The Hand & Lock Prize 2026 — embroidery that tells a story. How to tell yours in cross stitch
From 3 to 6 November 2026, the Building Centre at 26 Store Street, London, hosted the exhibition of finalists of the Hand & Lock Prize for Embroidery. Entry was free, with no tickets (exhibition page).
What the prize is
- Since 2000. The prize has run since 2000 and, according to the organisers, has drawn embroiderers from over 60 countries (about the prize).
- Categories. Fashion and textile art, each with a student and an open category. There are also associate awards: for example, from an embroidery school and from an old embroiderers' livery company (2026 winners).
- How finalists are chosen. In spring entrants sent photos of their work and a design concept; at the end of July the judges chose the finalists, and finished pieces had to reach the studio in London by 10 September (timetable).
The 2026 winners are already announced on the prize's website.
This year's theme — a story in embroidery
The 2026 brief is called "Embroidery Talks: Visual Storytelling from Heart to Hand". Entrants were asked to explore storytelling and its relationship to needlework, and to make a piece that expresses themselves (brief).
The theme is close to cross stitch too: old samplers told stories as well — of home, family, the year they were made. More in "Samplers as landscapes".
How to tell a story in cross stitch
- One scene. A story needn't be long: the house you grew up in, the tree outside the window, a dog on the porch. One recognisable scene says more than ten small ones.
- Your own photo as a starting point. You can make a chart from your own photo — for choosing the picture, see "Chart from a photo".
- Words. A short line — a name, a date, one phrase — turns a picture into a story. Letters are easy in backstitch: see "Backstitch in cross stitch".
- A border of details. Small objects from the story can repeat around the edge: a key, a cup, a flower.
- Signature and year. Over the years, these are what make a piece family history — see "How to sign your cross stitch".
Where the app comes in
Crossette has Chart from a photo: you can turn your own photo into a chart with DMC threads right on the phone.
About the author
This article was written by the Crossette team. We're building Crossette, a cross stitch tracker for iPhone and iPad. It's in development; to join the beta, see the Beta page.