Young Designers Who Brought Natural Stone to Life Received Their Awards

As part of Marble İzmir – 30th International Natural Stone and Technologies Fair, the 7th International Unique Natural Stone Design Competition took place this year, once again recognizing talented young designers. The competition, which adds value to natural stone through design, brought fresh talent into the sector.

Pride of İzmir Fairs: Marble İzmir

Marble İzmir – International Natural Stone and Technologies Fair, a point of pride for İzmir’s fair industry, opened its doors for the 30th time. Hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality and organized by İZFAŞ from April 9–12, 2025, the fair also included the 7th International Unique Natural Stone Design Competition, which concluded with an award ceremony.

The competition, which aimed to increase the market value of Turkish natural stone with high-value-added products, was themed around furniture this year. Young designers created innovative objects using natural stone. From academics to designers and sector professionals, the jury selected 25 finalists out of 892 projects submitted. These designs were then produced and exhibited at the fair, drawing significant attention.

“We Must Encourage the Youth”

Project Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selçuk Demirci said:
“Our goal is to add value to Turkish natural stone by realizing projects that stand out not in weight, but in design. We visited nearly 40 universities for this purpose, and now we’re seeing the fruits of that work. I thank the entire İZFAŞ team. The more we highlight and support young designers, the more value our natural stone will gain, and its sales will increase.”

Cash Prizes for the Top Three

The winners were announced just 20 minutes before the award ceremony. Among the 25 design finalists, a first, second, and third place were selected:

First Prize (₺150,000): FIDES by Nisa Nur Gülmez and Zeynep Bakırcı, who drew inspiration from the historical Kaymaklı region of Nevşehir, transforming its unique and organic structure into a modern and functional piece of urban furniture. The prize was presented by Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Abdullah Tancan.
Second Prize (₺100,000): Tempora by Sıla Çelik, a three-part coffee table set inspired by time divisions—quarter, half, and full hours—symbolizing the passage of time. The prize was presented by İZFAŞ General Manager Tuğçe Cumalıoğlu.
Third Prize (₺50,000): PD, a bedside table made from layered natural stones, by Karolina Kubala and Maria Jaworska. The prize was presented by Hanifi Şimşek, Chairman of the Board of the Union of Marble, Natural Stone, and Machinery Producers.

Special Awards Presented

Several special awards were also distributed:

International Fair Participation Award by the Aegean Mineral Exporters’ Association went to Doğa Çeşme for the project Velo.
Holiday Awards went to Ayşenaz Yazıcı and Gözde Gündoğdu for their project Sonsuz and to Tuğçe Sevcan Gördün and Muhammet Taha Yılmaz for Marblok.
University Special Award was presented to Gazi University.
Additional firm-specific awards were also distributed.

Support from 17 Companies for the Production Process

The competition reached an international scale with submissions from 66 universities across 12 countries. Along with students from universities in Türkiye, a total of 892 students applied. The 25 finalist projects were brought to life with the support of 17 companies:

Alimoğlu Afyon,
Alimoğlu İzmir Mermer & Granit,
Başaranlar,
Ebla Stone,
Ege Anti Mermer,
Çizgi Mermer,
Golder,
Goldmer,
Gürmas Gürel,
İz Granit,
Kar Maden,
Laodikya,
Marble Shop,
Mercan Tasarım,
Megamer,
Naçev, and
Sirmersan