Elevate Africa has announced the opening of applications for the 2026 edition of the Threads of Africa Fashion Film Prize, a pan-African initiative focused on preserving and promoting endangered African textiles, garments, and traditional fashion techniques through storytelling and film.
Preserving Heritage Through Film
The competition aims to inspire creatives across Africa and the diaspora to document and reimagine forgotten aspects of the continent's textile heritage at a time when African fashion is gaining global recognition. The programme is built around the theme, Stories of Rebirth, and is designed to highlight African fashion as a vehicle for cultural diplomacy, economic transformation, and sustainable industry development.
Eligibility and Submission Requirements
The contest is open to fashion designers, filmmakers, students, and creative teams of African descent. Participants must submit a three to five-minute fashion micro-film that showcases an endangered or forgotten African textile, garment, or technique. Entries must include documentary-style storytelling, visual documentation of the creative process, and a compelling argument for the cultural and economic revival of the featured heritage element.
According to the organisers, the programme is anchored on the theme, Stories of Rebirth, and is designed to showcase African fashion as a vehicle for cultural diplomacy, economic transformation and sustainable industry development.
Leadership Perspective
Speaking on the initiative, Media Relations Manager, Chinomso Momoh, quoted the Project Lead, Princess-Iman Sado, as saying that the programme goes beyond a competition and represents a movement to reclaim African narratives and revive indigenous traditions through creativity and collaboration. Momoh quoted Sado as saying: “Threads of Africa Fashion Film Prize is more than a competition; it is a movement to reclaim our narratives and revive our traditions. It is our way of weaving a stronger and better connected Africa.”
Prizes and Opportunities
The organisation disclosed that up to $25,000 in non-dilutive grants would be awarded to winners, alongside mentorship opportunities and participation in a dedicated showcase at Elevate Africa’s 2026 holding in Ghana. Interested applicants are encouraged to submit their entries through the official competition platform.
