DUBAI: The 10 finalists for the second edition of the AlUla Design Award have been announced.
The award recognizes exceptional creations inspired by AlUla’s heritage, landscapes and artistic legacy.
The organizers had invited emerging and established designers to conceptualize and propose several categories of retail items including jewelry, footwear, clothing, home accessories and leather goods.
In addition to being recognized by their peers, winners will receive an invitation to the Product Design Exhibition and the winners will be announced at Paris Design Week in September.
The 10 designs will be exhibited in an exhibition conceived by acclaimed designer Herve Sauvage from Sept. 8 to 16 at Galerie MR21 in Paris.
Twenty creatives were originally shortlisted and the prototypes of their work were evaluated by a jury of recognized leaders from the design world.
Jury member, Cyril Zammit said in a statement: “The designers have captivated the jury with their innovative concepts, artistic excellence, and imaginative interpretations of AlUla’s rich cultural heritage. The quality and innovation have proven exceptional.
“There were more international entries than the first edition and I was pleased to discover a stronger voice from the Middle East with emerging new talents. All the finalists have managed to truly capture the essence of AlUla and transform it into tangible retail designs.”
The 10 works that made it to the final list are:
“Tawa” by Shaddah Studio (Saudi, based in Saudi Arabia)
“Naba Tea Tiffin” by Ikkis, Gunjan Gupta (Indian, based in India)
“AlUla Terrains: Dates Serving Set” by Teeb (Lebanese and Saudi, based in Saudi Arabia)
“Incense Heritage Collection” by Sarra Hafaiedh (Tunisian, based in Tunisia)
“Ohjea” by Thaqeb Studio (Saudi, based in Saudi Arabia)
“Oil Lantern” by Imane Mellah (French, based in Paris)
“Book Lithic” by Ahmed AlMannai, Rashed AlAraifi and Hamad AlMannai, and Abdulla Binhindi (Bahraini, based in Bahrain)
“Arabian Leopard Sculpture Set” by Abdulla Binhindi (Bahraini, based in Bahrain)
“Steps Clasp” by Sara Kanoo (Bahraini, based in Bahrain)
“Sand Garden” by Tajalla Studio (Saudi, based in Saudi Arabia)
