AlUla Design Award
For its inaugural edition, AlUla Design Award is inviting designers, artists, artisans, and lifestyle retail brands to create products inspired by the aesthetics of AlUla.
I am honoured to be part of the first edition of the AlUla Design Award.
This new award recognises exceptional design inspired by the heritage, landscapes, and artistic legacies of AlUla. The inaugural edition is in the form of an Open Call, inviting Saudi, regional, and international designers to conceptualise premium retail and VIP gifting products inspired by AlUla - a globally significant heritage and culture destination on the historic Incense Road.
Multiple winners will be selected from different categories, including jewellery, clothing, footwear, home accessories, leather goods, and other lifestyle products. Winners will have the opportunity to have their designs produced and presented at AlUla’s cultural retail outlets, as well as through a range of communication platforms.
Submissions will be evaluated by a specialised jury, consisting of top industry leaders and opinion-makers in the spheres of design, retail, and media:
HH Princess Noura bint Faisal Al Saud, Ecosystem Integration & Program Delivery General Manager, Saudi Fashion Commission
HH Princess Abeer bint Saud Al Saud, Creative Communities Lead, Royal Commission for AlUla
Dur Kattan, Deputy Minister, Communications and Media, Ministry of Culture
Dr. Summayah Soleiman, CEO, Architecture and Design Commission
Ashleigh King, Director (Acting) Cultural Assets Retail, Royal Commission for AlUla
Manuel Arnaut, Editor-in-Chief, Vogue Arabia
Yara AlNamlah, Arts & Culture Influencer & Content Creator
Cyril Zammit, Design Advisor & Consultant
The AlUla Design Award invites today’s creative practitioners to interpret the region’s natural and cultural legacies through exceptional products for contemporary audiences. The competition is open to emerging and established artists and designers.
AlUla has been a place of creative inspiration and cultural exchange for millennia. As a journey through time, the spectacular landscape hosts an immense volume of archaeological discoveries, rock art, inscriptions, and traditional arts. Its heritage sites include the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hegra; Dadan, the capital of two ancient Arabian Kingdoms, and the mudbrick labyrinth of the Old Town.
About AlUla Design Award
AlUla Design Award (ADA) is AlUla’s first design competition, with the vision to showcase the journey of design through time, from conceptualisation, through to execution. This competition invites local, regional, and international designers to unearth the beauty of AlUla by imagining products that celebrate this truly unique region in Saudi Arabia.
The first edition of the AlUla Design Award is an open call that invites established and emerging designers to conceptualize and propose exceptional items for two tracks: Premium Retail and VIP Gifting. Submissions will be evaluated by a jury of recognized leaders from the world of design. Shortlisted design proposals will be commissioned, supported in their production, and promoted within AlUla and its network of influential and high profile online and international activities.
For more information about the AlUla Design Award, and for more details on how to apply, please visit: www.aluladesignaward.com
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