JEDDAH — The projects and products that have made it to the final round of the Middle East and North Africa Interior Design Awards and of the INDEX and workspace at INDEX Product Design Awards have been announced today by dmg events. Out of more than one hundred and sixty submissions, the judging panel has shortlisted 53 projects and 27 products, among which 28 winners will be recognized. Winners will be announced at a gala celebration on May 18, 2015, the opening day of INDEX and workspace at INDEX exhibitions, at N'Dulge, Atlantis the Palm. The two competitions, now in their third editions, will reward outstanding interior design projects across the Middle East and North Africa as well some of the world's best product designers with products on display at either INDEX and workspace at INDEX exhibitions. Open to interior designers, interior architects and architects from across the globe, the MENA Interior Design Awards recognizes projects located in the Middle East and North Africa which have been completed between Jan. 1, 2013 and Dec. 31, 2014. From luxury hotels and restaurants to apartments, offices and clinics, the competition recognizes the most outstanding projects within 18 different awards across various categories including: Bar, Café, Lounge and Club; Corporate Space (large and small); Cultural or Educational; Healthcare; Hospitality; Hospitality Refurbishment; Hotels and Resorts; Landscape; Municipal or Public Space; Recreational; Residential refurbishment; Residential Space (large and small); Restaurants; Retail; Best Sustainable Project and overall Best Project. Participant projects for each of the awards have been evaluated by an expert judging panel including Charles Leon, Director Charles Leon Associates; Annamaria Lambri, Interior Design Professor at the American University Dubai; Christopher Seymour, Partner & Head of Property & Social Infrastructure UAE at EC Harris; Steven Charlton, Managing Director at Perkins+Will; George Arnold Foster-Vincent, Head of Design at Ethan Allen; and Richard Wagner, Sustainability Consultant & Partner at Wanders Architects. “The entrants this year are of the highest caliber and it is a credit to the designers and creators of the region that the submissions each year continue to make the judging task particularly difficult,” said Christopher Seymour, Partner and Head of Property at EC Harris International, said “we have managed to select projects which each have their own strength or USP which make them worthy of this special recognition.” The Product Design Awards honor manufacturers and designers for excellence and innovation in product design for both the residential and commercial sectors. The competition is open exclusively to companies exhibiting at the 2015 editions of INDEX and workspace at INDEX exhibitions, and covers a varied range of awards categories. The judging panel selected 10 winning products from the 27 short listed entries, taking into consideration different elements such as choice of materials, design innovation, environmental impact and functionality. On 18th May 2015, the most innovative products for each of the following categories will be announced: Decorative Accessories; Desks and Tables; Furniture (residential and kitchen & bathroom); Lighting; Retail Furniture and Accessories; Seating; Screens, Partitions and Moveable Walls; Technology; and Upcycled or Recycled Products. The Product Design Awards were judged by a panel including Annamaria Lambri, Interior Design Professor at the American University Dubai; Nadine Bitar Director at Placemaking and Rob Canning, General Manager at En Vogue. “The 27 products that we have shortlisted are particularly innovative and inject creativity into residential and commercial design settings. The final 10 winners are products we, as the judging panel, feel are at the forefront of design and are simply the best in their respective category,” said Rob Canning, General Manager at En Vogue. — SG
