A new opportunity could take UAE-based jewellery and watch designers from a creative residency in Abu Dhabi to the headquarters of one of the world’s most recognisable luxury houses in New York.
Design Commission Abu Dhabi has partnered with Tiffany & Co. to launch the Tiffany & Co. Design Residency Program. The specialised six-month initiative will select ten designers and support them through mentorship, workshops, technical development, research and material experimentation.
The programme will run from November 2026 until April 2027, with residents attending weekly sessions every Saturday at a dedicated venue in Abu Dhabi. Their work will then be presented at a Capstone Exhibition in the capital in May 2027.
Beyond the exhibition, another major opportunity awaits the programme’s highest-performing designers. The top three residents will receive three-month internships at Tiffany & Co.’s New York headquarters from June to August 2027.
Applications opened on August 17 and will close on September 20, 2026, according to the Abu Dhabi Media Office.
Who Can Apply For The Residency?
The Tiffany & Co Abu Dhabi residency is open to UAE residents of all nationalities. Applicants should have foundational knowledge of jewellery design, watch design or both disciplines.
That wording is important because the open call is not limited to Emirati nationals. Eligible creatives of any nationality may apply, provided they hold UAE residency and can participate in the programme in Abu Dhabi.
Only ten residents will be selected, making the open call highly competitive. Applicants will need to submit their application and portfolio through the official Design Commission Abu Dhabi platform.
While the programme is intended to support a new generation of designers, it goes beyond simply producing attractive final pieces. Residents will be expected to explore how research, storytelling, materials, craftsmanship and cultural references can shape a coherent design language.
Candidates should therefore use their portfolios to demonstrate more than finished objects. A strong submission should clearly communicate how ideas were developed, which materials or techniques were explored and how each project progressed from its initial concept to its final outcome.
Applicants should consult the official DCAD residency page before submitting to confirm the complete application requirements and any file specifications listed on the form.
What Selected Designers Will Learn
The residency has been created around the conceptual, creative and technical foundations of jewellery and watch design.
Participants will take part in an educational programme led by Tiffany & Co., combining mentorship and workshops with experimentation, research and material exploration. The objective is to help residents turn early ideas into contemporary jewellery or watch concepts while developing an individual creative identity.
Designers will also be encouraged to draw inspiration from Emirati culture, architecture and artistic heritage. These influences will meet Tiffany & Co.’s history of craftsmanship and design, creating space for residents to explore how local stories can be expressed through contemporary objects.
This does not mean simply recreating traditional patterns or familiar regional symbols. The more valuable challenge will be interpreting cultural references in thoughtful and original ways. Architecture, landscape, personal memory, craftsmanship and the properties of different materials could all become starting points for new work.
By the end of the residency, participants should have a deeper understanding of how to research an idea, test its potential, refine its visual language and communicate it as a finished design concept.
Weekly Sessions Begin In November
The Tiffany & Co Abu Dhabi residency will run for six months, from November 2026 through April 2027.
Sessions will take place every Saturday at a dedicated venue in Abu Dhabi. Applicants should consider this schedule before applying, as the residency requires consistent in-person participation throughout the programme.
The weekly format gives residents time between sessions to research, experiment and develop their work. It also allows them to receive feedback over an extended period instead of attempting to complete a single design during a short workshop.
That longer development process can be especially valuable in jewellery and watch design, where scale, material choices, wearability, construction and technical precision can significantly affect the final result.
The programme will conclude with a Capstone Exhibition in Abu Dhabi in May 2027. All ten residents will have the opportunity to present their final projects within the city’s cultural landscape, giving their work a public platform beyond the residency studio.
Three Designers Will Head To New York
One of the residency’s most significant features is the professional opportunity available after the Abu Dhabi programme.
The three highest-performing residents will be awarded three-month internships at Tiffany & Co.’s New York headquarters. The internships are scheduled to run from June until August 2027.
For emerging designers, this creates a direct pathway from creative development in Abu Dhabi to professional exposure inside an internationally established jewellery house. It also raises the stakes of the residency, as participants will be evaluated not only on their final pieces but also on their performance and development during the programme.
Tiffany & Co. was founded in New York City in 1837 and now operates more than 300 stores worldwide. According to the company profile published by DCAD, more than 3,000 skilled artisans work in Tiffany & Co.’s workshops, cutting diamonds and producing jewellery.
The New York internships will therefore give the selected residents a rare opportunity to observe how design ideas, technical expertise and craftsmanship operate within a global luxury business.
Why The Programme Matters For Abu Dhabi
The residency forms part of Design Commission Abu Dhabi’s wider work to position the capital as a destination for design and creativity.
International partnerships can bring specialist knowledge into the local creative sector, but this programme also creates a visible route for UAE-based designers to move from education or independent practice into a more structured professional environment.
Jewellery and watch design sit at the intersection of art, engineering, cultural storytelling and luxury. Designers need creative ideas, but they must also understand materials, proportion, construction and how an object interacts with the person wearing it.
By focusing specifically on these disciplines, the Tiffany & Co Abu Dhabi residency addresses a specialised area of design that requires both artistic thinking and technical precision.
The programme also gives residents a chance to develop work connected to the UAE without limiting them to a single interpretation of regional identity. With participants open to all nationalities living in the country, the selected cohort could reflect the mix of experiences and cultural perspectives found across the UAE.
Key Dates Applicants Need To Know
Applications for the Tiffany & Co Abu Dhabi residency opened on August 17, 2026.
The key programme dates are:
- Application deadline: September 20, 2026
- Residency period: November 2026 to April 2027
- Session schedule: Every Saturday in Abu Dhabi
- Number of residents: Ten
- Capstone Exhibition: May 2027
- New York internships: June to August 2027
- Internship recipients: Three top-performing residents
Applicants should give themselves enough time to review their portfolios before submitting. The strongest applications will likely make the designer’s process easy to understand, showing how research, experimentation and technical decisions influenced the final work.
How To Apply
Applications and portfolios must be submitted through the Design Commission Abu Dhabi website.
Before uploading any documents, candidates should carefully read the current instructions on the application form and check that every file follows the required format and size limits.
With only ten places available, applicants should treat their portfolio as the central part of their submission. It should be well organised, visually consistent and focused on the work most relevant to jewellery or watch design.
The Tiffany & Co Abu Dhabi residency offers more than a place in a six-month programme. It provides ten designers with structured creative development, an opportunity to exhibit in Abu Dhabi and, for three standout participants, a professional experience at Tiffany & Co.’s headquarters in New York.
Applications close on September 20, 2026.
