Deadline: 20-Jul-2025
The Dubai Design Week is thrilled to invite applications for its Abwab Bursary Programme to support practitioners from across West, South and East Asia, as well as the African continent, through the commissioning of pavilions that are thematically remodelled each year to reflect timely global and regional contexts.
Theme
- This year’s theme, ‘In the Details’, invites designers, architects, researchers, archivists and all creative practitioners from across West, South and East Asia, as well as the African continent to explore ornamental details – drawing from architectural research, textiles, applied surfaces and narrative-driven aesthetics. ‘In the Details’ is a call for cultural excavation, spotlighting ornamentation’s enduring relationship to history, heritage and identity.
- Proposals are invited to explore ornament as a primary language that transforms detail into immersive spatial experiences. Participants are encouraged to engage historical forms, motifs and textures through design. This could involve isolating, exaggerating, amplifying, shifting scale or applying fragmented details into unexpected spatial applications. They seek works that engage with symbolic detail in concept and scale the intimate into the monumental.
Funding Information
- A production bursary of AED 180,000 will support the execution of successful proposals, including project development, production and installation.
Eligibility Criteria
- The applicant must:
- Be able to confirm ownership of all relevant intellectual property rights associated with the submission
- Be available for virtual calls with the Dubai Design Week team
- Be present in Dubai to oversee the production and installation of the proposal
- The proposal must:
- Demonstrate an evident relationship to the theme
- Explore contemporary design and architecture while maintaining contextual, cultural and geographical relevance to the Global South
- Adhere to a responsible design approach, taking into account sustainable use of materials and production processes, construction, installation and operational processes
- Incorporate suitable materials for outdoor use, taking into consideration the year-round weather conditions in Dubai
- Weight of the final installation must be less than 350kg per square metre
- Be partially or entirely produced in the UAE
- Adhere to a well-defined timeline for production with the installation ready for the opening of Dubai Design Week scheduled on 4 November 2025
- Include the thinking and planning for the afterlife and prospects of future deployment and programming
Selection Criteria
- Winning proposals will be selected by a committee of experts in the design field who will grade proposals based on the predefined criteria, originality of the design and relevance to the open call’s theme.
Application Requirements
- Proposal concept statement
- Relevant research, photography, documentation, video file and material pieces
- Proposed exhibition display or installation within the exhibition
- Portfolio of previous works and CV
- Approximate cost to produce and install the proposal
- Dimensions, space and technical requirements
- Timeline of project completion.
For more information, visit Dubai Design Week.