
Dubai Design & Fashion Council
Dubai Design & Fashion Council
The Dubai Design and Fashion Council (DDFC), in partnership with SRP Group has announced the DDFCxSRP Silk Road Design Competition.
Design students and professional designers from the MENA region are invited to submit their innovative homeware and jewelry design projects, for a chance to win cash prizes of up to AED 60,000 per entrant.
Design propositions must leverage the theme of Dubai Expo2020, “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, and its sub-themes of “Mobility, Sustainability and Opportunity”, presented in a contemporary, innovative manner. All forms of cultural expression can be considered as reference for the development of the design proposition, including but not limited to: calligraphy, pottery, islamic art, modest fashion, culinary, architecture, music, etc.
Commercial value: Design competition aims at creating a series of popular EXPO 2020 related products that brings commercial values to the stakeholders.
Design propositions should appeal to the variety of audiences expected to attend the Dubai Expo2020, leveraging the richness of the Emirati and Arabic cultural heritage.
The exploration of innovative materials and techniques are encouraged, allied with the employment of traditional materials (e.g. gold, silver, porcelain).
(1) Home wares collection: Assumes the creation of a set of minimum 8 pieces of formal household wares – e.g. table ware, cutlery, tea sets, fine dining sets, etc.
(2) Jewelry collection: Assumes the creation of a set of minimum 5 pieces of jewelry – e.g. earrings, necklaces, rings, bracelets, etc.
Eligibility criteria
To be considered for the exhibition, applicant designer must comply to the following eligibility criteria:
Application submission
Important note:
Videos and Dropbox links will not be accepted. Documents can be shared over Wetransfer link.
Evaluation criteria:
Submitted works will be evaluated and selected by an internal committee comprised of DDFC and SRP representatives, as well as invited designers, to be defined by SRP and DDFC. Design propositions will be selected based on the below criteria:
Prices will be conceded to winners on the below schedule:
1st place: One designer will be selected and awarded a total cash prize of AED 60,000
2nd place: Two designers will be selected, each receiving a cash prize of AED 30,000
3rd place: Three designers will be selected, each receiving a cash prize of AED 10,000
1st place: One designer will be selected and awarded a total cash prize of AED 60,000
2nd place: Two designers will be selected, each receiving a cash prize of AED 30,000
3rd place: Three designers will be selected, each receiving a cash prize of AED 10,000
Yes. The DDFCxSRP Silk Road Design Competition is open to designers based in the MENA region
No, applications are free.
Yes. Each designer can submit a maximum of two applications per category (i.e. two applications for Homeware category, and two applications for Jewelry category). However, each project must be submitted individually, with its own application form and accompanying documents.
No. Only original projects will be considered as valid applications.
No. Application is done online and there is no need to be in Dubai.
DDFC and SRP will form a jury with its own internal teams, who will be joined by invited industry professionals.
No. Applications are exclusively digital.