Announced: The Middle East Emergent Artist Prize

Cyril Zammit, Anabelle de Gersigny and Alban Belloir at the inauguration of The Middle East Emergent Artist Prize

A new award for artists, designers and all kinds of creative people was announced today in the Van Cleef & Arpels boutique at Dubai Mall.

The Middle East Emergent Artist Prize, is a collaboration between the Van Cleef jewellery house, Tashkeel and Design Days Dubai and is open for applications until mid February.

"What makes this prize different is that it focuses on the process of the final products," says Cyril Zammit, the director of Design Days Dubai.

The idea, he explains, is for applicants to submit works in progress or pieces that represent an instrumental point in the creation of the final project. A sketch, a maquette or unedited video were some of the examples he detailed.

Anabelle de Gersigny, Tashkeel's Strategy and Partnership Development manager continues: "This prize looks at the common ground within all creative disciplines. It focuses on the process of creativity and can appeal to artists who have a real understanding of their own way of working or who have pieces in their studio that hasn't been realised yet.

"It's important to for Tashkeel to support this because, we are a place where makers find space and time to develop their practice within the context of discerning and constructive criticism and discourse.”

The shortlisted entries will be selected in February and put in an exhibition at Tashkeel. The winner will be unveiled during Design Days Dubai in March and will win a trip to Paris to study at L'Ecole Van Cleef & Arpels to learn more about the process of jewellery making.

* Submissions should be sent to [e-mail] before February 8

* The exhibition will run from March 13 until April 30