de Velde
Emma Ribbens
Her way of looking at things makes Emma Ribbens an extraordinary designer. For her, design is a matter of connection. She calls participatory design a real gamechanger, a way to design together, particularly with and for children. “Another chair design? That never interested me. There are plenty of those already.” she says. What does drive her are socially relevant creations with genuine impact. Play is the common thread in her broad work arena. With Studio Ludiek, Emma proves that play culture makes change possible.
About Emma Ribbens
- Studied Product design at Luca School of Arts, Genk and Child Culture Design at HDK, Gothenburg in Sweden
- Founder of Nomadlab, a design research project that explores how refugees children can be strengthen through play.
- Designer for Smart Toys and Games since 2017
- Social designer and maker at Constructlab, a transdisciplinary design-build network, since 2019
- Founded her own Studio Ludiek in 2025
- Multiple winner of the Toy of the Year Award
“Design became the language I can speak”
The jury on Emma Ribbens:
The jury awards the Young Talent Gold Award to Emma Ribbens. While much of the focus in the design world is currently on aesthetics, Emma starts from the context and the people. She distinguishes herself by working collectively, rather than individually, as she does within Constructlab, among others. For her master's project, she collaborated with an NGO and, as a designer, brought interaction and play into refugee camps. As a society, we desperately need highly committed designers. But Emma can also work in an economic context, as she proves as a designer for Smart Toys and Games. With Studio Ludiek, she has now taken the next step, setting up her own practice based on play as a lever for social engagement.
Would you like to read an in-depth interview with Emma Ribbens? Then order a copy of our latest publication! You will find an overview of all this year's winners. The richly illustrated publication (160 pages) is bilingual (NL-EN) and was designed by Geoffrey Brusatto. You can order it online at 10 euros.
