DHAHRAN: Three projects from Saudi Arabia and one from Bahrain were selected recently as recipients of the annual Tanween Challenge, hosted by the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra). At the six-day creative competition last week competitors displayed their final group projects at the Dhahran headquarters before a judging panel. Each project tried to solve a nature-related problem, in four categories: pavilion design; graphic design; furniture design; and fashion design.
The four award-winning projects will be developed for commercial production. Winners were selected from 80 participants who answered an open call for designers from the Middle East and North Africa. Tanween, Ithra’s flagship program since 2019, has become an integral part of fostering the thriving creative community in the region.
Sultan Al-Badran, creative programs developer at Ithra’s Ideas Lab said: “The winning projects today will receive support for the next couple of months by Tanween Challenges’ production partners to further develop the winners’ innovative ideas into real solutions. “The winning projects are a reflection of the individual capabilities and talent of each of the winners, who will now take their projects to market,” Al-Badran said. “Guided by knowledge partners Vanina, NYXO, LEAD, and Data is Beautiful, who provided support throughout the six-day event, all participants are creatives with immense potential who can continue their path of learning and challenge .