Winners of The King’s Foundation Awards 2025 announced
On Thursday 12th June, we celebrated our 2025 Awards Ceremony at St James’s Palace in the presence of His Majesty The King and nominees, ambassadors and supporters. This year is particularly special as we celebrate our 35th anniversary at The King’s Foundation.
The annual awards recognises the incredible talent and work of the charity’s students, graduates and partners across sustainability, traditional heritage crafts and environmental education. Read the full list of nominees here.
The King’s Foundation Awards was this year supported by Pragnell. Pragnell is a sixth-generation, British family-run jeweller with a rich heritage spanning over 170 years. Pragnell shares The King’s Foundation’s commitment to the protection and promotion of heritage craft skills, and recognising young talent in the sector.
Congratulations to all of our hugely talented award winners:
Emerging Talent – awarded to an individual who has shown exceptional talent and commitment while on a King’s Foundation programme.
WINNER – Emily Hurst has recently completed the CHANEL and King’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Fellowship in Millinery, based at Highgrove Gardens. In her final year of university, Emily independently learned the heritage craft of straw braiding to produce historically accurate hats, a skill that has since become central to her practice.
International Impact – awarded to an individual or organisation which has had a significant impact internationally through support for education and training.
WINNER – The Akoje Residency is a non-profit initiative founded by Maro Itoje and Khalil Akar to support artists from African, Caribbean, and SWANA (South West Asia and North Africa) regions through cross-cultural exchange and infrastructure support, based at Dumfries House.
Young Entrepreneur – awarded to a King’s Foundation alumnus who has developed and grown their business.
WINNER – Barnaby Horn is a London-based milliner who has recently completed the CHANEL and King’s Foundation Métiers d’Art Fellowship in Millinery, based at Highgrove Gardens.
Teaching Award – given to an individual who has passed on knowledge and/or skills through the generations.
WINNER – Claudia Peñaranda Fuentes has for many years taught on The King’s Foundation’s Master’s degree programme in sustainable development, where she is also a member of the Advisory Board. She is currently the Road Decarbonisation Strategy lead in Transport for London.
Innovation in Practice – awarded to an individual or organization which has adopted a groundbreaking approach to embedding nature-inspired solutions in practice.
WINNER – Yasmeen Lari is Pakistan’s first female architect, a leading voice connecting architecture, social justice and a climate-conscious approach to building.
Advocate of the Year is presented to an individual who has gone above and beyond to promote the philosophy of Harmony during the year.
WINNER – Patrick Holden is the founder and CEO of the Sustainable Food Trust, whose mission is to work internationally to accelerate the transition towards more sustainable food and farming systems.
Community Partnership of the Year – awarded to an organisation which has gone above and beyond to partner with The King’s Foundation during the year.
WINNER – Auchinleck Primary School is a school of 180 pupils aged 4-12, 90% of whom are from the most deprived areas of Scotland. The school has enthusiastically adopted The King’s Foundation’s Harmony education programme, supporting and encouraging its staff to build Harmony into their annual lesson planning.
Corporate of the Year – awarded to an organisation which has consistently demonstrated a commitment to embedding Harmony principles in its activities.
Patagonia is a retailer of outdoor recreation clothing, equipment, and food. In 1985 Patagonia pledged 10% of company profits to environmental conservation groups. It later increased its pledge and committed 1% of sales to conservation organisations. Patagonia became B Corp in 2012 gives around $100 million a year toward climate issues, hoping to prove that doing what’s right for the planet can be profitable in business.
King Charles III Harmony Award – this special award is given to an individual to recognise long-term outstanding commitment to, and support for, The King’s Harmony philosophy – which looks to prioritise sustainability and nature across all sectors.
WINNER – H.E. Professor Muhammad Yunus, The King Charles III Harmony Award is awarded to an individual to recognize long-term outstanding commitment to, and support for, His Majesty’s Harmony philosophy – which looks to prioritise sustainability and nature across all sectors.
Professor Yunus has spent his life promoting social business principles and encouraging sustainable, socially responsible projects, having a significant impact on poverty alleviation in Bangladesh and beyond.
About Pragnell, our Awards supporter
Pragnell is a sixth-generation, British family-run jeweller with a rich and royal heritage, spanning over 170 years. As one of the UK’s last full-service jewellers, all Pragnell fine jewellery is handcrafted in British workshops by our highly trained craftspeople, using gemstones of exceptional beauty and quality. Pragnell’s five showrooms are located in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Mayfair and Leicester.
Pragnell offers an unparalleled selection of handcrafted jewellery designed in-house, and an extensive vintage jewellery collection. Pragnell also specialises in crafting bespoke jewels, from one-of-a-kind pieces to remodelling family heirlooms.
Pragnell has proudly supported The King’s Trust as a Patron since 2015, employing watch technicians through an apprenticeship scheme. Additionally, since 2023, Pragnell has partnered with The King’s Foundation and supported their Annual Awards, which are dedicated to the protection and promotion of heritage craft skills.
