If you have that flair for fashion that just can’t be taught, that little something style-wise that sets you apart from the crowd and turns heads – you best listen up and listen up good, here’s an opportunity you don’t want to miss out on.

There are just four days left to enter ELLE Magazine’s Rising Star Design Awards. This award, showcasing Africa’s most talented young fashion designers, seek to help kick-start young designers’ careers and provide them with once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Together with Mr Price (MRP) and Africa Fashion International (AFI) ELLE Magazine are looking to unearth the best in the business – so who’s eligible to enter?

• To enter you have to be a final-year fashion design student or a fashion graduate with no more than three years’ design experience.
• Your place of birth must be any African country and you should hold legal citizenship within that country.
• If a South African or African retailer currently employs you we regret you may not enter.

You still good? Alright, tell me about those prizes!

1. A cash prize of R30 000 from MRP to help the winner launch their career in fashion.
2. An extensive mentorship programme. This will include two weeks at the MRP head office in Durban where the winner will be exposed to the complete retail cycle, from trend forecasting to merchandising. The winner will also receive two weeks’ fashion inspiration at ELLE’s Cape Town office with the ELLE Editor and her fashion team.
3. The winner will redesign a predetermined range in collaboration with MRP to be sold in selected MRP stores.
4. The opportunity to show a range at the 2016 ELLE Rising Star Design Award, plus R10 000 from MRP towards the cost of creating the range.
5. The finalists’ garments will be featured in a fashion story in ELLE. The winner will be featured in ELLE and receive a year’s subscription to the magazine.

Before you get stuck into putting together your entry let’s run through a few important dates…

• 31 July – Entries close
• 7 August – Top 8 finalists announced
• 12 October – Top 6 finalists announced
• 6-7 November – Final round and winner announced

Give the full entry a read HERE and get cracking kids, not much time to waste! Start your sewing machine engines…