Mayor Cemil Tugay presented the awards to young designers

Mayor Cemil Tugay Presents Awards to Young Designers

İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay presented the awards to the winners of the 6th International "Different" Natural Stone Design Competition, held as part of the Marble İzmir – 29th International Natural Stone and Technologies Fair. Mayor Tugay emphasized the competition's importance in promoting Türkiye’s valuable natural stones worldwide through young designers, stating:

"Through this competition, we aim to introduce our land’s most precious stones to the world, guided by the creativity of our young designers, and contribute further to the industry. It is truly gratifying to see the growing interest in our competition each year."

One of the World's Largest Fairs in the Industry

Hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized by İZFAŞ, Marble İzmir, the largest fair in Türkiye and one of the top three global fairs in the industry, has officially begun at Fuar İzmir. As part of the fair, the 6th International "Different" Natural Stone Design Competition concluded with an award ceremony. The competition, which aims to showcase the innovative side of Turkish natural stone, received 1,265 project applications from young designers studying at 69 universities across 20 countries, including Türkiye, Germany, Azerbaijan, Poland, Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Georgia, and Egypt. A jury panel consisting of academics, designers, and industry professionals selected 34 finalists, and the winners were awarded by Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay on the first day of the fair. The competition featured a variety of creative designs, ranging from lighting products to kitchenware and accessories, which garnered great appreciation from attendees.

Tugay: "We Will Continue to Strengthen İzmir"

Mayor Dr. Cemil Tugay highlighted that Marble İzmir, which began in 1995, has significantly boosted Türkiye's natural stone exports, stating:

"The fair has helped the industry grow, and in return, the industry has helped the fair grow. Ultimately, Türkiye and İzmir's economies have benefited. You will see in the coming years that this mutual relationship will continue to strengthen our country and our city. While our fair serves as the beating heart of the global natural stone and marble industry, it also plays a vital role in increasing the value of Turkish natural stone through design and architecture and showcasing its innovative face in international markets. That is precisely why we are here today, celebrating the 6th International "Different" Natural Stone Design Competition. Through this competition, we aim to introduce our most valuable stones to the world with the help of our most valuable resource—our young designers—and contribute further to the industry. It is incredibly rewarding to see growing interest in this competition each year. I sincerely congratulate all our winners."

Awards Presented by Mayor Tugay

The first prize was awarded to Magdalena Beate Baranaska and Piotr Michal Soldaj from Warsaw, Poland, for their project "Pom".
The second prize went to Murat Yılmaz for his design "Conflict".
The third prize was awarded to Yusuf Ergün for his project "Tuta".

The top three winners received their awards from Mayor Cemil Tugay, with prize amounts of:

120,000 TL for first place
80,000 TL for second place
40,000 TL for third place

Additionally, Mehmet Veli Arslan won the "Overseas Fair Award" from the Aegean Mine Exporters' Association for his project "Yiv".

Melek Demirci's "Stack and Shape" and Berkan Sunayol's "Yek" received the "Vacation Award".

Several other projects were awarded "Company Special Awards", including:

"Devir Daim" by Hasan Basri Saltık
"Yurd" by Baran Çulban
"Pare" by Ebrar Ceren Akay
"Gaia" by Zeynep Aysen Sevimlioğlu
"Belen" by Ümmü Beyhan Aras
"Mignis Lamp" by Ayşenur Süslü
"Naturdrip" by Ezgi Yön
"Harmony" by Doğa Kökler
"Land" by Zeynep Duvar
"Arthe" by Duchna Losiak and Julita Dadrowska
"B-Lock" by Bahadır Çelik
"Mole" by Monica Zaczkiewiwicz and Weronika Amelia Sidor

Additionally, Afyon Kocatepe University, which had the highest number of student submissions, was awarded a 3D printer.

Mayor Tugay Engages with Young Designers and Visitors

After the award ceremony, Mayor Cemil Tugay toured the exhibition area, interacting with the young designers and learning about their projects. He emphasized that the municipality will continue to support design and innovation, engaging in discussions with the designers and wishing them success in their careers.

Following his visit to the competition area, Mayor Tugay also met with fair visitors and exhibitors, strengthening ties within the industry.

During the visit, Mohammed Halajian, a representative from an Iranian company, gifted Mayor Tugay a turquoise stone bowl, expressing his appreciation for Marble İzmir Fair and the positive experience his company had at the event.