This Buzzy Designer Just Joined LVMH's Prestigious Panel of Judges

Dior's artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri has another new gig! And just like that, the long road to granting one emerging talent with the coveted 2017 LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designer is well under way.

The honor is one of the most elite prizes in the industry—being a finalist, let alone a winner, will get you places (last year's finalist was Brandon Maxwell, Lady Gaga's former stylist who has since dressed Michelle Obama, and the year before, Demna Gvasalia, fashion's most in-demand designer, who's responsible for launching street style trends-slash-obsessions).

Chiuri, whose appointment to Dior was announced last July, joins an exceptional judging panel for the 2017 award. Fellow judges include Jonathan Anderson (Loewe), Nicolas Ghesquière (Louis Vuitton), Marc Jacobs (Marc Jacobs), Karl Lagerfeld (Fendi), Humberto Leon and Carol Lim (Kenzo), Phoebe Philo (Céline), and Riccardo Tisci (Givenchy), Delphine Arnault (executive vice president of Louis Vuitton), Jean-Paul Claverie (advisor to Bernard Arnault and director of patronage at LVMH), and Pierre-Yves Roussel (chairman and CEO of the LVMH Fashion Group).

"With this fourth edition of the LVMH Prize, the Group is pleased to be able to count on the loyalty of so many professionals and exceptional artistic directors in supporting young designers," says Delphine Arnault, executive vice president of Louis Vuitton. "As the industry leader, it is the LVMH Group's responsibility to spot tomorrow's talents and offer them the means to grow."

OK, so what is the prize? The winner will receive a 300,000-euro grant, along with a year-long mentorship and support from an in-house team. And if you're an aspiring designer, you can apply right now (you have to be under 40 years old who has produced at least two women's or men's ready-to-wear collections) at lvmhprize.com from now until Feb. 5. The winner will be announced at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in June.