Graphic and product design students from the Academy of Fine Arts UNSA are finalists for the ZGDW Award 2026
Zagreb Design Week (ZGDW) is being held in Zagreb from 8 to 20 September 2026. Its thirteenth edition features a program across 30 partner locations throughout Zagreb, with the main festival segment taking place at the renovated Academy of Fine Arts on Ilica 85.
At the heart of the program is the ZGDW AWARD, an international competition that this year brings together 339 finalists from 16 countries competing in six categories. The winners will be selected by an international jury consisting of Pablo Aldaba, Michał Piernikowski, Maro Pitarević, Marija Ružić Vukmanić, and Mária Štraneková.
All finalists will be presented at an exhibition at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb from 15 to 20 September 2026, with the winners announced and the awards ceremony taking place on 15 September at 18:30.
This year, four students from the Academy of Fine Arts at the University of Sarajevo are among the finalists: Mustafa MLINAREVIĆ (digital communications design and interaction design category), Dejla HUSAKOVIĆ (product design), Aziza KOVAČEVIĆ (textile and fashion design), and Lejla ALIĆ MEHANOLI (product design).
Mustafa MLINAREVIĆ – “Two Decades of Design (1970–1990)”
Thesis topic (First Cycle Studies): “The Use of Augmented Reality in Recontextualizing and Reinterpreting Exhibits from the Museum in Exile Collection”
Mentors: Full Prof. Dr. Adla Isanović, Assoc. Prof. Mr. Sandro Drinovac
Project collaborator: Ajla Balijagić (3D modeling)
Institution: University of Sarajevo, Academy of Fine Arts, Department of Graphic Design
Year: 2025
“Two Decades of Design (1970–1990)” explores key cultural moments in Bosnian-Herzegovinian design through an interactive multimedia exhibition. Covering film, music, publishing, sports, theater, and visual arts, the exhibition combines physical timelines with augmented reality (AR) technology, allowing visitors to explore historical events through text, audio, video, and visual content. This adaptable system redefines how cultural history can be experienced through exhibition design and digital storytelling.
Dejla HUSAKOVIĆ – “Umine”
Third year, First Cycle Study Program in Product Design
Mentors: Assoc. Prof. Mr. Nataša Perković, Mr. Ena Mulavdić
Institution: University of Sarajevo, Academy of Fine Arts, Department of Product Design
Year: 2025
“Umine” is a series of three handmade birdhouses, conceived as a personal response to ecological imbalance caused by human activity. Each piece is crafted from an adobe-like material (a mixture of clay and natural additives), made from local clay combined with natural materials gathered from the immediate surroundings. Organic forms and textured surfaces reflect the making process, creating a tactile series grounded in craftsmanship, material exploration, and a direct relationship with nature.
Aziza KOVAČEVIĆ – “J-5”
Third year, First Cycle Study Program in Product Design
Mentor: Assoc. Prof. Mr. Nataša Perković
Institution: University of Sarajevo, Academy of Fine Arts, Department of Product Design
Year: 2025
Project J-5 is an experimental eyewear design project inspired by winter landscapes. Sharp forms, mountain peaks, and cracks in ice shape its visual language, reinterpreting traditional Inuit snow goggles through a contemporary approach to protection, material, and form.
Jovana MALIŠIĆ, Lejla MEHANOLI ALIĆ*, Lejla Rebolj – “IKO”
(*Second-cycle Product Design student at ALU UNSA; work created during her second-cycle exchange at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Ljubljana)
Institution: University of Ljubljana, Academy of Fine Arts and Design
Year: 2026
Mentors and collaborators: Prof. Jure Miklavc (mentor), Assoc. Prof. Rok Kuhar (co-mentor), Prof. Barbara Prinčič (mentor), Asst. Tim Prezelj (co-mentor), Full Prof. Dr. Barbara Predan (mentor), Asst. Tamara Lašič Jurković (mentor), Doc. Damijan Stepančič (co-mentor), Doc. Suzi Bricelj (co-mentor); Jovana Mališić (project realization and design), Lejla Mehanoli Alić (project realization and design), Leja Rebolj (project realization and design), Ana Kerševan (illustration), Pia Križnar (illustration).
“IKO – Playground Ecosystem” offers a sustainable alternative to conventional plastic playgrounds through an evolving ecosystem made from biocomposites of local rosehip and waste jute. Its modular elements—shaped like flowers, pollinator wings, and decomposer organisms—encourage movement and imaginative play. Designed in harmony with seasonal cycles, the playground develops through children’s workshops before gradually returning to the soil, connecting play with natural processes and material regeneration.
More information at zagrebdesignweek.com
