The Hollywood Foundation strives to give back to the youth in our country. It prides itself on education and training to equip the youth with necessary skills and abilities to grow within their respective career fields. With Hollywoodbets being announced as the title sponsor of the Durban July, the Hollywood Foundation saw a fantastic opportunity to assist students who have a passion for fashion design.
The Hollywoodbets Durban July Young Designer Award is a Gold Circle initiative that was implemented over 20 years ago. This exciting programme takes place before the race day and it is a fashion competition that is open to fashion students studying with accredited colleges or universities. The students may only enter through their college or university and, as part of their requirements, they will have to design and make a themed race day ensemble for judging purposes. The Hollywood Foundation Team attended a meeting at Gold Circle on 9 March 2022, where lecturers at renowned institutions, such as Durban University of Technology and Vega School, were informed about the theme for the Durban July this year. In an effort to bring hope to these students, the Hollywood Foundation has pledged R100 000 worth of bursary funding to add to the prizes for the Hollywoodbets Durban July Young Designer Award category. The winner will receive an amount of R50 000, the designer in 2nd place will receive R30 000, and the designer in 3rd place will receive R20 000. In an attempt to promote skills development and to ensure that these designers have a promising future, these amounts can go towards their student loan or funding for their future studies.