Students shine in Gola Design Challenge

Published 2nd March 2026

The Gola Design Challenge, run in collaboration with the Design & Technology Association, has drawn to a close, and the winners have been announced. The competition invited students to design innovative sports bags that solve real-world challenges for athletes, gym-goers, and sports enthusiasts.

Congratulations to our winners

We are delighted to congratulate Arthur Vakil Tcherniak of Colchester Royal Grammar School, who won the challenge, Zoe Lemanski of Upton Hall School, the first runner-up, and Barnaby Branchflower of Colchester Royal Grammar School, who secured a second runner-up position. All three students impressed the judges with designs that combined creativity, functionality, and thoughtful presentation.

Arthur, whose design was inspired by his own experience as a tennis player, said:
"I am honoured to have won, and I am really excited to see the design become a reality. I am also very grateful to my teacher who guided me along the way. My design was inspired by my personal experience of tennis: not having enough space in the bag. This was why my design has as many zips and pockets as it does, which will be very useful. Alongside this, I decided to include a compartment suitable for keeping drinks and food cold, as often when playing matches of tennis, I need to carry many extra bags for food and drink which then get warm."

Zoe Lemanski, first runner-up, said:
"I am very grateful that I have been able to take part in this competition as it has been a valuable opportunity for me to apply my design and technology skills into real life which will help me in the future. It has allowed me to discover and develop skills in textiles which I am using for my GCSE mock work and will continue to use in my life.
In my design I wanted to focus on making the product environmentally friendly as I believe striving for a sustainable planet is crucial. I also wanted to deeply incorporate Gola’s history throughout my design as I believe it is important for brands to keep their rich cultural heritage in a world where products are becoming cheap and low quality because of mass production. Thank you."

Barnaby added:
"I’m so thrilled to have found out I have been awarded a runners up position in the GOLA Design Challenge. When Mrs Robinson announced the details of the challenge in class I was very excited to get started as it incorporated several elements of design and technology that I particularly enjoy including CAD and designing my bag on paper as I really enjoy sketching ideas. Taking part in the challenge meant learning some new skills such as photoshopping my design to show how it would look in use and working with anthropometric data to ensure the correct sizing of the bag and strap details. I really enjoyed putting together the presentation and incorporating the hexagonal detailing from the bag on to my PowerPoint background. Thank you to GOLA for the opportunity to participate in a challenge which I enjoyed immensely."

Colchester Royal Grammar School staff comments

Fleur Robinson, Head of Design Technology at Colchester Royal Grammar School, said:
"I thoroughly enjoyed teaching the live industry design challenge by Gola. Gaining insight into their industry job roles and collaborating with such an exciting, iconic British brand brought the learning experience to life for both our students and me. The project combined creativity, design thinking, technology skills, and rich brand heritage in a way that made it a truly inspiring part of our students’ learning journey here at CRGS."

Mrs Fairey, also of Colchester Royal Grammar School, added:
"Were so Proud of our Winner and runner Up of the Gola Design Challenge, The whole year did such a good job working on understanding the Design industry, various design processes and creating something amazing. It is clearly demonstrated through the planning and achievements - Mrs Fairey."

Upton Hall School teacher comment

Zoe’s teacher said:
"My class really appreciated the opportunity to design for a real life brand through a live brief. As a teacher of D&T, this project was perfect for introducing the textiles materials area of study to my class and really brought the curriculum to life. Pupils gained skills in research, analysis, designing, sewing and using digital technology to bring their ideas to life in a short space of time. Pupils were able to focus their designs on a sport that they enjoyed and all of their outcomes were personalised. They were keen to have their designs viewed by the judges!"

Gola comment

Gola said:
"Gola recently partnered with The Design & Technology Association to deliver an exciting national bag design competition, inviting students to showcase their creativity, technical expertise and understanding of contemporary fashion trends. The brief challenged entrants to design an innovative, market-ready Gola bag that successfully balanced style, functionality and brand identity. Following an impressive response and an exceptionally high standard of submissions, one overall winner and two outstanding runners-up were selected by the judging panel.

The winning design stood out for the strength of their overall design concept, demonstrating a clear target market, strong brand alignment and a distinctive aesthetic that reflected Gola’s heritage while offering a fresh, modern twist. Functionality was a key deciding factor. The selected design carefully considered user needs, incorporating practical storage solutions, thoughtful compartment layouts, durability and comfort. We were particularly impressed by the level of detail presented with precise annotations and carefully justified material choices. The thoughtful selection of fabrics and fastenings showed a good understanding of how the product would be used.

In recognition of their outstanding achievement, the winning student will now see their design brought to life, with their bag being professionally custom made, a unique opportunity to experience the journey from concept to finished product and to celebrate the next generation of design talent."

Looking ahead

This year’s challenge has provided a fantastic opportunity for students to push the boundaries of creativity and innovation, while gaining invaluable insight into real-world product design. With Arthur’s winning design set to be developed into a professional prototype, the students have achieved an exciting milestone in their design journeys, and all participants gained valuable experience in creativity, design thinking, and problem-solving.