Each year, the Designblok Awards (formerly known as the Editors-in-Chief Awards) are presented as part of the festival. The awards honour the best concepts, innovations, new products, and presentations, as selected by an independent international jury composed of journalists, designers, curators, and other professionals from the fields of design and architecture.
The aim of the Designblok Awards is not only to highlight outstanding products and presentations among hundreds of exhibitors, but above all to draw attention to innovative, sustainable, and socially responsible approaches with the potential to influence both the wider public and the professional design community.
Since 2023, the winners have been selected by a five-member international jury chaired by the President of the Designblok Awards. Previous Presidents include French journalist and design critic Anne-France Berthelon (2022), Dutch designer and professor Ineke Hans (2023), and Ben Hobson, co-CEO of Dezeen and media consultant (2024). The President of the Designblok Awards 2025 is Yoko Choy, China Editor of Wallpaper magazine and Founder of Cultural Associates.
The selection and proceedings of the Designblok Awards 2025 are headed by Yoko Choy, China Editor of Wallpaper and Founder of Cultural Associates.
The international jury includes Cyril Zammit (design consultant and founder of Design Days Dubai), Sabine Marcelis (Dutch designer), Bernard Dubois (Belgian architect), and Mirkku Kullberg (CEO of Kasthall AB). The jury will attend the festival in person and visit all exhibitions on Tuesday 7 and Wednesday 8 October 2025. You can also meet the jury members during the Designblok Talks conference on Tuesday 7 October.
The Designblok Awards 2025 will be presented in the following categories: Best Launched Product by Designer, Best Launched Product by Producer, Best School Presentation, Best Designer Presentation, Best Producer Presentation, Impact Award, and the Grand Prix (Prize for Outstanding Contribution).
The winners will be announced during a festive gala ceremony moderated by Daniela Brzobohatá on Thursday, 9 October 2025 at the New Spiral Theatre at Prague Fairgrounds.
Since 2024, Designblok has presented a special honorary award to a leading figure in global design – recognising exceptional creative, academic, or theoretical contributions to the field. The physical award takes the form of a glass log, designed by Jan Plecháč and hand-cut by master craftsmen at the Moser glassworks.
The first recipient of this prestigious award was British designer, architect, and artist Ron Arad, who accepted the honour from Festival Director Jana Zielinski in 2024. A postmodern icon and former professor at the Royal College of Art, Arad is known for his visionary work and collaborations with brands such as Moroso, Vitra, Kartell, Magis, and Alessi.
In 2025, the award will be presented to the main guest of the 27th edition of Designblok: Patricia Urquiola, a true icon of global design. The Spanish-born designer and architect, based in Milan, creates acclaimed work for Cassina, Moroso, B&B Italia, Kartell, Flos, and Louis Vuitton. Her approach is playful, empathetic, materially refined, and consistently innovative. She comes to Prague at the invitation of Designblok and Konsepti.
President of the Jury — China Editor, Wallpaper* magazine & Founder, Cultural Associates (Netherlands, Hong Kong)
Yoko Choy is a design journalist and creative consultant whose work reflects the quiet power of intercultural dialogue. As China Editor of Wallpaper magazine, she moves between Hong Kong and Amsterdam, bridging East and West to shape a shared narrative. Her practice centers on building meaningful relationships across cultures, using design and art as universal languages that foster human connection and creative innovation. This global perspective informs her collaborations with leading brands and institutions such as Assouline, Art Basel, Beijing Design Week, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Whyte & Mackay. She is currently developing a circular lifestyle concept, curating an intercultural platform, advising collectors and businesses, and organising a hospitality summit in Singapore.
Design Consultant and Strategic Advisor (France, UAE)
Zammit began his career in 1991 at the Institut Français in Prague before holding cultural sponsorship roles in London, Switzerland, and Abu Dhabi. From 2005 to 2009, he supported Design Miami as a sponsor, before founding Design Days Dubai in 2012, which he directed until 2017. He also played a key role in launching Dubai Design Week, serving as its founding director from 2015 to 2016. From 2017 to early 2022, he held positions in cultural diplomacy at Dubai Culture & Arts Authority and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since 2022, he has worked as a strategic consultant for the Uzbekistan Art & Culture Foundation, a Design Consultant for the Royal Commission for AlUla, and an invited instructor at Ithra Academy. In 2024, he curated an exhibition for the Doha Design Biennale and managed an international project during Milan Design Week. He also contributes regularly as a design columnist for Esquire Middle East.
Designer (The Netherlands)
Based in Rotterdam, Sabine Marcelis is a Dutch designer whose work explores the interplay of light, color, and material across product design, spatial installations, and architecture. A graduate of Design Academy Eindhoven, she has collaborated with leading brands such as Fendi, Dior, IKEA, Hyundai, and Kvadrat. Her works are part of museum collections including the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Vitra Design Museum, and Centre Pompidou. In 2020, she was named Designer of the Year at the Elle Deco International Design Awards, and in 2023, she contributed to the Dutch Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale.
Architect (Belgium)
Dubois is known for his precise, analytical approach and distinctive visual language that draws from classical, modernist, and postmodern traditions. His practice focuses on creating culturally resonant, context-driven spaces that blur the boundaries between architecture, design, and art. A graduate of La Cambre, he represented Belgium at the Venice Biennale in 2014 with a research project on Belgian interiors that shaped a new architectural grammar. He has designed boutiques and showrooms for fashion brands such as Courrèges, Icicle, and Nicolas Andreas Taralis, as well as interior projects for art collectors and collaborations with galleries like Maniera and Balice Hertling. His work also includes restaurants, furniture collections, and ongoing partnerships with brands such as Lanvin, Aesop, and PNY. Since 2016, he has co-directed the AA Visiting School Brussels, exploring new perspectives in contemporary architecture.
CEO Kasthall AB, Chair of Paimio Sanatorium Foundation (Finland/Sweden)
Mirkku Kullberg is a design executive and cross-disciplinary thinker with a deep understanding of branding, strategy, and cultural phenomena. Currently CEO of Kasthall AB and Chair of Paimio Sanatorium Foundation, she is also the founder of Glasshouse Helsinki, a platform exploring the intersection of business, sustainability, and creativity. Kullberg has held leadership roles at renowned design companies including Artek (CEO), Vitra (Head of Home Division), Poltrona Frau (VP Americas), and served as Creative Director of Hotel St. George. Her work is known for connecting visionary thinking with strong strategic execution, shaping forward-looking brands and cultural experiences.