Arnhemse Nieuwe 2026 shines a spotlight on the latest crop of top talent from Arnhem’s design programs. Drawing on their own autonomy, these young designers question the world and challenge us to see things differently. The platform not only provides a stage but also offers a learning pathway and a network that equips young designers with concrete tools to establish themselves sustainably within the creative field, thereby enriching Arnhem’s evolving design landscape.
The Expert Jury
The designers featured on stage were selected by a multidisciplinary expert jury. This year, Mick Koopman (Mick Ontwerpt), Roos Meerman (Fillip Studios), Iris Ruisch (State of Fashion), and media artist Mark IJzerman shared their expert insights. Their selection represents a powerful cross-section of the newest creative generation.
Organized by OPA
For 22 years, the initiator, Ontwerp Platform Arnhem (OPA), has been identifying, presenting, and discussing the most important developments in the design world. Arnhemse Nieuwe began in 2006 as a springboard for graduating talent.
Arnhemse Nieuwe 2026
Lina Holinski – Product Design: Half Full. |A Good Day to Open a Bottle of Wine
Wine as we know it is under pressure. As an agricultural product, it reacts directly to our changing climate: rising temperatures and unpredictable weather mean that well-known wine regions may no longer exist by the end of this century. Through her project Half Full, Lina Holinski reflects on this looming shift. She invites us to contemplate the future of tradition, flavor, and craftsmanship by shaping the changing world of wine before it’s too late.
Niels Gräber – Design Art Technology: The Pigeon in the Machine
The city pigeon is a fascinating phenomenon: loved, hated, but above all, ubiquitous. With The Pigeon in the Machine, Niels Gräber presents a compelling series of sculptures in which the pigeon takes center stage as the ultimate symbol at the intersection of humanity, nature, and technology. The work explores how this animal has adapted to the man-made world and challenges us to take a fresh look at the boundary between organic nature and the artificial city.
Jelle Zegers – Product Design: Peter and the Microwave
Sound shapes how we experience the world around us. Every object has its own distinctive sound that influences our relationship with it. Jelle Zegers shows that it is precisely in those everyday, seemingly mundane sounds that a special beauty lies hidden. Because there is music in everything that surrounds us. In Peter and the Microwave: A Good Day to Hum Along with Your Microwave, he transforms everyday appliances into musical instruments and invites us to listen to our daily surroundings in a new way.
Jara Hermanns – Graphic Design: Ex-libris
What makes a book design truly outstanding? In the Ex-libris project, Jara Hermanns delves deeply into the design choices behind twelve books that were selected as Best Designed Books between 2020 and 2025. She analyzes the tactile, typographic, and aesthetic decisions made by the creators. Ex-libris is not only an ode to the physical book but also offers a rare and clear glimpse into the meticulous craftsmanship and creative vision behind award-winning Dutch graphic design.
Niels Nicola Pauls – Design Art Technology: Residual Protodermis
Some of the things we loved as children don’t just disappear; they linger. Tucked away in boxes and half-forgotten, they preserve the memory of the countless hours we once spent with them. With Residual Protodermis, Niels Nicola Pauls explores these emotional and material traces. He examines objects that, over time, not only acquire nostalgic value but sometimes also become surprisingly sought after. A fascinating project about the tangible memories of our childhood and their shifting meanings.
Palina Hlavatskikh – Graphic Design: Compromise
Moving into a new home also means finding your place in unfamiliar surroundings. The short film Compromise follows a young woman who moves into a student house. To come to terms with her new situation, she performs small, intimate rituals: counting grains of rice and leaving offerings in quiet corners, in the hope that the space will accept her. Palina Hlavatskikh tenderly captures the universal quest for security, a sense of belonging, and reaching a tacit compromise with one’s surroundings.
