Designblok Awards 2025: The international jury awarded the best works of the 27th edition
10. 10. 2025
Designblok Awards 2025: The international jury honored the best works of the 27th edition.
The award for an outstanding contribution to world design was presented to designer Patricia Urquiola, while the Grand Prix went to the duo Tereza Sluková and Milan Pekař.
International experts led by publicist and curator Yoko Choy selected and awarded the most successful projects of the 27th edition of Prague’s international design festival Designblok in seven categories. Among the winners were a young Polish designer combining craftsmanship with 3D printing, a revived South Moravian glassworks, students from Ústí nad Labem, wooden figurines representing women’s stories throughout history, a traditional Czech toy in a new concept, and a book about Kutná Hora. The Grand Prix (Award for Outstanding Achievement) went to ceramic objects by Tereza Sluková and Milan Pekař. The award for an Outstanding Contribution to World Design was presented by festival director Jana Zielinski to Spanish designer and architect Patricia Urquiola – the main guest of this year’s Designblok. The award ceremony took place on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at the multi-genre cultural venue Nová Spirála at Výstaviště Praha, directed by Adéla Laštovková Stodolová with stage design by Marek Cpin.
Voting for the Public Award continues until Sunday, October 12, 2025, at 6 p.m.
The aim of the Designblok Awards is to annually highlight the most outstanding works among hundreds of exhibitors across the festival in pre-determined categories. For the fourth time, the organizers entrusted the decision-making to an independent international jury, which personally viewed the exhibited projects and met their authors. The role of president, responsible for the composition of the jury and the voting process, was taken by Yoko Choy, head of the Chinese edition of Wallpaper magazine and founder of the platform Cultural Associates. This year’s jury also included architect Bernard Dubois, Kasthall AB director and Paimio Sanatorium Foundation chairwoman Mirkku Kullberg, designer and co-founder of Massproductions Chris Martin, and design consultant, strategic advisor, and Dubai Design Week founder Cyril Zammit. Exhibitors had the unique opportunity to present their work to leading international experts and see how it stands in a global context.
“The jury decided based on the authors’ courage to go their own way despite general trends. We were looking for projects that were not created to attract attention at first glance but that are shaped by identity, story, and inner conviction. Such an approach is more demanding but brings true authenticity. At the same time, design must remain functional and serve its purpose – not everything should be an artistic or collectible object. Good design retains a sense of utility and true benefit to people,” said jury president Yoko Choy.
In the category Best New Designer, the jury awarded the young brand Wontek by Stanisław Stupkiewicz. The graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw explores new aesthetic possibilities of 3D printing. “The author uses 3D printing as a tool for an otherwise craft-intensive process reminiscent of very traditional weaving techniques. It’s an ideal combination of tradition and modern technology,” added Dubois. The award’s partner, KKCG Real Estate Group, will cover the winner’s exhibition space costs for next year’s festival. “At KKCG Real Estate Group, we provide opportunities for local creators, actively involving them in our projects because we believe in their quality and future. We see this partnership as an investment in the future of the European creative scene. We are proud to support top design and help promising designers succeed,” said Pavel Švanda, International Projects Director.
For Best New Manufacturer, the jury selected the Linden glass collection designed by Rony Plesl for the glassworks Izaak Reich. The jury appreciated not only the story of the revival of a glassworks forgotten for two centuries in Staré Hutě but also the high-quality product with refined branding and a simple yet effective festival presentation.
The Best School Presentation award went to students from the Ceramic Design Studio at the Faculty of Art and Design, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, for their exhibition project MONUMENT. The students reflected on the meaning of scale and the function of monuments as symbols of human stories and embodiments of shared values. Each student created their own ceramic monument expressing a personal or collective statement about what deserves a lasting place in our inner or public space. The category partner is Kaufland. “We are glad to participate in Designblok for the second year and support the Best School Installation Award. We also created an installation in collaboration with UMPRUM students this year, which was mutually very inspiring. Thanks to students’ perspectives, fresh ideas emerge that show even retail can be creative,” said Renata Maierl, spokesperson for Kaufland Czech Republic.
The Best Designer Presentation award went to the wooden figurine installation Tititi by Tereza Talichová. In her new collection Pioneers, she pays tribute to female activists for human rights, artists, and athletes throughout history. Each figurine has an original shape, is hand-turned, and finished with the artist’s painting. The jury appreciated the installation’s simplicity, material modesty, and powerful visual impact that directly interacts with the interior of the Royal Summer Palace at Prague Castle.
The Best Manufacturer Presentation award was given to the collaboration between the Czech brand Merkur and students from the Faculty of Art and Design at Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem. Under the guidance of designer Jan Čapek, students from the Product Design Studio created an installation for the Designblok for Kids pavilion that inspires creativity and demonstrates that even a traditional manufacturer can stay relevant for new generations.
In the Impact Award category, which recognizes concepts and projects with social or environmental significance, the winner was the photographic publication 1318 Minutes in Kutná Hora, capturing one day and night in the city as experienced by any visitor. The City of Kutná Hora collaborated with the photography studio BoysPlayNice, graphic designers Milan Nedvěd and Laura Morovská, and writer Ondřej Horák. “We wanted to highlight the trust of public administration in collaborating with designers, as well as the exceptionally high quality of both the book and the installation. This project can inspire other municipalities,” said Cyril Zammit for the international jury.
The Grand Prix – Award for Outstanding Achievement was given to the creative duo and heads of the Ceramics and Porcelain Studio at UMPRUM, Tereza Sluková and Milan Pekař, for their organically shaped ceramic objects. Orrery is a site-specific installation consisting of a series of ceramic pieces responding to the history of Queen Anne’s Summer Palace. The authors drew inspiration from the period when the building served as an astronomical observatory. The forms combine the imagination of cosmic landscapes, the starry sky, and the garden surrounding the palace.
Since 2024, the Designblok festival has presented an award to one exceptional individual who has made a significant mark on world design – through creative work, teaching, or theoretical contribution to the field. The Award for Outstanding Contribution to World Design was presented by festival director Jana Zielinski to Spanish designer and architect Patricia Urquiola. The main guest of the 27th Designblok came to Prague at the invitation of Designblok and Konsepti. At this year’s festival, she presents the Insula sofa collection for the brand Kettal and other novelties at the Konsepti showroom in Holešovice. The award – a glass log designed by Jan Plecháč – was cut from Czech crystal at the Moser glassworks.
The 27th Designblok continues until Sunday, October 12, 2025, at the Křižík Pavilions at Výstaviště, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, the Royal Summer Palace at Prague Castle, the Rudolfinum Gallery, and other locations across the city.
The main exhibitions COURAGE: Women in Architecture, Design, and Applied Arts, Jiří Pelcl: Design Is My Religion, Zdeněk Vacek: DARK ‘n’ LUSH at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, and Mary McCartney: STRIKING by PLAYCE at the Rudolfinum Gallery remain open until November 2, 2025.
Read more about the Designblok Awards.
