Celebrating over 30 years of nurturing and championing UK stage design talent, the Linbury Prize for Stage Design – in collaboration with the Linbury Trust and National Theatre have recently announced the recipients of their 2021 Award. A cohort consisting of 12 graduates from some of the UK’s top drama schools, the prize offers each winner a bursary of £5,000 and a design associate placement alongside an established designer. A much needed confidence boost, in what has been a very challenging 2 years post the pandemic, the prize offers a chance to acknowledge the great work that continues to take place off stage. Graduate of Wimbledon College of Arts Ruth Badila and Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Blythe Brett tell us more about what it means to receive the award, what they’ve taken away from their training so far and their future aspirations!