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The 2026 Grand Jury includes internationally respected figures from lighting design, architecture, media, and academia. With their diverse expertise, the panel ensures a fair, unbiased, and insightful evaluation of every submission.

Jury Board

Nima Bavardi

Designooor Lighting Media and Academy / Founder and CEO | Lighting Designer

Nima Bavardi was born in Tabriz, Iran, and holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from the Central Tehran branch of IA University. In 2015, he completed his master’s degree in industrial design. With a deep passion for creating products that enhance everyday life, Bavardi has earned numerous international design awards throughout his career. He is a university lecturer and has served as a jury member for many prestigious international design competitions, including the A’Design Award (Italy), INDUSTART Awards (Ukraine), SIT & LIT Award (Switzerland), Edison Awards (USA), Inspireli Awards (Czech Republic), Taiwan International Student Design Competition (Taiwan), KIOSKedia Awards (Iran), and The Stevies IBA (USA). Bavardi is also an advisor to the Asia Designer Communication Platform (ADP) for Western Asia and a full member of several respected design institutions, including IAD, IBSP, ICCI, IDC AIBA, and TCA. In 2023, he was honored as one of the world’s top 40 young lighting designers under forty by the “40under40” program. He is the founder of Designooor, an online lighting media and magazine, which was recognised as the Best Online Lighting Media of 2025. His work continues to shape the future of lighting and product design, positioning him as a key figure in the global design community.

MarIa Kamila

Jury

Sergej Graham

Jury

Erik Martinez

Jury

Lorelle Clement

Jury

Barney Steve

Jury

Eva Margie

Jury

Nicholas Bewick

Architect and Art Director of AMDL Circle | Italy

Roger Narboni

Lighting Designer, Reasercher and University Lecturer | France

Prof .Dr. Annamaria Lambri

Architect, Chair of the Department of Interior Design and Associate Professor at American University in Dubai (AUD) | UAE

Prof.Dr. Craig A. Bernecker

Professor and Director of MFA Lighting Design at Parsons | USA

David Bird

Founding Director of 2B Design | Australia

Prof.Dr. Derek Porter

Founder of Derek Porter Studio and Professor at Parsons | USA

Jesper Kongshaug

Lighting Designer and Curator of the Copenhagen Light Festival | Denmark

Roham Shamekh

Multidisciplinary Artist | UAE

Vicente Pillado

Interior Architect, Lighting Designer and Founder of NAN Arquitectos | Spain

Martin Klaasen

Managing Partner of Nulty+ Lighting | Singapore

Prof. Lina Ahmad

Architect, Acting Director of Educational Effectiveness at Zayed University | UAE

Claudia Paz

Founder & Design Director of Claudia Paz Lighting Studio | Perú

Prof. Marco Sosa

Architect, Associate Professor at Zayed University | UAE

Prof.Dr.Maurizio Vrenna

Designer, Assistant Professor, Director of the Design Innovation and Sustainability Center at Wenzhou-Kean University | China

Prof. Dr. Ashok Ganapathy Iyer

Architect, Associate Professor and Leader of the Interior Design Program at Amity University Dubai | UAE

Yah Li Toh

Founder of Light Collab Studio | Singapore

Prof. Dr. Sophie A. Johnson

Assistant Professor and Head of Interior Design at Canadian University Dubai | UAE

Arthur Van Der Zaag

Founder of Copenhagen Lighting Studio | Denmark

ADELE LOCKE

Founder and Director of MINT Lighting Design | Australia

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