Chairperson of Qatar Museums, H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani alongside India Mahdavi, Head of Jury for the Design Doha Prize 2026, Fahad Al Obaidly, Director of Design Doha, fellow jury members and the four winners of this year’s Prize, during the award ceremony held at the Museum of Islamic Art.
Doha, Qatar: Design Doha announced the four winners of the 2026 Design Doha Prize during an awards ceremony yesterday at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA), concluding the three-day opening programme for the second edition of the design biennial.
The Prize is chaired by Chairperson of Qatar Museums H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The winners were selected by a 24-member international jury headed by India Mahdavi.
The winners were selected across four categories: Craft (Bahrain-Denmark): Mesh! by Bahraini–Danish, comprising Batool Alshaikh, Maitham AlMubarak and Christian Vennerstrøm, based in Bahrain. The project is crafted from reclaimed Cape teak wood that reinterprets traditional Bahraini woodworking and weaving techniques through interlocking wooden modules, creating a versatile piece that can function as a screen, room divider or freestanding element.
Product Design (Lebanon): PSI-01 (Power Supply Indicator 01) by Post Design Studio, represented by Dia Mrad. PSI-01 connects to the household board and shows the live source in light: green for solar, yellow for generator, red for the grid, and a red “OFF” panel when the city goes dark.
Furniture Design (Lebanon): Low Tide by Shaha Raphael. The project is an ode to the Mediterranean and to Lebanese artisanship. Tables, stools, mirrors and tableware appear shaped by the sea, suspending the spiral of fossils in stone and bending metal as if by an invisible wave.
Emerging Talent (Iran): Yasamin Shaikhi for The Spoils: Lights From Waste, a sculptural lighting piece made from cooked rice waste and date pits, addressing food waste in Qatar.
The materials are pulped and pressed into translucent surfaces that emit a soft glow, turning discarded materials into a functional sculpture.
Selected from more than 550 applications from across the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) and its diasporas, the four winners were recognised for their outstanding contributions to contemporary design and their innovative approaches to craftsmanship, materials and creative production.
The Prize provides winners with opportunities to develop their work and build connections with international design institutions and commercial partners. The four winners will receive a combined financial award of QR800,000 (approximately $220,000), alongside a two-week mentorship programme at the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany, and one year of studio space at Liwan Design Studios and Labs in Doha. Additional support includes retail opportunities through Liberty London at Liberty Home Msheireb in Doha, as well as logistical assistance and business mentorship from DHL.
Speaking at the Design Doha Prize 2026 ceremony, Chairperson of Qatar Museums, H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani recognised the winning designers and the creative talent across the region, emphasising Design Doha’s ambition to connect designers with industries, investors and professional opportunities. “Design Doha is an investment: connecting talent with industry, designers with architects and developers, and regional creativity with public and private capital projects.”
H E Sheikha Al Mayassa also acknowledged the determination of regional designers and the growing international recognition of their work. “When few believed in the creative power of our region, our creators persevered. Today, no one doubts it. There is now a movement, driven by beauty, proud of its origins and rooted in our ancestry, and it is unstoppable.”
