The Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Entrepreneurs (DBACE) finalists have been announced, highlighting the young change-makers driving positive social impact through creative enterprise. This year’s finalists include Birkenhead’s Convenience Gallery.
London, UK – 10 June 2022: The Deutsche Bank Awards for Creative Entrepreneurs (DBACE), in collaboration
with MeWe360, announced this year’s finalists for the annual awards programme that aims to uncover the UK’s
brightest young entrepreneurs aged 18-30 years who are driving positive social impact through creative
enterprise.
Awarded to five entrepreneurs every year, DBACE helps young visionaries bring their ideas to life. The creative
leaders announced today now have an opportunity to win a collective prize fund of £60,000, plus a £100,000
value of bespoke mentorship to develop their vision and leadership skills.
In addition to the winners, the other finalists will receive DBACE business support bursaries, benefiting from tailored guidance and industry mentoring.
DBACE 2022 Finalists:
● Sophie Slater & Susanna Wen, Birdsong, an ethical fashion brand supporting makers and protecting the
planet by creating pieces in the most socially impactful way possible.
● Chamiah Dewey, Chamiah Dewey Fashion, the UK’s first clothing brand for people with dwarfism, offering
stylish, timeless pieces, made using eco-conscious fabrics.
● Andrew Shaw & Ryan Gauge, Convenience Gallery, an arts organisation based in Birkenhead working
with contemporary artists and the local community to build innovative and challenging art projects.
● Jem Collins, Journo Resources, a social enterprise that helps underrepresented people into the
journalism industry, with free-to-access tools, resources and support.
● Louise Rose Mackleston, Northern Fortress Films, an award-winning Bradford based production
company aiming to shine a spotlight on Northern talent, giving Northern voices the chance to tell their
stories.
● Sabella Ibáñez, Alice Moxley & Jason Thompson, Pivot, a social enterprise that empowers people
experiencing homelessness to Pivot their lives through making and craftsmanship.
● Tabby Bunyan, Re_considered, a fashion brand providing custom reworking solutions to businesses and
individuals, pulling upcycling into the 21st century and bringing circularity to the fashion industry.
● Tumisha Balogun, Shian James & Alvin Owusu Fordwuo, Tag agency, a youth culture & marketing
agency that transforms young lives through the power of culture, community and storytelling.
● Mike Omoniyi, The Common Sense Network, a news media publication, research and marketing
company and community studio on a mission to make democracy healthier.
Since 1993, through DBACE, Deutsche Bank has overseen the launch and growth of over 230 creative ventures,
supporting the work of the business leaders of tomorrow and celebrating those on a mission to tackle some of
today’s most significant issues. One of the longest running creative enterprise programmes, the awards are open
UK-wide and aim to cultivate young talent, providing them with start-up capital, bespoke business support and
expert mentors.
Previous winners include Bethany Williams, founder of Bethany Williams London, a recycled and organic clothing
brand; Ryan Mario Yasin, founder of Petit Pli, a pioneering material technology company promoting slow fashion;
Anthony Daulphin, founder of Standing Ovation, which empowers youth through arts; and Ndubuisi Uchea & Hayel
Wartemberg, co-founders of Word on the Curb, a youth insight and content agency, which stands to connect
with underrepresented Millennial and Gen-Z audiences.
As the creative sector continues to face great challenges in the wake of the pandemic, and against the
backdrop of the cost of living crisis, DBACE recognises the increased need to empower young innovators. The
programme continues to nurture the potential of tomorrow’s creative entrepreneurs who aim to make positive
change in a time of great social, political and economic uncertainty. In foregrounding accessibility, the awards
also seek to allow as many young people, regardless of their background or the stage of their business, the
opportunity to progress.
The finalists will now enter into a series of pitch presentations to an illustrious judging panel of leading figures
from the creative industries and business.
The panel includes: Kevin Osborne, Founder and CEO, MeWe360; Lareena Hilton, Global Head of Brand Communications & CSR, Deutsche Bank; Jackie Davidson MBE, Founder, JD Management; and John Newbigin OBE, co-founder and Chair of Creative England; and Bola Awoniyi, Co-Founder of Black Ballad (DBACE 2019 Winner).
DBACE is Deutsche Bank’s flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme forming part of the bank’s
global Made for Good social enterprise pillar which supports entrepreneurial ventures that create wider social
good including microenterprises, start-ups, nonprofits and commercial businesses. The Awards are a natural
extension of the longstanding commitment Deutsche Bank has to enabling economic growth and societal
progress by creating positive impact in communities around the world.
The 2022 iteration of DBACE saw applications from across the country operating across a myriad of sectors
including visual art, design, fashion, architecture and performing arts, demonstrating the astounding calibre of
creative entrepreneurs in the UK today.