［ Jury Chair ］

Melanie Sarantou

Professor,
Faculty of Design, Kyushu University,
Japan

［ Judging Panel ］

Juyoung Chang

Professor,
Dean of College of Design Dongseo University,
Korea

［ Judging Panel ］

Hongtao Zhou

Professor,
Vice Dean of Shanghai International College of Design and Innovation, Tongji University,
China

［ Judging Panel ］

Toshimitsu Sadamura

President,
Social Design Networks Co., Ltd.
Japan

［ Judging Panel ］

Yoonchung Han

Associate Professor,
San José State University,
USA

［ Judging Panel ］

Ken Nah

Professor,
International Design School for Advanced Studies,
Korea

Prof. Dr. Ken Nah is a globally recognized pioneer in Design Management and Human Factors. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Hanyang University, an M.S. from Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology (KAIST) in Seoul, South Korea, and a Ph.D. in Engineering Design from Tufts University in Boston, USA. He is also a U.S. Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE).
Dr. Nah shaped the future of design education as a Professor of Design Management and a three-term Dean at the International Design School for Advanced Studies (IDAS) in Seoul. His commitment to advancing the industry is further reflected in his leadership roles as President of the Korea Institute of Design Management (KIDM) and Vice President of the Korea Association of Industrial Designers (KAID).
Dr. Nah also served as the Director General for both "World Design Capital Seoul 2010" and the "2023 Gwangju Design Biennale."
Currently, he drives urban innovation as the Master Designer of Busan Metropolitan City and fosters global academic excellence as a Distinguished Professor at the City University of Macau and an Executive Board Member of the World Design Organization (WDO).

［ Judging Panel ］

Yasuyuki Hirai

Professor Emeritus,
Kyushu University,
Japan

After completing a master's program at the Royal College of Art (RCA) in the UK and working at IDEO in the US, he began his academic career in Fukuoka in 2000 as an assistant professor at the Kyushu Institute of Design. He subsequently became an associate professor at Kyushu University in 2003 and a professor in 2016, retiring from the university in 2026. Since April of that year, he has served as a Professor Emeritus at Kyushu University while also leading the Inclusive Design Laboratory Co., Ltd.
Drawing on his experience in office design and product development, he initiated research into inclusive design in 2003 in collaboration with the RCA’s Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design. From 2014, he expanded his work to include "societal design"—an approach applying inclusive design principles to public administration and social systems. In addition to teaching inclusive design and design thinking at the university, he actively practices and researches inclusive design through corporate consultancy and collaborative projects, maintaining an active role in professional practice.
He is the author of publications such as *Inclusive Design: Design That Solves Social Issues* (Gakugei Shuppan-sha). He has received numerous awards, including the IAUD International Design Award, the Red Dot Award, the Good Design Award, and the Kids Design Award.
(Photo by　Seiya Kawamoto )

［ Judging Panel ］

Yoon Jiyoung

Professor,
Design College, Dongseo University,
Korea

Academic Degree
1987 Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Department of English Language and Literature, Yonsei University
1990 Completed Bachelor's required coursework for Interior Environmental Design, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
1993 Master of Science (M.S.), Department of Interior Environmental Design, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
1998 Ph.D., Department of Housing and Environmental Design, Yonsei University
Research Fields
Interior Environment Design, Public Design, Sustainable Design

Professional Activities
2008–2018: Advisor of Landscape Design Committee, Busan/ Advisor of Public Architecture Committee, Busan
2016–2018: President, Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Branch, Korean Interior Architects Association
2014–Present: Urban Design Advisory Committee Member, Haeundae-gu and Seo-gu, Busan

［ Judging Panel ］

Ruth-Helene Melioranski

Professor,
Estonian Academy of Arts,
Estonia

Ruth-Helene Melioranski is a researcher and design educator at the Estonian Academy of Arts, where she served as Dean of the Faculty of Design from 2021 to 2025. She currently chairs CIRRUS, the Nordic-Baltic network of leading art and design universities, the Estonian Design Professional Qualifications Committee, and the Architecture Endowment of the Cultural Endowment of Estonia. Her research addresses relational design, systems and social design, design for health and social services, and transformations in design thinking and design education. She examines how relational ontologies reshape design methods, agency, care, trust, identity, and collaboration, particularly within complex public-service and cross-cultural contexts. Her work integrates theory with practice-based research and large-scale public-sector transformation, including healthcare pathways, social services systems, welfare technologies and national digital service systems. Internationally, she advances collaborative design education and research across Nordic-Baltic, European, Japanese, and Latin American contexts. She is a founding member of the Social Design Network and is recognised for initiating new educational programmes, institutional platforms, and national design initiatives.

［ Judging Panel ］

Ge Wang

Professor,
Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts,
China

Professor, Vice Dean of School of Architectural and Applied Arts , Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts. He is Executive Deputy Director of Research Center for Contemporary Urban Culture and Architectural Art Innovation, and Initiator of ANDW Asian United Design Workshops.
He holds concurrent posts including Deputy Director of Public Art Committee, China Architectural Culture & Art Association; Member of Landscape & Beautiful China Construction Committee, Chinese Society for Urban Sciences; Member of Education Committee, Chinese Society of Landscape Architecture.
He presides over 20 teaching and research projects such as national first-class course Spatial Form and Guangdong postgraduate demonstration courses, supported by National Science & Technology Support Program and National Social Science Fund for Arts. His designs have won many international awards and been exhibited at the 13th & 14th National Fine Arts Exhibition, China Design Exhibition (Public Art Session), Bi-City Biennale of Urbanism/Architecture (Shenzhen & Hong Kong), Shanghai Design Biennial, Beijing International Design Week and Guangzhou Design Week.
Research interests: Contemporary Landscape & Public Art Design, Design Strategy.