A novel design competition

Mayor of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç Soyer attended the award ceremony of the 4th Novel Natural Stone Design Competition held within the scope of Marble İzmir, one of the largest natural stone fairs in the world. Mayor Soyer said, “We aim to encourage young and creative designers by increasing the competitiveness of the natural stone industry in the international market.”

The winners of the 4th Novel Natural Stone Design Competition within the scope of Marble İzmir - 27th International Natural Stone and Technologies Fair organized by İZFAŞ and hosted by İzmir Metropolitan Municipality have been announced. Mayor of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç Soyer, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Second Deputy Mayor Prof. Dr. Suat Çağlayan, Aegean Mineral Exporters' Association Chairman of the Board Mevlüt Kaya, İscehisar Mayor Ahmet Şahin, İZFAŞ General Manager Canan Karaosmanoğlu Alıcı, jury members, designers and industry professionals attended the award ceremony at Fuarİzmir.

Soyer: “We have to increase the value rather than the amount”

Speaking at the award ceremony, Mayor of İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Tunç Soyer said, “The main purpose of our competition is to strengthen the natural stone industry with new designs. To develop original designs from natural stones of our country such as marble, travertine, granite, andesite, which have an important place among export products. Thus, we aim to encourage young and creative designers by increasing the competitiveness of the natural stone industry in the international market. We have to increase value rather than quantity. We have to increase the added value. The Natural Stone Design Competition consists of a long-term organization and various eliminations. A long journey is also an endless journey... There is no limit to design. It always has to continue,” he said.

“We are pushing the button today”

Emphasizing the importance of the Marble İzmir Fair, Mayor Soyer said, “While the total natural stone exports were 77 million dollars in the first year of our fair, today it has exceeded 2 billion dollars. I must proudly state that the contribution of the Marble Fair in this increase in natural stone exports is enormous. In other words, our industry has grown the fair, and our fair has grown the sector. We achieved this success together. Every year, natural stones of different colors and textures coming from all over our country take their place at the Marble Fair. Thanks to the experience and know-how of İZFAŞ, we are honored to be a meeting point and an export gateway for our industry. We will increase our award amount in the natural stone design competition we will organize next year. We expect much wider and international participation. We're already pushing that button. "Next year will be much stronger and more glorious," he said.

Kaya: “Our mayor has always stood by İzmir relentlessly”

Mevlüt Kaya, Chairman of the Board of the Aegean Mineral Exporters' Association, said, “We needed people with a three-dimensional view in natural stone. You have not spared your help. We could not achieve anything by producing and selling more. We cannot replace the natural stone from the place where we removed it. However, we could walk to the market by increasing value, not quantity. Thank you everyone for this. The competition is getting stronger every year and the designs are getting richer. This will go further. You go a long way by laying the stones. If the municipality had not been behind us at the Fair İzmir, if İZFAŞ had not put its heart to our side, we would not be able to talk about being the second fair of the world right now. My mayor has always stood by our side of İzmir relentlessly.”

Awards found their winners

The three best projects selected among the products were entitled to receive the “Marble Most Novel Design Award” and a monetary award of 15 thousand TL. Teos by Taner Vural, Turn and Relax by Feyza Başak and Ant by Mehmet Tekin and Tahsin Demir won the Marble Most Novel Design Awards. Mayor Tunç Soyer presented the awards. Silkar for Teos, Gençler Marble for Turn and Relax and Alimoğlu Marble Granite received the Best Collaboration Awards with Ant product. Canan Karaosmanoğlu Alıcı, General Manager of İZFAŞ, presented the awards. The Aegean Exporters' Association Special Award was awarded to Gökçe Sevilmis's Seela design. The award was presented by Mevlüt Kaya, Chairman of the Aegean Mineral Exporters' Association. A special design plaque with the "Marble Novel Design Award" was given to all the projects that were produced. In addition, the jury and the producer sponsors Alimoğlu Marble Granit İzmir, Alimoğlu Marble, Ebla Madencilik, Gençler Marble, Gürmas Gürel Makina, Haz Marble, Kar Maden, Laodikya Marble, Silkar Stone and Şenler Marble also received  thank you awards.

Young designers participated in the competition with their original projects they created using natural stone. The designs that made it to the top 17 out of 46 designs were implemented with the product sponsorship of the exhibitor companies.

The designs will be exhibited in foyer A during the fair between 30 March - 2 April 2022.