Dezeen Awards 2023 judges

Emily Oberman, Ben Sheppard and Rama Gheerawo named Dezeen Awards 2023 judges

Pentagram's Emily Oberman, McKinsey & Company's Ben Sheppard, designer Rama Gheerawo and interior designers Little Wing Lee and David Flack have been announced as Dezeen Awards 2023 judges.

This is your last chance to enter Dezeen Awards 2023, in partnership with Bentley Motors. There are only two days left to submit your project before the late entry deadline this Thursday 8 June at 23:59 London time!

Now in its sixth year, the programme has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers everywhere, with winners selected by a prestigious panel of international judges.

Read on to learn more about the five new names that have joined this year's judging panel:

Emily Oberman
New York-based Emily Oberman is a partner at Pentagram

Oberman is a multidisciplinary designer and partner at the global branding studio Pentagram.

The New York-based graphic designer's work often uses language and humour to create an emotional connection. Clients include streaming brand Prime Video, US television show Saturday Night Live, production company Warner Bros., New York writer Roxane Gay, Tribeca Festival and fantasy media franchise Wizarding World.

In 2004 Oberman was honoured with The Cooper Union's Augustus Saint-Gaudens Award and in 2022 she won the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) medal. She has also taught at institutions including Yale University, Cooper Union, Pratt Insitute and Parsons School of Design.

Ben Sheppard

Sheppard is a partner at the management consultancy McKinsey & Company's London office, where he leads global research on design, as well as overseeing over 200 designers in McKinsey Design in Europe.

His work includes leading innovation, design, and development on designs ranging from jet engines and cars to medical devices and coffee machines.

In addition to his client work, Sheppard co-founded a quarterly forum for senior design leaders to discuss topics around sustainable and inclusive growth. He also co-founded Design for Good, a not-for-profit aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals that aim to deliver measurable impact on society’s challenges through collaborative design and innovation efforts.

Rama Gheerawo
Rama Gheerawo is a speaker, author and designer

Gheerawo is the director of the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art in London, where he uses design to address issues around age, ability, gender and race.

He is an innovator in the fields of inclusive design, design thinking and creative leadership. Gheerawo has worked internationally with governments, businesses and academics with clients such as electronics brands Samsung and Panasonic, automotive company Toyota and charity Age UK.

The London-based designer published his first solo book, Creative Leadership: Born from Design in March 2022. In 2019 he won a Hall of Fame award for his work at the Design Week Awards.

David Flack

Flack is the founder and director of multi-disciplinary practice Flack Studio, a Melbourne-based firm specialising in interior design.

Projects by the studio include a collaboration with Australian architecture studio Fieldwork for community-focused living spaces in Melbourne where practice Flack Studio was the interior designer for the entire scheme and an Ace Hotel outpost in Sydney referencing Australia's industrial heritage.

The office also designed a space where verses of the Australian national anthem influenced the colour and material palette of Flack Studio's entry for the Rigg Design Prize exhibition, which celebrates the best of Australian interior design in 2018.

Little Wing Lee

Lee is the founder and principal of interior design practice Studio & Projects, a design office which designs for cultural, commercial and residential clients.

In 2019 she founded Studio & Projects and also publicly launched Black Folks in Design, an organisation that brings awareness to and promotes black designers.

Lee has worked with architecture practices including Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Rockwell Group, Ralph Appelbaum Associates, Apparatus and Ace Hotel Group's Atelier Ace. Prior to her career in design, Lee worked in documentary television and film contributing to several Oscar and Emmy-nominated projects.

Dezeen Awards 2023

Dezeen Awards celebrates the world's best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.