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The 32nd annual Festival International de Mode & de Photographie Hyères award will be held at the end of April in France. Each year the competition brings together the best and brightest in their field to be reviewed by a panel of influential artists, designers and professionals from various fields of fashion.

Fashion designer Maria Korkeila has been selected to be among the ten finalists at the prestigious Hyères Festival. While photographer Sofia Okkonen has been additionally nominated for her work and MA fashion alumni Eeva Rönkä has been selected for the accessories portion of the award.

Says Korkeila, “I'm feeling overjoyed, quite stunned, excited and a bit overwhelmed about the news of being a Hyères finalist, as it has been something of a dream since I first started at Aalto. I guess it hasn't really sunk in yet... I wouldn't be here if it weren't for our teachers, staff and studios.  So, I'd like to give a big thanks to them. I'm really looking forward to being a part of Hyères and everything that comes along with it!”

In recent years, Aalto University’s School of Arts, Design and Architecture students have been highly recognized for their work, winning first place prizes in 2012 and 2013. In 2015 Hanne Jurmu and Anton Vartiainen won the Chloé Prize and received the jury's special mention.

Fashion professor Pirjo Hirvonen explains, “This is one of the most important places for emerging talent in the world. I am so excited and proud of all these students. The competition is very high and the student work so hard and offer such original ideas; they show so well for the school, the university and for Finland.”

The judges of the festival represent some of the top international figures in the fashion and photography world. The event has been held at the famous Villa Noailles in Hyères on the French Riviera since the beginning of the 1980s and is regarded as one of the world's most prestigious competitions.

Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture is frequently ranked well internationally.  In 2016 the Business of Fashion (BOF) ranked the Fashion Bachelor's Programme as number 3 in the world and the Master's Programme in Fashion at Aalto University was placed 15th on the same list.