The Hublot Design Prize awarded its 2023 Prize to Aqui Thami, a Mumbai-based contemporary artist from Darjeeling, West Bengal, India. The international design competition was launched by Hublot, the Swiss luxury watch company, in 2015 and is open to designers under 40. It recognises original design and exceptional work by individuals or groups in any design-related fields. This year the Prize recognised Thami for "the social impact of her work and her inspirational approach to it." The award citation drew attention to the aspiration of her work to give a voice to the marginalised communities, using art as a medium to do so.

"This year was amazing, given the variety and quality of the projects a new generation of hybrid designers is emerging, less focused on objects and more conscious of social and environmental issues," said Hans Ulrich Obrist, President of the design prize jury. Other jury members included Alice Rawsthorn, an acclaimed design critic, and Tawanda Chiweshe, a London-based designer and creative director of Alaska Alaska Studio, and Marva Griffin, the founder of Milan's Salone Satellite. Each jury member was invited to select five candidates, ensuring cultural diversity among the nominated members.

Other finalists included Deema Assaf, a Jordan-based architect whose work in urban development aims at conceiving green infrastructure solutions; Jibbe Van Schie, a designer from the Netherlands whose work focuses on the relationship between materiality and machines; Germane Barnes, a Chicago-based architect whose work explores the intersection between architecture and identity, and the socio-political effects of architecture; Trifle Studio, a multidisciplinary practice that comprises artists and designers with handicaps or learning disabilities; and Gabriel Fontana, a Rotterdam-based designer who uses design as a medium to question how we interact, working towards a more inclusive future. Fontana was awarded The Pierre Keller Prize "for his work using sport as a tool for redefining roles and social norms, particularly on preconceived interpretations of identity and inclusion." Through this prize, Hublot, the reputed Swiss watch manufacturers' objective is to reiterate their commitment to creativity and innovation. Of note was the similarity among the finalists this year—the use of design in addressing the challenges of society, the environment, equality and inclusion.

An indigenous artist and activist from Darjeeling, Aqui Thami’s work ranges from graphic design to art and performance. Through art, Thami hopes to imagine a new, more inclusive world. Her major work centres on education, and community upliftment, realised in projects such as the Dharavi Art Room, her work with Bombay Zine Fest, and the Sister Library. The Sister Library started as a travelling immersive installation, a library of a 100 books owned by Thami focusing on women’s writing. It settled permanently in Mumbai in 2019. The crowd-funded project’s goal was to bring together readers from all communities to celebrate the contributions of women. Moreover, with the help of Sister Press, she has also published zines raising awareness on different subjects like women’s health, current affairs, and feminist activities.

Some of Thami’s previous work include the Dharavi Art Room, founded by Mumbai-based artist Himanshu Shady, to provide a safe space for women and children to express themselves through art. She also collaboratively runs Bombay Underground, which is an instrumental organisation in underground publishing and zine-making in India. Her drawings, zines, and public interventions use social exchanges to position art as a medium of healing in community, and developing safe spaces. As she says, “We heal in community, we heal together!” a motto much needed for a resilient future.