The Institut du monde arabe (IMA) in Paris has announced details for the fourth edition of the IMA Design Award, launching an open call for emerging and established designers from the Arab world, which has been extended until 10 May.
The award seeks to foreground creativity in the realm of design, alongside expert craftsmanship and innovation in material creation. Selected designers will have the opportunity to showcase their skills in reinterpreting traditional elements of everyday life in the Arab world through a contemporary lens.
Eligible projects must have been created between 1 September 2024 and 30 April 2026 by nationals of an Arab League country, or by those whose projects were created in one of the 22 designated countries, comprising Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen.
Four categories will be recognised in the awards: the Emerging Talent Award, conceived for students or designers at the start of their career and whose work looks to counterbalance challenges in the Arab world related to production methods; the Contemporary Craftsmanship Award, which highlights projects rooted in traditional craft, reimagined through a contemporary lens and providing solutions to issues such as environmental degradation and loss of cultural heritage; the Impact Award, Arab Bank Switzerland, which specifically addresses designs with a marked social, environmental or economic impact; and the Grand Prize, to be awarded to either an established architect or designer showcasing the development of talent over their career through either an object or interior architecture project.
A shortlist of finalists is due to be announced in May by a team composed of design expert François Leblanc di Cicilia, design entrepreneur Ismail Tazi and director of cultural programmes at the IMA, Frédérique Mehdi. The jury of this year’s IMA Design Award will be presided over by Egyptian architect Shahira Fahmy, with a group of experts in the realm of design joining the jury to select the finalist projects.
Finalists will be recognised for the award during a ceremony at the IMA in September in partnership with Paris Design Week, with an exhibition of final projects to be unveiled during the year.
