Lucia Guest named winner of 2025 New Designers Joseph Stannah Award

Stannah continues support for future talent at New Designers’ 40th anniversary showcase

Lucia Guest, a BSc Product Design student from the University of Leeds, has been named the 2025 winner of the Joseph Stannah Award at this year’s New Designers exhibition for their outstanding project, Vilo, the first handheld physical support tool for individuals and partners following pregnancy loss.

Created in response to insights gathered from bereaved parents and charities such as Aching Arms, Vilo offers a quiet and comforting presence. It responds to touch with gentle warmth, subtle vibrations, and calming light helping users feel grounded and connected with their partners when words are hard to find. Thoughtfully designed and beautifully made, it fills an important gap in emotional support during a deeply personal and often isolating experience.

Max Woodhams, Innovation and Design Manager at Stannah, was part of the judging panel and commented, “Lucia approached this incredibly sensitive subject with great care and depth of understanding. The result is a beautifully resolved and emotionally intelligent design that addresses a very real need. It’s the kind of thoughtful, user-focused innovation we are proud to support and want to nurture at Stannah.”

Lucia Guest said: “I am incredibly honoured and genuinely moved to receive the Joseph Stannah Award. Vilo has been such a meaningful project, shaped by listening to those who’ve experienced pregnancy loss and designing with empathy to meet a real need. This recognition means so much, not just personally, but because it shows that design centred around care and connection truly matters. It has reshaped how I see my role as a designer. I am determined to keep exploring overlooked needs and using design to make small but meaningful change. I hope Vilo continues to open up conversations around pregnancy loss and offer comfort to those who need it.”

Now in its 40th year, New Designers is one of the UK’s most influential platforms for emerging talent. Each year it welcomes more than 2,500 graduates from over 100 universities to the Business Design Centre in London.

Stannah has proudly supported the event since 2019, awarding £1,000 to a student whose work champions inclusive, thoughtful design that supports independent living.

“Design that makes life easier or more inclusive for others is something we care deeply about,” said Fiona Neil, Head of Group Communications at Stannah. “New Designers is an incredible showcase of what’s possible when talent meets purpose, and we are proud to continue supporting it.”

Past winners of the Joseph Stannah Award have gone on to receive career-boosting support, including a £1,000 prize, work experience, and in some cases, graduate roles, like Sam Gaze, who now works at Stannah following his win in 2021.