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