Bengaluru witnessed three inspiring days of creativity, craftsmanship, and future-forward innovation as the much-awaited JD Design Awards 2026 – Artisanal Design Fest successfully concluded from May 22 to 24, 2026, at the Residency Road campus of JD Institute of Fashion Technology and JD School of Design. The fest showcased the creative excellence of emerging designers from the Interior Design, Jewellery Design, Graphic Design, Fashion Management, and Communication departments, bringing together diverse disciplines through innovative projects rooted in craftsmanship, sustainability, storytelling, and contemporary design thinking.

Sponsored by Vantare Design, Medini, Pergola Design and Greenply Samet Pvt Ltd and co-sponsored by The Space Company, Outsoor Studio, Art & Bamboo, ARK Infotechs Pvt Ltd and Adebeo, the event brought together young designers, artisans, industry experts, creative professionals, and design enthusiasts under one roof to celebrate the evolving relationship between tradition and innovation.

Centred around the theme Artisan 2.0, this year’s edition explored how heritage crafts and artisanal practices can be reimagined through sustainability, technology, material innovation, and contemporary design thinking. Through installations, workshops, live demonstrations, panel discussions, and multidisciplinary showcases, the fest highlighted the importance of preserving craftsmanship while shaping the future of design.

Throughout the three-day fest, visitors experienced immersive workshops including cyanotype printing, terracotta art, glass fusing, polypropylene weaving, and digital illustration with Wacom. Insightful sessions by industry experts and thought leaders sparked conversations around sustainability, technology integration, entrepreneurship, and human-centred design practices. The event also showcased innovative student projects across interior design, jewellery design, fashion communication, graphic design, UI/UX, styling, fashion management, and multidisciplinary creative practices.

The projects presented at JD Design Awards 2026 reflected the spirit of Artisan 2.0 by bridging traditional craftsmanship with contemporary innovation. designers explored sustainable materials, digital interventions, cultural narratives, and modern applications of heritage techniques to create design solutions that were both meaningful and future-focused. The showcases demonstrated how artisanal practices can evolve while preserving authenticity, craftsmanship, and cultural relevance.

Speaking about the success of the event, Nealesh Dalal, Managing Trustee, JD Educational Trust and Founder of JD School of Design, said, “JD Design Awards 2026 created a platform where creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation coexisted meaningfully. The event encouraged young designers to think beyond aesthetics and engage with sustainability, culture, and technology through their work. It was inspiring to witness designers transform artisanal traditions into contemporary design solutions that resonate with today’s world.”

The event concluded with an overwhelming response from attendees, industry professionals, and participants, further strengthening the platform’s role in nurturing emerging talent and encouraging conversations around the future of design and craftsmanship.

The JD Design Awards 2026 celebrated outstanding creativity, innovation, craftsmanship, and future-focused design thinking across multiple disciplines. In Interior Design, the Vernacular Craft Excellence Award was presented to Esha Reddy P for The Bamboo Catch. The Best Virtual Spatial Experience Award was awarded to Adithya V Patel for Living Weave. Archi T Shah received the Special Jury Award for Transparent Narratives, while Badole Rashmi Binduraj won the Best Live Spatial Experience Award for Stitching Memories. Sariga K was honoured with the Best Fusion of Traditional Craft & Modern Design Award for Veenai Vaasal. Sai Sirisha Ivvala received the Technology Enabled Craft Experience Award for Artisan Nexus. Sobhana Kar Mohapatra won the Excellence in Indigenous Material Innovation Award for Studio Terra, and Shefali Kiri received the Best Sustainable Artisan Collaboration Award for Coir Retail Cum Experience Centre. Tejal Jain was also recognised with the Best Live Spatial Experience Award for Automative Experiential Museum.

In Graphic Design and UI/UX, Hemanth R received the Digital Innovation for Artisans Award for Chitra Sutra. Rohan Basavraj Metri won The Neo Artisan Design Award for Aavran. Bhavika Jain received the Best UI/UX Design Award for Jixy, while Divya Agarwal was honoured with the Best Brand Identity Design Award for Pukhor. Saniya Soni received the AI & Craft Communication Award for BIDRIWARE. Daivik S Bellawara won the Best Website Design Award for Shilpakosha, and Radhey Maheshwari received the Jury Spotlight Award for Ctrl+Craft—Learn the Rule. Create Freely.

In Jewellery Design, Dharani T received the Excellence in Handcrafted Jewellery Award for Legacy of Padmasambhava Cham. Harshitha D was honoured with the Cultural Narrative Jewellery Award for Azure Tian Cui, while Sunitha Renwal B received the Jury’s Choice Award for The Woven Stepwell. Dikshit Kumar A won the Best Craft Innovation in Jewellery Award for The Musubi Collection, and Kushi Jain received the Contemporary Artisan Jewellery Award for Molten Reverie.

In Fashion Communication, Harshini N received the Best Pitch Deck Presentation Award for Rasa Varnika. Oviya S was honoured with the Luxury Craft Branding Award for Sutra Samyam. Rajeshwari C won the Best User-Centric Craft Platform Award for Kala Griha, while Harini Pulivarthi received the Jury Spotlight Award for Minarva. In Fashion Management, Chandana R. Hegde received the Best Business Pitch Deck Award for Chitratoon for presenting one of the most impactful, strategic, and investor-ready artisan-inspired business concepts. Mirrah P Lakshmi was honoured with the Consumer Experience Excellence Award for MANN, recognising the creation of meaningful customer journeys and brand experiences rooted in craft traditions. Vishnu Varsini M received the Tech-Enabled Craft Commerce Award for NATYALINK for successfully integrating technology with artisan trade, e-commerce, and cultural storytelling. Vaishnavi S won the Best Circular Fashion Innovation Award for Growback Loop for redefining fashion through regeneration, responsibility, and innovation. In the Diploma in Fashion Business Management, Ayman Sait received the Investor Readiness Award for Story Loom for presenting the most commercially viable and scalable artisan-inspired business concept. Joseph Lorence Siddi was honoured with the Jury’s Choice Award for Armagan for exceptional originality, execution, and innovation.

The award-winning projects collectively reflected the essence of Artisan 2.0 by reimagining traditional crafts through sustainability, technology integration, material innovation, cultural storytelling, and contemporary design applications, showcasing how artisanal practices can evolve while preserving authenticity and heritage. The three-day fest featured artisanal workshops, interactive installations, live demonstrations, industry-led panel discussions, multidisciplinary student showcases, and collaborative networking opportunities, creating an engaging platform for dialogue around sustainability, innovation, and the future of design.