Van Cleef & Arpels and Tashkeel, in partnership with Design Days Dubai, are calling all emerging designers from the GCC region to submit design proposals for the Middle East Emergent Designer Prize 2017 in response to the given theme of ‘growth.’ Emergent designers resident in the Gulf Cooperation Council are asked to submit designs for functional products that embody the theme of ‘growth.’
Jill Hoyle, Manager of Tashkeel said: “We are delighted to work in partnership with Van Cleef & Arpels for the fifth year to provide a platform for budding designers in the region. Design is a powerful tool to commemorate and evoke growth and participants are encouraged to interpret the theme as they wish.”
Submitted proposals should take the form of contemporary functional products, including furniture, products or lighting. Submissions in the form of designs for jewellery or watches will not be considered. The call is only open to previously unrealised projects; products can be proposed in any materials of the designer’s choosing but it must be possible for the proposal to be fulfilled within the budget and the timescale of the prize.
Alessandro Maffi, Managing Director of Van Cleef and Arpels added: “Along with our partners, we’re thrilled that The Middle East Emergent Designer Prize has materialised as platform for regional designers to be recognised for their creativity and a catapult into the international world of design. Education is a pillar at Van Cleef & Arpels and with that we are pleased offer the winner a five-day residency at L’ecole Van Cleef & Arpels where they will gain incredible insight into the exclusive world of craftsmanship and the Van Cleef & Arpels method”.
The winner of the prize will receive a total budget of AED 30,000 to produce a refined prototype that will be unveiled in November 2017. The front-runner will also be awarded a five-day trip to Paris to attend courses led by the acclaimed Mains d’Or, master craftsmen in high jewellery creation, at the exclusive L’ecole Van Cleef & Arpels, an institute dedicated to accentuating the methods behind the world of jewellery creation and watchmaking.
Ten finalists will be announced at Design Days Dubai 2017, and will also be granted AED 2,000 to showcase 3D prints of their work in November 2017; three semi-finalists will each receive AED 10,000 to produce mock-ups to be exhibited in November 2017 and the winner will receive an additional AED 20,000 to realise their product.
Submissions to The Middle East Emergent Designer Prize are being accepted now through to January 15th, 2017. For any enquiries please email: tashkeel@tashkeel.org
