Van Cleef & Arpels, in collaboration with Tashkeel, has announced the winners of the 11th edition of the Emergent Designer Prize: Joud Malhas and Rachel Antoun.

Now in its 11th edition, the Van Cleef & Arpels Middle East Emergent Designer Prize continues its mission to nurture and support creative talent across the region. In partnership with Tashkeel, the annual initiative invites designers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait to propose functional works that interpret a set theme through materiality, form and innovation.

This year’s theme, Blooming Poetry, called for bold, thoughtful designs rooted in local culture, sustainability and storytelling.

As part of the award, the winning designers receive an immersive five-day trip to Paris to attend courses at L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, founded by Van Cleef & Arpels to share the rich culture and technical mastery of the world of jewelry.

More than a prize, this longstanding collaboration between Van Cleef & Arpels and Tashkeel has become a vital platform for emerging design voices, one that bridges craft, experimentation, and storytelling across the Middle East.

For the 11th edition of the Prize, Malhas and Antoun’s winning concept, Where There Is Uns, captivated the jury with its thoughtful narrative and sensory impact. A light installation inspired by Gulf traditions, Where There Is Uns reimagines the Bedouin practice of lighting fires to welcome travelers with warmth, shelter, and guidance. The piece draws inspiration from the country’s multicultural fabric and incorporates contemporary design techniques and sustainable materials.

Where There Is Uns

At the heart of the art pieces is cardamom, a nod to the traditional offering of Arabic coffee spiced with hail (cardamom). Discarded husks are repurposed into bioplastic sheets, highlighting a commitment to circular design. These semi-transparent layers are hanging above, resembling natural hierarchies where each element contributes to the whole. The travertine’s rings provide contrast, while the bioplastic sheets warp freely, representing the untamed beauty of nature.

Activated by proximity, the lamp’s glow intensifies as someone approaches – a poetic gesture of hospitality. Inspired by Hamda Khamis’ poem An Open Window, the piece becomes a sensory invitation to pause, reflect and connect. Its light refracts warmly through the layered bioplastic, casting ambient halos. The lamp avoids traditional switches; instead, a ribbed, twist-activated dimmer mimics the unfurling of a cardamom leaf, while an infra-red proximity sensor intensifies the light as someone approaches, evoking outstretched arms in a gesture of welcome.

Blending material innovation, sensory design, and cultural storytelling, Where There Is Uns embodies the UAE’s hospitality, habits, and embrace of diversity. The piece doesn’t just illuminate space, it invites presence, interaction, and connection.

The Designers

Joud Malhas, a Jordanian designer based in Dubai, brings an interdisciplinary background in spatial strategy and experience design. Her work focuses on creating environments that foster community and adaptability.

Rachel Antoun, a Lebanese interior architect specialized in new materials design, approaches design with a deep sensitivity to material expression and cultural context, often exploring the intersection of form, memory, and public life.

Together, their collaboration beautifully articulates the essence of Blooming Poetry, giving shape to emotion, history, and meaning through design.

The winning piece will be unveiled later this year as part of a dedicated public exhibition.

Industry Perspective

Commenting on the continued impact of the initiative, Salim Ahmed, Design Consultant, said: “Tashkeel is delighted to continue our partnership with Van Cleef & Arpels for the landmark 11th edition of the Emergent Designer Prize. Over the years, this prestigious award has served as a vital springboard for the careers of exceptional regional talent, including Vikram Divecha, Salem Al Mansoori, and Ranim Orouk. Thanks to Van Cleef & Arpels’ enduring commitment, the prize remains a powerful beacon, illuminating the incredible wealth of creativity and design innovation thriving across the region today.”

About Van Cleef & Arpels

Founded at Paris’ 22 Place Vendôme in 1906, Van Cleef & Arpels came into being following Estelle Arpels’ marriage to Alfred Van Cleef in 1895. With a blend of inventiveness and poetry, the Maison perpetuates a highly distinctive style that has produced numerous signatures: the Mystery Set technique, the Minaudière precious case, the transformable Zip necklace and the Alhambra motif. Its selection of gems that instill an emotion and the savoir-faire of its craftsmen have given birth to enchanting jewelry and watchmaking collections. Whether inspired by nature, couture, dance or imaginary worlds, Van Cleef & Arpels opens the gate to a timeless universe of beauty and harmony.

About Tashkeel

Tashkeel is a commercial consultancy and gallery with studio incubators for visual art & design rooted in the United Arab Emirates. Established in Dubai in 2008 by Sheikha Lateefa bint Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Tashkeel’s facilities enable production, experimentation and discourse.

Its annual programme of training, residencies, workshops, talks, exhibitions, international collaborations and publications aims to further practitioner development, public engagement and lifelong learning. And its commercial services, through Tasmeem Tashkeel Art and Design Collective, seek to embed UAE-made art and design in the very fabric of society and the economy.

By nurturing the growth of contemporary art and design, Tashkeel seeks to empower the country’s ever growing creative and cultural industries.

Tashkeel’s commercial services include Consultancy, ranging from advisory, sales, design and production services and special projects for a wide range of clients; Training, the development and delivery of art-based learning for the education, cultural, public and private sectors; Membership, providing comprehensive access for the creative community to facilities and studios to research, experiment, make and collaborate; and Printing & Cutting Services of laser-cutting, fine art/photography & risograph printing; and Retail, selling UAE-made art and design products instore and online as well as across a nationwide network of partners.