Opens for applications: 24th August 2026
Veronica White and Maureen White
Dedicated to the memory and talents of Alan White (1939-2022) and Maureen White (1939-2026), this Award will support a maker working on wood or textiles who can demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as well as creative excellence and craft skills.
The ALMAW Award, the title of which is an amalgamation of Alan and Maureen’s initials, honours their artistic spirit and aims to inspire and support emerging craftspeople in the field of woodworking or textiles.
– £520 (approx. $43/month) in the 1st year
– £2,000 (approx. £168/month) in the 2nd year
This Award is offered to makers working with wood or textiles. (Please note: Weavers will be excluded given the excellent support for this discipline at Cockpit provided by the Weavers’ Award.)
Makers need to demonstrate dedication to developing and nurturing their craft to a level of excellence and an interest in passing on their craft.
Please note: We only accept one application per applicant for each award round. If you are unsure about which award to apply for, please contact Kanny Morgan, Awards & Admissions Coordinator at kanny@cockpitstudios.org.
Alan was a skilled woodworker, using his carpentry skills to create a first home for him and Maureen after their marriage in 1958.
In the early 1970s while recovering from illness, he made a stunning doll’s house for his daughter, complete with beautifully crafted
furniture, and many other family homes bear witness to the work of this kind and talented man.
Maureen started dressmaking as a youngster, making her wedding and bridesmaids’ dresses aged 19. She went on take her City & Guild exams in Pattern Cutting and Dressmaking. The dining-room table was often taken over for pattern making, and among other things, she made some beautiful evening dresses to wear at business dinners and family celebrations.
Alan and Maureen often visited Cockpit for Open Studios in the years before the pandemic and loved meeting the artists and makers.
Their 60th wedding anniversary present to each other was a textile collage from Cockpit Alumni Onome Otite.
Maureen, along with her daughter Veronica, launched the ALMAW Award in 2025 as a celebration of the life of Maureen’s late husband Alan.
Cockpit is committed to inclusion, diversity, and equity in all our activities, recognising that creativity and innovation are fuelled by diversity.
Read our full statement and see our aims here.
We particularly encourage applications from those who are underrepresented in craft including non-graduates, disabled, D/deaf, and neurodiverse people, LGBTQ+ people, and people from Black, Asian, and Global Majority* backgrounds. We welcome applicants from a range of educational backgrounds, and there is no minimum formal qualification for this programme.
*Global Majority is a collective term that refers to people who are Black, Asian, dual-heritage, mixed-heritage, indigenous to the global South, and/or have been racialised as ‘ethnic minorities’.
As part of our commitment to increasing diversity, we offer a guaranteed first round interview scheme for applicants who meet Cockpit’s eligibility criteria, the award criteria, and identify as being from a Global Majority background and/or as D/deaf and/or disabled. This scheme recognises under-representation and that structural injustices mean that currently there is not a ‘level-playing field’ in our sector or society.
If you identify as having one or more of these protected characteristics and meet the eligibility and award criteria, please indicate in your application that you would like to be considered under our guaranteed interview scheme for a first round interview.
If you have any questions, check our FAQs page or contact us.
We encourage prospective applicants to attend an Awards Open Day to visit the studios, meet the Cockpit team, and find out more about our awards and bursaries. Attending is not essential to apply but can be a helpful way to understand whether Cockpit is the right environment for your practice. Book a place at our next Awards Open Day here. Booking is required and places are limited.
All awards and bursaries at Cockpit include subsidised shared studio space, business support, and membership in a vibrant craft community, giving successful makers the space and time to develop their profile, grow their business or practice, and increase profitability. We are looking for applicants who demonstrate entrepreneurial spirit, creative excellence, and highly developed craft skills.
Please note:
Current awardee: Morag Seaton
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