The ongoing collaboration between AD and the JSW Foundation entered its sixth year of spotlighting excellence in craftsmanship across India.
The AD x JSW Prize for Contemporary Craftsmanship recognises creators - from individual artisans and design studios to educational institutions and even entire villages who are shaping a renewed dialogue around Indian craftsmanship.
The Prize seeks to honour those who keep India’s diverse craft traditions alive while reimagining them for a modern world.
Conceived as a bridge between art and craft, the initiative fosters equal exchange between artisans and artists, enabling traditional craftsmen like weavers, potters, metalworkers, and many others to grow creatively and economically.
As Mrs. Sangita Jindal, Chairperson of the JSW Foundation, shares, the Prize creates, “An atmosphere where talent is cultivated, steered, nourished, and sustained.”
Courtesy of Shubham Mandhyan for Architectural Digest India
This year, the Prize expanded to include two new categories - the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Emerging Artisan Award alongside the main recognition for Contemporary Craftsmanship.
Padma Bhushan recipient Rajeev Sethi, celebrated designer, curator, and scenographer, received the AD x JSW Lifetime Achievement Award for his extraordinary contribution to Indian crafts and his lifelong endeavour to place craftsmanship at the heart of cultural dialogue.
Courtesy of Shubham Mandhyan for Architectural Digest India
The AD x JSW Prize for Contemporary Craftsmanship was awarded to architect Priyanka Narula, founder of The Wicker Story in Hyderabad — a practice that marries traditional Indian basketry with contemporary parametric design.
Courtesy of Shubham Mandhyan for Architectural Digest India
The Emerging Artisan Award recognised Reha Salvi, founder of Lakkadghoom in Chennai, whose work celebrates India’s legacy of woodturning through a modern, sustainable lens.
Courtesy of Shubham Mandhyan for Architectural Digest India