About / Theme

The Audi Innovation Award is a competition for design research and the highlighting of innovative ideas. The competition, led by Audi Middle East, aims to empower regional designers while archiving intellectual progress in the region.

When designing objects that enhance our lifestyles, designers globally are being summoned to reduce, reuse or recycle. Designing circularly means pushing ahead of the competition, by creating objects that combine all three to enhance our quality of life now, and in the future. From the brand that is consistently raising global benchmarks, the Audi Innovation Award invites designers living across the Middle East to submit design objects that are designed with circularity in mind, to lead the world into a sustainable industrial revolution.

A circular economy is the thoughtful and restorative process by which the materials and resources that make up a design are in use for as long as possible, whereby we extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, and recover and regenerate materials at the end of each product life, closing the circle. Submissions can be revisions of existing products in the market with improvements made to one or all aspects of its lifecycle, or an entirely new product considering circularity. No innovation in the design process is too small to make a large impact.



Winners for 2020.





1st place: Insect Kids.

Insect Kids, created by Ahmad Jarrar and Rasha Jarrar, aims to redefine traditional playtime by creating a range of flatpack toys made out of recyclable and biodegradable materials. Studies suggest that children get bored of toys in an average of 36 days, ultimately cluttering homes or loading landfills. The toys redesigned by Insect can be easily disassembled, reducing clutter and ensuring space efficiency. The innovators also provide recycling services for responsible disposal at the end of the product’s lifecycle.



The Audi Innovation Award 2020 runner ups.

2nd

Infrastic:
Iman Badawi Najjar, Louay Ghezzawi, Jana Shami, and Haidar Elmkdad

Infrastic aims to reduce waste by introducing waste plastic as a main component in infrastructural services.

3rd

Teknova:
Ali Khaled Bin Zayed

Teknova aims to leverage an Internet of Things (IoT) based patented ‘fatigue sensor’ to measure the wear and tear of metal ware, while remotely tracking the remaining useful life of structural materials.



Previous Winners - 2019

The Audi Innovation Award theme for 2019 was Simplification

1st

Pincher:
Twelve Degrees

Pincher, the physical interpretation of the cooking phrase, "a pinch of salt".

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2nd

BENTOS:
Ahmad Alameh & Hadi Nassar

Bentos is a super polymer using nanotechnology to hold heavy weight objects.

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3rd

Di_Wrapp:
Omar El-Dimassi

A patented digital skin for the automotive industry.

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Previous Winners - 2018

The Audi Innovation Award theme for 2018 was Connections

1st

R2R:
Elias El Soueidi

Ruin to Reality (R2R) is an application that would allow access to virtual 3d models of historical buildings and cultural sites.

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2nd

CyRCLE:
Andrea Sensoli

CyRCLE is proposed as a modern-day shelter and provides an enhanced means of communication.

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3rd

Connect to Thrive:
Abdhul Hazeeb HZB

Connect to Thrive is an enclosed interior space proposed as place of solitude and calm.

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Previous Winners - 2017

The Audi Innovation Award theme for 2017 was Autonomy

1st

EZ move:
Jamal Alsharkas

EZ move is the first innovation of its kind to finally give mobility and visually impaired people freedom of movement and the dignity of being in control of their own destination.

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2nd

iLuminating Light:
Benjamin Piper

iLuminating Space’ is a digital light projection system that augments physical spaces with intelligent lighting and digital content / information.

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3rd

Monumental Shadow:
Ricardas Blazukas

Monumental Shadow: an autonomous design that blends function, aesthetics and integrity of design to create a high quality social space representing modern day living.

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Judges For 2020


Led by Hani Asfour

Hani Asfour is the dean of the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI). An MIT and Harvard-trained architect with over 22 years of experience, he was also the Founding President of the Beirut Creative Cluster and Founding Partner of Polypod, an award-winning multidisciplinary design studio in Beirut, Lebanon. He was recently named one of the 45 most influential architects in MENA by Middle East Architect Magazine. Hani plays a key role in leading the judging panel discussions during the voting process and steering the design debate with his valuable experience and input.

Cyril Zammit

Cyril Zammit started his career at the Institut Français in Prague. After working as Sponsorship Manager for the Montreux Jazz Festival, he joined UBS and then HSBC Private Bank in Switzerland for which he signed a 5-year partnership with Design Miami. In 2012, Cyril Zammit launched Design Days Dubai, a fair entirely dedicated to collectible and limited-edition design – the first of its kind in the Middle East and South Asia. In 2015, he participated to the launch of Dubai Design Week giving this new event a distinctive identity. Since February 2017, Cyril Zammit has established himself as an independent design advisor and consultant. Between 2017 and 2019, he was working with Dubai Culture & Arts Authority as expert before joining another UAE government entity.

Carsten Bender

With over 18 years’ experience with Audi AG, Carsten joins Audi Middle East as the Managing Director in the Middle East region. His career with the Four Rings has included achievements in the field as Sales Manager for Australia, New Zealand, Japan and as the Sales Director for both Eastern and Western European regions. He returns to the Middle East, where he held the position of Audi Middle East Sales Director from 2009-2011, to lead the Audi brand in the region where he will directly head the Audi business across 11 Middle East countries.

Dr. Carlos Montana

Dr. Carlos Montana is an award-winning designer and educator. He is currently a Founding Associate Professor of the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation DIDI, the first interdisciplinary design university in Dubai, established in collaboration with MIT and Parsons. As a professional designer he has worked with numerous companies designing furniture, lighting, ceramic products, electric appliances, exhibitions, jewellery and graphics, among others.

Amer Aldour

Amer is formally trained in Architecture and Engineering. He currently holds a role at the Expo 2020 Dubai Site Delivery Department; overlooking the International Pavilions’ design and exhibit integration within the Expo masterplan. Amer has also special interest in interactive design; exploring the notion of physical computing and the interface between technology and architectural space. He has his own interactive design studio in Dubai (inter.act design). The studio creates experiential installations that intersect the worlds of architecture, art and programming. His works were shown at a number of international exhibitions including Salone del Mobile at the Superstudio in Milan, Istanbul Design Week and Design Days Dubai.

Hamza Omari

Hamza Al-Omari is a Jordanian-Canadian product designer. Al-Omari’s work has been exhibited in Dubai, Sharjah, Jordan, Vancouver and London. Al-Omari’s designs creatively marry innovation with function, pushing the boundaries of what is possible whilst responding to the context of the product. Through a process of questioning and scrutiny towards every stage of design, each project is dealt with within the constraints it requires. Omari believes that good design maximizes function with form, encompassing both social and environmental integrity.

Mark Stobbs

Mark Stobbs is the Director or Programming and Outreach at Dubai Design District. He has been instrumental in the development of d3 since its inception having been with the project almost since its launch. In his role, Mark has developed and overseen international projects which have seen designers from the region promoted on global design stages, and is now principally directing industry focused programming in the district. Prior to this, Mark led the Marketing and PR efforts for the inaugural Downtown Design in 2013, and before that held the title of Publisher at leading Arab culture magazine Brownbook. He spent 7 years at Wallpaper* magazine in London leading the creative solutions team on various international brand projects prior to coming to Dubai.