Saudi Arabia: AlUla Design Award celebrates fourth edition
The AlUla Design Award celebrated its fourth
edition during a ceremony at the AlUla Arts Festival, where regional and
international designers, cultural leaders, and creative professionals gathered
to honor contemporary work rooted in craftsmanship, materials, and a deep
connection to AlUla’s landscape and history.
Held in the AlJadidah Arts District as part of
the "Material Witness: Celebrating Design From Within" programme and
exhibition, the event explored design as an evolving cultural practice shaped by
research, experimentation, and a response to place, environment, and community.
It emphasized how designers interact with their surroundings and integrate
cultural heritage into modern creations.
AlUla Design Award Winners Announced
The Product Design Award was presented to Abdulrahman Al Muftah, a product designer from Qatar, for his work "Bird Whistle." The collection features clay whistles that replicate the calls of native bird species found in AlUla. Each whistle was individually handcrafted and acoustically fine-tuned, merging traditional ceramic techniques with a focus on the region’s rich biodiversity and the natural sounds of its landscape.
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The Fashion Design Award went to Matthieu Gautier,
a French fashion designer, for his creation "Monumental
Miniature." This wearable piece draws inspiration from the carved
sandstone tombs of Hegra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Combining digital
precision with meticulous hand-finishing, Gautier’s design explores the
interaction between the human body, natural forms, and ornamentation within
contemporary fashion.
The winners were revealed during the "Material Witness: Celebrating Design From
Within" exhibition, which also highlighted the AlUla Artist Residency
– Design Edition, AlUla Designathon, and Madrasat Addeera, forming a cohesive
network that fosters a research-driven design ecosystem and long-term cultural production
in the region.
Across the exhibition, designers worked with
materials central to AlUla’s environment, such as clay, palm, stone, metal,
textiles, and pigments. These materials were treated as living elements, shaped
by climate, human labor, and time, while engaging in a global dialogue with
contemporary design practices.
Vision and Growing International Recognition
The AlUla Design Award is a key component of AlUla’s broader design ecosystem, developed by Arts AlUla. It aims to support designers who engage directly with the region’s cultural narratives and natural geography, reinforcing the long-term vision of linking heritage, tourism, and creative industries in a sustainable framework for future development.
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Hamad AlHomeidan, Director of Arts and
Creative Industries at the Royal Commission
for AlUla, shared: “The AlUla Design
Award is a strategic platform in our vision to establish AlUla as a global
destination for culture, design, and creative exchange. It strengthens the role
of design in cultural sustainability, tourism development, and the shaping of
the region’s future identity.”
The fourth edition of the award continued
under the theme "The Ingenuity of the
Human Hand," in line with the Year of Handicrafts. This year’s focus
on handmade traditions, skilled craftsmanship, and material-led thinking
attracted submissions from 31 nationalities, highlighting AlUla’s growing
influence within the international design community.
The winning projects, along with ten shortlisted finalists, are showcased at Design Space AlUla within the "Material Witness" exhibition. Visitors can explore the pieces up close, gaining insight into the intricate handmade details and observing how the designers connect materials, craftsmanship, and AlUla’s unique environment.
Source: One Arabia
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