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Leading telecommunications company in Nigeria, MTN, in partnership with Style House Files and the British Council Nigeria, has announced the dates and venues of the regional auditions and interviews for the 12 young designers to feature at its high profile fashion and design event slated for October, MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week.

According to the General Manager, Consumer Marketing, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Kola Oyeyemi, the auditions will hold in Port Harcourt, Abuja and Lagos to draw up a shortlist of applicants from which the 12 finalists will be selected for the four-day show.

Giving more details, Oyeyemi said the auditioning team will first berth in Port Harcourt on the 25th and 26th of July at the British Council Office, 127 Olu Obasanjo Road, GRA Phase 2. He said the next audition and interviews will hold in Abuja on the 28th and 29th of July at the British Council Office, Plot 3645, IBB Way, Maitama, while the last port of call of the team will be Lagos on the 2nd and 3rd of August at the British Council Office, 20 Thompson Avenue, Off Bourdillon, Ikoyi, Lagos. All three auditions will hold between 10am through 5pm each day, he said.

Oyeyemi said a large number of entries have already been received by the organisers from across the country. "Public interest is high. We did envisage that several young local designers would show interest, but we are amazed and very pleased with the level of interest shown so far", said Mr. Oyeyemi.

The MTN Lagos Fashion and Design Week will feature a combination of fashion and design-focused activities, talent hunt for international modelling contracts and Young Designer of the Year as well as exhibitions of creative works ranging from arts, interior designs, photography, and architecture to technology, among others.

According to Oyeyemi, the decision to take the auditions around the three selected locations rather than limit it to Lagos was to give as many Nigerians as possible equal opportunity to participate and win the ultimate prize.

Mrs. Omoyemi Akerele, Managing Director, Style House File, promoters of the event, said the winner of the Young Designer of the Year Award will be presented with a brand new Hyundai Car worth N4.5million by MTN. The MTN/British Council Creative Entrepreneur of the Year will win N1million cash prize also from MTN, while the British Council will sponsor the winner to the London Fashion and Design Week. The MTN Model of the Year will also get N1million.

Mrs. Akerele said, "The window of opportunity is still open to interested young entrepreneurs and designers to log on to www.mtnonline.com/fashionweek, download and fill out the application and send in their entries before the closing date, 24 July, 2011".

Both Oyeyemi and Akerele urged all the interested applicants to take out time to read through the terms and conditions of the show clearly stated on the event website and ensure eligibility before they enter for the show.