installations
  • Designs or proposals for similar spaces
  • Project management (for example planning an exhibition, design project, photoshoot, public art project). 

If referencing specific projects, you'll need to include your images and title work in your application.

You'll need to collate your examples into one file.
Accepted file types: jpeg, png, pdf, word, Max. file size: 3 MB.
Maximum file size - 3 mega bytes.

Self-employment monitoring

Careers and Employability is researching how many UAL students and recent graduates become self-employed. This information is being collected for UAL’s self-employment monitoring. It has no impact on your application. 

Do you work for yourself?(Required)
This can be part-time or full-time, freelance, as a sole trader, own business or social enterprise.
It can be own name if you are registered as a sole trader or freelancer.
Are you/ your business currently registered?(Required)
Do you consider your business to be a social enterprise?(Required)
Did UAL support you or engage with your business in any way?(Required)
E.g. Instagram, X (Twitter), etc.
Are you happy to be contacted by UAL in future about your self-employment status/ business?(Required)

Equal opportunities

We're committed to being a diverse university and support equal opportunities for all. To help us monitor our success in this area, we would appreciate it if you complete the following information. 

We'll keep this information within Careers and Employability only - separate from your application record. We won't share it with other teams or organisations. This question is entirely optional.

Tick all the boxes that apply to you.
How did you find out about the opportunity?(Required)

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