Applying to Participate at Amman Design Week
Applications and Acceptances
Yes, as long as you are eligible to apply according to the applications' eligibility requirements.
Yes. Please use the same application form and upload images in one document.
You are encouraged to apply with original work that has not yet been exhibited in Jordan.
Your work does not have to be complete at the time of the application. If you are applying with a concept or idea, please accompany your application with a descriptive text, sketches or renderings, and a clear plan of action for implementation. Please also share a portfolio of previous work as indication of your ability to achieve the proposed concept. Once accepted, you will be given a deadline for the completion of your work.
Amman Design Week considers finished objects, installations, and in-process work that demonstrate a design idea for a complete work (eg. prototypes), corresponding to the following disciplines:
- Animation Design
- Architecture
- Ceramics and Glass Design
- Crafts and manufacturing
- Digital Fabrication & Design
- Experience Design
- Fashion & Textiles Design
- Food Design
- Graphic Design
- Illustration
- Industrial and Product Design
- Interior and Furniture Design
- Jewellery Design
- Landscape and Spatial Design
- Materials and Making
- Music, Performance and Sound Design
- Sustainability and Eco Design
- Technology Design
- Typography
- Urban Design
- Originality of idea: Originality can be in form, aesthetics, function, material use, concept, or construction methodology.
- Clarity of concept: A well-articulated idea for what you would like to exhibit using both text and images, sketches, or drawings.
- Proof of Capabilities: A portfolio of previous work indicating that you are capable of producing the idea or work that you have in mind, or a well thought out and explained methodology for research that you will conduct or have conducted in order to achieve your work.
- Product or installation lifetime: Consideration must be made for finding a home for the work/installation after Amman Design Week, or a way for it to be recycled or repurposed. We believe in conscious design, and therefore encourage participants not to dismantle and discard the work/installation after the nine-day event.
Application Troubleshooting and Technical Questions
Please take a screenshot of the error you are getting and e-mail us at info@ammandesignweek.com, including your name and phone number, and let us know which browser (Chrome, Explorer, Safari, etc.) and device (Mac, PC, iPhone, etc.) you are using, and the date the error occured.
It is preferable if you upload the video elsewhere and send a link to the video within the body of your application.
You can save and come back to your application at any time as long as you are logged into your myADW account.
Please make sure you have answered all questions which are marked with a red asterisk (*) as these are required to complete your application.
Submitting the Application
You should receive an e-mail confirming receipt of your application. If you did not receive such an e-mail, your application has not been submitted.
Depending on the number of applications received, it may take one to two months after the deadline to hear back from us on the status of your application.
The Hangar Exhibition and Outdoor Installations
Each year, Amman Design Week assigns a curator for the Hangar Exhibition. The curator is responsible for setting the vision of the Hangar Exhibition and selecting works that fit his/her vision. The curator decides on the items to include and the placement of the items within the exhibition. Outdoor installations in other locations are accepted and placed at the discretion of the Amman Design Week team.
The Hangar Exhibition is a curated exhibition and does not follow a format of “booths”. You may suggest a location and type of display, but the final decision rests with the curator and exhibition designer, who decide on the method of display of the items so that the Hangar Exhibition is presented in a harmonious manner that is in line with the vision of the selected curator.
You may include suggestions for location of your work at the Hangar Exhibition, but final decisions on placement of the works rests with the curator.
The limit of the size of the work is the limit of the space of the Hangar. However, it is the curator’s discretion to advise on the scale of your work and its relation to other exhibited works. The dimensions of the space are as follows:
- Hangar entrance: 2.4 m H x 1.8 m W
- Ground floor area: 1300 sqm
- Free space vertical: 6.194 m
- Room space (with no stairs): 4.1 x 4.4 m
- Room space (with stairs): 2.7 x 4.4 m
- Double room (no stairs): 8.4 x 4.4 m
- Double room (with stairs): 7.7 x 4.4 m
If you are interested in proposing an outdoor installation, you may feel free to propose the scale of the installation, bearing in mind that the installation may be altered to fit selected site specifications.
At the Hangar Exhibition, you may not fasten work to the ground (indoor or outdoor) or ceiling. You may hang work from the trusses, without fastening to them or damaging them. You may fasten work to the walls.
Amman Design Week is not responsible for obtaining permission from landowners or obtaining licenses from the Greater Amman Municipality for permanent structures. Furthermore, our budget is not allocated to offering permanent interventions to private properties. It can be considered for public properties if the designer has already obtained such permissions, licenses, and budgets from the Greater Amman Municipality.
Architects are encouraged to develop concepts for innovative building systems, follies, small-scale pavilions, or sections of architectural elements. Amman Design Week does not have a budget to build fully habitable buildings.
The participation fee is a symbolic contribution to Amman Design Week to reserve your spot and demonstrate your commitment to exhibit your work. The participation fee increases according to the size of the area reserved for the exhibited work. If you are accepted, the fee is payable upon signing the participation contract. Fee payment must be made in JOD by cash or cheque, and is due upon acceptance and signing of the contract confirming your participation at Amman Design Week 2019.
No. You can participate as an individual.
As a general rule, design objects that can be sold (commercial objects; furniture, product, etc.), and/or objects that can be re-exhibited by the designer are not eligible to receive grants. Designers are encouraged to sell their work to cover their production costs. Design installations may be considered for grants, depending on availability of funds. Amman Design Week can only fund work produced locally.
Amman Design Week does not have a guaranteed set budget for supporting designers. Once the applications are received, assessments are made depending on sponsorship, installation requirements, and feasibility. Amman Design Week does not fund personal fees or salaries, and only pays suppliers directly or reimburses against submission of original receipts. Designers are also encouraged to find their own sponsorship for their installations.
Yes, you may look for your own sponsors. However, you must clarify to sponsors that they are sponsoring your work and not Amman Design Week (the event). Mentions of the sponsors will appear on any communication or captions related to your work only. Any on-site branding must be pre-approved by Amman Design Week.
Amman Design Week can assist in finding in-kind sponsorship for the production of your work (material or manufacturing sponsors), but does not assist in finding cash sponsorship.
- Local Designers: If your item is self-funded, Amman Design Week does not take commission and is not responsible for the sale of your item. Exhibited items can be sold during Amman Design Week, but cannot be removed from the space until after the final day of Amman Design Week.
- International Designers: Please see the section below on international participants.
- If you fund your own work, you have full ownership rights and Amman Design Week does not interfere with your right to sell the work after Amman Design Week and does not take a commission on sales.
- If Amman Design Week or its sponsors fund the work, all IP, ownership rights, and revenues from sale will be discussed and agreed upon with the designer, depending on the arrangement of funding.
The Crafts District
The Crafts District is a curated exhibition. The curator is responsible for setting the vision of the Crafts District and selecting works that fit his/her vision. The items selected for display and the design of each space and placement of objects is up to the participant, but is subject to approval by the curator.
The pieces will be placed in a room with a maximum ceiling height of 3 meters, and entry doors at a standard size of 1.8 m H and 0.7 m W. Exhibition room sizes available may vary between 15 - 32 square meters in area.
You may not fasten work to the ground. Fastening work to the ceiling or the wall depends on the space allocated to you. Please specify these requirements in your application, or consider freestanding furniture and display units.
A space will be assigned to you based on the requirements you specify in your application and the Crafts District’s curatorial direction.
Yes, items sold at the Crafts District shops may be delivered on the spot, as long as the designer guarantees restocking the space continuously throughout the week. Amman Design Week will not be responsible for selling items at the Crafts District on behalf of participants. Participants are advised to arrange for their own point of sale (cash or card).
No, Amman Design Week does not take a percentage on sales.
Yes, you may look for your own sponsors. However, you must clarify to sponsors that they are sponsoring your participation and not Amman Design Week (the event). Mentions of the sponsors will only appear on any communication or captions related to your work only. Any on-site branding must be pre-approved by Amman Design Week.
The Student Exhibition
The Student Exhibition is only for students attending Jordanian educational institutions. Students from other countries may apply to exhibit their work at our other exhibitions through the “Exhibit Your Work” application.
I’m not Jordanian, but attending a Jordanian high-school or university, can I apply to the Student Exhibition?
Yes, the exhibition is for all students enrolled in Jordanian high-schools or universities.
Do I have to be enrolled in a design or architecture program to apply to the Student Exhibition and mentorship program?
No, students enrolled in any programs at any Jordanian institution can apply to take part in the Student Exhibition and mentorship program.
Yes, students can apply to exhibit their work at the Hangar Exhibition, but they will be evaluated against all applicants of the Hangar Exhibition, and will not go through the mentorship program, nor receive the grant offered to students of the Student Exhibition.
It is at the discretion of the Amman Design Week team and assigned mentors to decide if you can exhibit your ready-made work at the Student Exhibition, or if you will need to develop new work as part of the mentorship program.
The mentor(s) will be announced at a later date.
Your mentor can guide you in developing the design and details of your work, and connect you with the right resources for production and implementation. You are responsible to engage the mentor in whatever capacity best suits you, and to determine the level of engagement of the mentor.
Your work will be re-evaluated after completion of the mentorship program to be considered for exhibition at the Student Exhibition. The decision will be made by the Amman Design Week team and the assigned mentor(s).
Amman Design Week can only pay suppliers directly or reimburse against submission of original receipts. The grant cannot be applied to the student’s personal fees or salaries. The student will not receive any additional finances and is free to pay the remainder of the cost of the work.
Each institution has a student ambassador that may be able to guide you should you have any further concerns. For a full list of ambassadors, visit this link.
International Shipping Procedures
You are an international participant if you are shipping work from a country outside of Jordan. If you live abroad but are producing work locally, you are not considered an international participant.
- A shipping invoice that includes the shipper name, address, phone number, contact person, receiver name, signed and stamped.
- A packing list, with images and amounts/quantities, and dimensions, signed and stamped.
- Photos of packing, along with re-packing instructions (for insurance).
- Certificate of Origin (if applicable, stamp and serial number on the work).
If you wish to sell your work in Amman as a participant of the Hangar Exhibition, special arrangements can be made to accommodate this, keeping in mind that Jordanian customs and taxes will apply. If you are participating at the Crafts District, you will be responsible for your own shipping and clearance arrangements.
If your work is brought in for permanent stay, Jordanian customs and taxes can amount to up to 67% of the declared price on the shipping invoice (30% customs and 16% cumulative tax, alongside other fees). Certain countries may be eligible for customs and taxes exemptions upon provision of required documentation.
The designer must arrange with the purchaser of the work, who will be responsible to cover the payment of customs and taxes.