Judging Process

The award judges will be elected annually by the Steering Committee, in accordance with the field in which the award is granted. The jury panel will consist of seven leading figures in local design, including academics, curators and researchers, designers, industry leaders, a senior international figure, and a representative from the Edmond de Rothschild Foundation.

The judging process will be conducted in two stages: In the first stage, the local judges will convene for preliminary judging to select the shortlist of nominees, and in the second stage the award entries will be translated into English, and the final judging will be attended by the international judge and the representative of the Foundation. In order to ensure impartiality throughout the judging process, the judges will remain anonymous until the winners’ names are published.

2021 Judges Product Design

Baroness Ariane de Rothschild

Chairwoman of Edmond de Rothschild Suisse S.A. since 2019

Baroness Ariane de Rothschild was born in San Salvador and grew up in Latin America and in Africa. After completing her business studies in Paris and New-York, she engaged in an active career in banking with Société Générale and AIG. After having presided over the Executive Committee of the Edmond de Rothschild Group for four years, in 2019, she was appointed Chairwoman of Edmond de Rothschild Suisse S.A. Today, she continues heading all activities of the group extending to finance, wines, hotel management, and private equity. Through an international network of family foundations, she is also deeply committed to social empowerment in the arts, entrepreneurship, science and health, particularly in Israel.

Renate Menzi

Curator, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich

Curator of the Design Collection of the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich since 2008. Trained as a product designer and in cultural studies at the Zurich University of the Arts and the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. Teaches, publishes, and conducts research in the field of design, and was a member of the Swiss Federal Design Commission 2009–2017. Exhibitions and publications: 6 Rooms × 6 Positions, 2021; Ideal Living, 2018; 100 Years of Swiss Design, 2014; Freitag: Out of the Bag, 2012; Make up, 2010.

Prof. Dina Shahar

Designer, Senior Lecturer, Hadassah Academic College

Senior Lecturer and Academic Consultant at Hadassah’s Department of Inclusive Industrial Design; headed the department in 2010–2018. Her academic and pedagogical work focuses on the development and implementation of inclusive and social design methods, fields which she writes and lectures about in various conferences and forums in Israel and around the world. She has initiated and promoted pioneering collaborations in the Design for Healthcare field with hospitals and medical services, including projects to optimize patient experience and rehabilitation processes. Simultaneously, she is engaged in commissioned public-space projects, working with leading European companies specializing in outdoor lighting and furniture, as well as site-specific projects for museums, housing for older adults, and cultural institutions in China.

Prof. David Rawet

Industrial Designer and Dean of HIT’s Faculty of