Summary:
- The Institut du monde arabe extended the application deadline for the fourth annual design awards to the fifteenth of this month.
- Shahira Fahmy chairs the jury selecting winners across five categories for Arab designers.
- The public will vote for a new choice award during a September exhibition in Paris.
You have until the fifteenth of this month to submit your work for the fourth annual Design Award of the Institut du monde arabe. The Paris institution established the program in 2023 to recognize designers from the Arab world. The program focuses on new materials and local production methods. Your submissions need to address environmental issues and circular economies directly. The organizers look for objects and architecture built specifically for the region. You need to integrate traditional regional knowledge with modern production techniques.
Architect Shahira Fahmy chairs the jury this year. Fahmy founded her own architecture firm and leads a group of international curators and magazine editors. The jury includes Sheikha Reem Al-Thani from Qatar Museums and Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte from NOMAD. You will find editorial directors from ELLE Decoration and AD Middle East on the panel. Other members include Ali Khadra from Canvas and Mette Degn-Christensen from Downtown Design. These individuals review entries to find practical solutions to regional design problems. The Institut du monde arabe President Anne-Claire Legendre oversees the governance of the event. Cultural Programme Director Frédérique Mehdi manages the institutional side.
The organizers evaluate your projects across several distinct categories. The core categories include the Emerging Talent Award and an award for contemporary artisanal work. Experienced professionals compete for the Grand Prize. Arab Bank Switzerland sponsors a specific impact award. The 2026 edition introduces a Public Choice Award. Visitors will vote for their favorite piece during an exhibition. The exhibition runs from September 3 to September 20.
The official award ceremony happens on September 9, 2026. The event coincides with Paris Design Week. Several partners support the program including AFALULA and the design publisher Trame. Trame founder Ismail Tazi serves as a project co-designer alongside consultant François Leblanc di Cicilia. You must submit your proposals directly through the IMA website.
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