Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay of Raw Edges, George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg of Yabu Pushelberg, designer Lani Adeoye, Jane Abernethy of Humanscale and architectural designer Sumele Adelana have been announced as Dezeen Awards 2023 judges.
Dezeen Awards 2023, in partnership with Bentley Motors is open for entries. Submit your project before midnight London time on 1 June to avoid late entry fees.
Now in its sixth year, the programme has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers everywhere, with winners selected by a prestigious panel of international judges.
Read on to learn more about the new names that will form a part of the judging panel this year:
Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay are co-founders of London-based design and research studio Raw Edges.
The duo founded their practice in 2007 after graduating from the Royal College of Art. Mer and Alkalay transform everyday objects into playful furniture, product, interior and installation designs.
Their design studio Raw Edges has collaborated with international companies including furniture brands Vitra, Established & Sons, Moroso, Cappellini, fashion labels Louis Vuitton and Stella McCartney, booking website Airbnb, textile brand Kvadrat, ceramics brand Mutina, quartz manufacturer Caesarstone, and rug company Golran. Their work has also been acquired for permanent collections at international museums, including the MoMA in New York.
Notable awards received include a Dezeen Award in 2019 for their Backstitch rug for brand GAN, AW 2020 Designers of the Year, Designers of the Future by Design Miami/Basel, Wallpaper Design Award, iF Design Award and Elle Decoration International Design Award.
Canadian designers George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg are founding partners of multi-disciplinary studio Yabu Pushelberg.
Yabu and Pushelberg graduated with degrees in interior design at Toronto Ryerson University, where they met and established their practice in 1980. The duo now specialise in projects spanning strategy, interior, product, lighting, textiles and styling across an expansive team of creative professionals.
Recent projects by the New York- and Toronto-based studio include the Moxy and AC Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, a planter collection that takes cues from the organic forms found in nature and a five-star hotel in London's Leicester Square designed in tribute to its location.
Notable clients include hotel groups Ritz Carlton, Aman and Park Hyatt, financial service corporation American Express, luxury goods multinational Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), as well as furniture brands Molteni&C, De Padova, Ligne Roset and Glas Italia.
Nigerian-Canadian designer Adeoye is the founder of practice Studio Lani, which spans furniture, lighting, wearables and assistance devices.
After completing her bachelor in commerce at McGill University in Montreal, Adeoye worked as a corporate consultant before graduating from Parsons School of Design in New York, where she currently teaches.
The Nigerian-Canadian designer's works have been acquired for the permanent collections of institutions including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Die Neue Sammlung, while international recognitions include being awarded first prize during Milan design week's 2022 Salone Satellite.
In 2020, she was selected by Elle Décor in its Women of the World: 75 Global Female Designers Worth Celebrating issue and was also featured in 1,000 Design Classics and Woman Made, published by Phaidon.
Designer Abernethy is the chief sustainability officer of office furniture manufacturer Humanscale.
Abernethy collaborates with company executives as well as designers and engineers, to guide the development process and help create more sustainable products.
She speaks about sustainable product design and manufacturing at conferences and events globally, including Greenbuild and World Ocean Conference, among others. She recently curated RECKONstruct, the US Pavilion at the XXII Triennale de Milano exhibition Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival.
Her work has received accolades including the Red Dot award and the GB&D Women in Sustainability Leadership award. Under Abernethy's leadership, Humanscale has been recognised as the first manufacturer to achieve the complete Living Product Challenge, a sustainability product standard, and has become a founding member of NextWave Plastics, an initiative dedicated to keeping plastic out of our oceans.
Adelana is an architectural designer and product specialist at 3D modelling software company SketchUp.
RIBA associate Adelana uses her training and experience in architecture, interior architecture, and building performance design to create content and campaigns that enable professionals in the architecture, engineering and construction industry to use innovative technologies to create better design as well as a more sustainable built environment.
She advocates for industry professionals to go beyond minimum regulatory requirements by analysing energy and daylight early, as part of the design process.
Dezeen Awards 2023
Dezeen Awards celebrates the world's best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.