Finalists Have Been Determined in the 6th Distinctive Natural Stone Design Competition

Finalists Announced and Record Applications Received in the 6th Distinctive Natural Stone Design Competition

Marble İzmir – the largest global gathering in the natural stone sector, the International Natural Stone and Technologies Fair, is also uniting the talents that bring art to stone through the 6th International Distinctive Natural Stone Design Competition. This year, a record number of applications were received, with young designer candidates from 20 countries submitting a total of 1,265 projects created using natural stone. After a thorough jury evaluation, 34 projects have advanced to the finals. These finalist designs will be produced by the innovative companies in the sector, and the winners will be announced at the 29th Marble İzmir Fair.

Event Overview

Organized by İZFAŞ and hosted by the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality, the Marble İzmir International Natural Stone and Technologies Fair is set to open its doors for the 29th time from April 17 to 20, 2024. Alongside the fair, the 6th International Distinctive Natural Stone Design Competition aims to boost natural stone exports by integrating design and architecture to create high value-added products. In this competition, participants are tasked with designing decorative household items produced either from existing natural stone or from stone offcuts, thereby showcasing the innovative face of Turkish natural stone in the market.

Record-Breaking International Participation

Originally starting as a national competition, the event has embraced an international dimension over the past two years with applications coming from abroad. This year, young designers from 69 universities across 20 countries—including Türkiye, Germany, Azerbaijan, Poland, Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Georgia, and Egypt—submitted 1,265 projects. A diverse range of designs, from lighting products to kitchen utensils and accessories, captured significant acclaim from the jury comprising prominent academicians, designers, and sector professionals, leading to the selection of 34 finalist projects.

Designer-Company Collaboration

During a designer–company meeting held at Fuarizmir, the young talents presented their proposals to leading manufacturing firms in the sector. Based on the companies’ evaluations, it was decided that the 34 finalist designs would be produced. The pairings of designers and companies are as follows:

Zeynep Duvar – Sirmersan
Zeynep Özbıyık – Sirmersan
Ayşenur Süslü – Ege Antik & Gürmas Gürel Makina
Ezgi Yön – Silkar
Hasan Basri Saltık – Mercan Tasarım
Melek Demirci – Ege Antik
Simge Yörükseven – Marble Shop
Murat Yılmaz – Gürmas Gürel Makina
Berkan Sunayol – İzmir Alimoğlu
Emre Altunay – Megamer
Ekin Yüksel – Naçev
Baran Çulban – Golder
İlyas Sımpil – Bsf Doğaltaş
Şevval Mumcu – Megamer
Büşra Şeyben – Çizgi Mermer
Bahadır Çelik – Mercan Tasarım
Yusuf Ergün – Afyon Alimoğlu
Ebrar Ceren Akay – Naçev
Elif Yıldırım and Emine Doğan – Alimoğlu İzmir
Ümmü Beyhan Aras – Cmt Mermer
Büşra Buse Seçer and Kerem Güzel – Şenler Mermer
Zeynep Aysen Sevimlioğlu – Cmt Mermer
Bektaş Oğuzhan Kulfel – Kar Maden
İlsu Uslu – Batı Ege
Mehmet Veli Arslan – Haz Mermer
Beyzanur Çolakoğlu – Gürmas Gürel Makina
Duchna Losiak and Lulita Dabrowska – Başaranlar (one design)
Çizgi Mermer (with their second design)
Goldmer (with another design)
Magdalena Baranska and Piotr Soldaj – Gürmas Gürel Makina (one design)
Doğa Kökler – Gürmas Gürel Makina (one design)
Laodikya (with another design)
Monika Zaczkiewicz and Weronika Amelia Sidor – Ebla Mermer

Awards and Ceremony

The projects selected for production will be exhibited during the 29th Marble İzmir Fair from April 17 to 20, 2024. The final and awards ceremony will take place on the opening day of the fair. With a total prize fund of 540,000 Turkish Lira, the competition will reward not only the top three projects but also present several other awards, such as the Ege Exporters Association Overseas Fair Participation Award, company-specific awards, design registration and production awards, internship awards, and even a vacation award. Additionally, the university with the highest number of student applications will receive a 3D printer as a gift.

Distinguished Jury Panel

The jury is composed of a diverse group of academicians, designers, and sector representatives, including:

Dr. A. Can Özcan – Faculty Member, Industrial Design, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, İzmir University of Economics
Industrial Designer Adnan Serbest
Industrial Designer Ahmet Toplu
Interior Architect Atilla Kuzu
Dr. Ayşem G. Başar – Faculty Member, Industrial Design, Faculty of Architecture, Yeditepe University
Dr. Elif Kocabıyık – Lecturer, İzmir University of Economics
Interior Architect Esra Kazmirci
Prof. Dr. Faruk Çalapkulu – Consultant and Sector Representative
Architect Gökhan Karakuş
Dr. Koray Gelmez – Faculty Member, Industrial Design, Faculty of Architecture, Istanbul Technical University
Prof. Dr. M. Lütfi Hidayetoğlu – Faculty Member, Industrial Design, Faculty of Fine Arts, Selçuk University
Industrial Designer Meltem Parlak
Prof. Dr. Michal Stefanowski – Head of Department, Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts
Prof. Önder Küçükerman – Faculty Member, Industrial Design, Faculty of Architecture, Haliç University
Architect Öznur Turan Eke
Remzi Boncuk – Founder, Çizgi Mermer
Prof. Dr. S. Meltem Şen – Faculty Member, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University
S. Sabri Bora – Founder, Ege Antik Mermer
Prof. Dr. Serkan Güneş – Faculty Member, Industrial Design, Faculty of Architecture, Gazi University
Industrial Designer Şule Koç

This comprehensive initiative not only highlights the creative fusion of art and natural stone but also reinforces the role of design in enhancing the export potential of Turkish natural stone. The collaboration between emerging talents and leading companies, coupled with robust international participation, underscores the fair’s commitment to driving innovation and global competitiveness in the natural stone sector.