Inspired by Van Cleef & Arpels’ commitment to creative innovation, experimentation and renewal – philosophies that have guided the Parisian jewellery brand since it was founded in 1906 – the Van Cleef & Arpels Emergent Designer Prize spotlights and nurtures talent across the GCC. This year marks the 11th edition of the competition, which has become a beacon for creativity throughout the Middle East.
Supported by AD and held in partnership with Tashkeel, the competition culminates in a showcase of the winning designs, which will be held in Dubai. The winner also receives a commission to produce their proposed design; prize money of AED 30,000 to cover production of the piece; and a trip to L’ECOLE School of Jewelry Arts in Paris (supported by Van Cleef & Arpels), where they will develop their skills with the maison’s artisans.
Open to emerging designers resident in Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, the competition has a theme which changes each year. For 2025, the theme is Blooming Poetry – a tribute to the history of Van Cleef & Arpels, which counts poetic ideas and the many aspects of nature as core tenets. Competition entries will reflect on this theme in a variety of fields, from functional objects to furniture, installations and lighting designs.
The jury that will decide the winner of this year’s prize is drawn from the leading lights of the global design community, including the AD's deputy editor, Pratyush Sarup. Read on to discover more about the jury members, and find out more about the Van Cleef & Arpels Emergent Designer Prize here.
Meet the Van Cleef & Arpels Emergent Designer Prize 2025 Jury
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Rossana Orlandi
One of the most celebrated gallerists working in the world today, Rossana Orlandi founded her eponymous Milan gallery in 2002, making a leap from the world of fashion into art and design. Since then, she has championed many experimental and emerging designers, notably a cohort of Dutch talents who have since achieved international acclaim. Her HQ in a vine-covered former tie factory is one of the design community’s most beloved destinations, and Orlandi has widened her remit with a summer gallery in Porto Cervo, on Sardinia’s Costa Smeralda, and a stylishly convivial bistro next to her Milan gallery, created in collaboration with fashion brand Etro.
Ammar Basheir
Perhaps best known for his interiors at Nuzul Al Salam hotel in Bahrain, an imaginative restoration of a 1940s house, Ammar Basheir has since revived another landmark, the historic Bahrain Hotel in Manama. He’s also designed a new, 22-bedroom hotel in a secret location, and his own home in his beloved adopted city, Cairo. Basheir’s work is heavily inspired by craft and couture: you can always count on him to make a dramatic impression. His passion for combining diverse cultures, influences and styles is evident in the scenographies he develops for global organisations and the world's A-list. Basheir's ability to reinterpret traditional skills and craft, and imbue a sense of modernity through clever collaborations with artists and artisans from the region and beyond, gives his restoration projects soul, authenticity and a meaningful future.
Carl Gerges
Lebanese architect and musician Carl Gerges sees every project as an opportunity to give his compatriots commercial and creative breaks: the AD100 alumnus is as likely to be found working with local artisans on a home for model and activist Nour Arida as he is pursuing his musical endeavours (he’s the co-founder of indie rock band Mashrou’ Leila). Having established Carl Gerges Architects in 2020, the American University of Beirut graduate has since pursued projects of a creatively diverse nature. One of his most recent endeavours is a music studio in AlUla, Saudi Arabia, inspired by ancient Nabatean architecture and built entirely from rammed earth.
Salim Ahmed
As Design Projects Supervisor at Tashkeel, Salim Ahmed plays a key role in shaping the organisation’s design initiatives and creative development. Since 2016, he has led the Tanween Design programme, which supports UAE-based emerging designers in developing products rooted in local culture, materials and sustainable practices. Under his guidance, Tanween has grown into a platform known for design innovation. A graduate of Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland with a degree in Interior and Spatial Design, Salim joined Tashkeel as an intern in 2015, and quickly moved into a permanent role. As an experienced mentor of the next generation of design talent in the UAE and beyond, he brings his unique expertise to bear as a jury member.
Pratyush Sarup
Architectural Digest Middle East’s Deputy Editor, Pratyush Sarup, is one of the region’s most authoritative voices on design and culture. An architect and interior designer with over 22 years' experience as a journalist, editor, content strategist and curator, he oversees AD’s key editorial activations, including AD100, Hotels by Design, Real Estate Special and Art of Living; the latter is the publication's immersive showcase featuring commissioned installations and never-seen-before work by the region's most exciting contemporary artists and designers. Developing the brand across 360-degree platforms including digital, social and experiential, he delivers authentic, impactful programming that is engaging, informative, contextual and globally resonant.
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