The first jury members announced for Ukrainian Design: The Very Best Of
March 11, 2026
Ukrainian Design: The Very Best Of 2026 announces the first members of its international jury. This year, the works of Ukrainian designers will be evaluated by creative leaders, art directors, architects, and design researchers from more than 20 countries around the world.
Traditionally, the jury consists exclusively of international experts: creative directors from global agencies, designers working with international brands, architects, researchers, and professors from leading universities. Many of them are winners and jury members of the world’s most renowned design festivals. This approach ensures objective evaluation, a high level of expertise, and a diversity of professional perspectives, while giving Ukrainian design the opportunity to be seen and evaluated within a global professional context.
We are pleased to share the first names of the competition’s jury:
- Günay Abasova, Creative Director, Ağıllı Nağıllar, Azerbaijan
- Alfonso Arbós, Creative Lead, Ivalo Creative, Finland
- Zema Aliyeva, Creative Lead Director, DDB Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan
- Miks Bergmanis, Independent Creative Director, Latvia
- Catharine Bianco, Head of Social Media, Branded Content and Influence, Thruster Creative Company, Brazil
- Lucas Bogatchevsky, Senior Art Director, We Are Social, France
- Leandro Bolacha, Associate Creative Director for Apple, Media Arts Lab, Brazil
- Thiago Duarte, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Thruster Creative Company, Brazil
- Ivan Goranov, Art Director, guts&brainsDDB, Bulgaria
- Sofie Hodara, Associate Teaching Professor, Northeastern University, USA
- Maciej Kaufman, Architect and Co-founder, archigrest, Poland
- Arne Van Kauter, Founder, Design + Development, Gutter, Netherlands
- Jure Korenč, Creative Director, Wibe Solution, Slovenia
- Jiří Laungpaul, Founder and Creative Director, WEAREGINGER, Czech Republic
- Sheng-Hung Lee, Assistant Professor, University of Michigan and Director of the d-mix lab, USA
- Dr. Fiona Maciver, Design Strategist and Researcher, Maciver Inc., UK
- Yonko Patev, Art Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Sofia, part of Publicis Group Bulgaria, Bulgaria
- Kostas Poulopouls, Founding Partner, Creative & Managing Director, SquareOne, Denmark
- Netta Puumalainen, Senior Creative, Nitro, Finland
- Ashwin Suresh, Industrial Designer, air up GmbH, Germany
- Kata Valenti, Senior Art Director, DDB Budapest, Hungary
- Bart Veen, Experience Design Director, BART.agency, Netherlands
The full jury line-ups for each category of Ukrainian Design: The Very Best Of 2026 will be announced soon. Stay tuned for the upcoming announcements.
This year, the participants’ works will be evaluated by five specialized jury teams, each focusing on a specific design discipline:
- Graphic Design & Branding
- Digital Design
- TV / Promo & Video Motion Graphics
- Product Design
- Environmental Design
Across these design disciplines, international experts will select the best Ukrainian projects that demonstrate strong ideas, high-quality execution, and relevance to contemporary design culture.
For designers, participating in the competition is an opportunity to present their projects to the international community, receive expert feedback, and strengthen their professional reputation. Ukrainian Design: The Very Best Of traditionally serves as a platform where Ukrainian design gains international visibility.
Submissions are currently open on creative-stories.com.ua.
Regular Deadline – April 1.
