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Benilde Open Design + Art 2025 Calls for Radical Creativity on the Shape of the Future

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What if your unfinished idea—the one sketched on a napkin, hidden in a notebook, or shelved for “someday”—found the stage it deserves? This competition might be your chance to get your idea out in the real world.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1749370276273post.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div>Benilde Open Design + Art returns for its second edition, inviting creators across the Philippines to take part in a rare competition that turns concepts into realized projects with the support of up to P300,000 in production grants. Artists, designers, architects, engineers, technologists, and radical dreamers are welcome to submit proposals for what could be. This year’s theme, “Extension of Nature,” draws inspiration from the evolving world of kinetic art or works that not only move, but also respond, interact, and adapt. From the early inventions of Leonardo da Vinci to the fantastical biokinetic machines of David Medalla, to interactive sculptures powered by solar panels, sensors, or wind, there is a growing movement toward designs that reflect nature rather than conquer it.Benilde Open Design and Art celebrates this spirit: one that welcomes experiments in robotics, poetic machines, hybrid ecosystems, reclaimed systems, and material storytelling that stretch the boundaries of both function and form.More than just a grant, Benilde Open is a platform for experimentation, for risk-taking, and for the kinds of conversations that change creative practice. It is a call for unfinished ideas and ambitious projects, those that live somewhere between invention and imagination. Selected participants will each receive up to P300,000 in production grants to bring their concepts to life. Up to ten projects will be awarded, with final proposals reviewed by a respected jury of creatives from both local and international communities.<div> </div><div>Benilde Open past winners</div>During its first iteration, Benilde Open offered grants to the following creatives: Nice Buenaventura and Costantino Zicarelli from NCR, RJ Fernandez from the United Kingdom, Lyra Garcellano from NCR, Aaron Kaiser Garcia from Leyte, Rambie Lim from Palawan, Gabe Mercado from CAR, Lala Monserrat in collaboration with Russ Ligtas, Geric Cruz and Jazel Kristin from Zambales, Issay Rodriguez from Batangas, Mikayla Teodoro from NCR and the United Kingdom, and Michael Vea from NCR.The entries were selected from over 300 submissions and judged by a committee with multidisciplinary artist Paul Pfeiffer, head of school of creative industries LS CoA in Singapore; Jonathan Gender PhD., executive director of Artspace Sydney; Alexie Glass-Kantor, vice president of institutional research and planning of Rhode Island Design School; Mara Hermano, former executive director of Center for international trade expositions; Pauline Suaco-Juan, writer and creative consultant; Erwin Romulo and lead curator of design and architecture of M+ in Hong Kong, Ikko Yokoyama.<div>Empowering students, nurturing futures </div>Running alongside the open competition is Best of Benilde, a juried category open exclusively to students from De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde. This juried exhibition highlights student-led projects that challenge boundaries and rethink the future. Five standout proposals will each receive a P50,000 grant, offering a rare opportunity to push school projects into fruition.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17493703061513G2A9297.JPG" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div>The initiative is in synergy with De La Salle University, led by a powerhouse team of convenors—Ayi Magpayo, Rita Nazareno, Gabby Lichauco, Joselina Cruz, and Dindin Araneta—with the support of Br. Dodo Fernandez FSC, Benilde president, and a practicing visual artist. Together, they imagine a platform for collaboration, invention, and bold thinking that resists the status quo. As Benilde celebrates its 35th year, it stays true to its founding spirit: championing innovation and inclusion through programs that empower students to lead in creative, digital, and service industries. It nurtures a future full of promise and creativity, and it all starts with an idea.<div>Submissions are open until July 30, 2025. Full guidelines, eligibility requirements, and proposal forms are available at <a href="https://benildeopen.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://benildeopen.com</a>/. For updates, follow @benildeopen on Instagram and TikTok, and BenildeOpen on Facebook. Inquiries may be sent to <a href="mailto:benildeopen@benilde.edu.ph">benildeopen@benilde.edu.ph</a>.  </div>

From experiments in robotics, poetic machines, hybrid ecosystems, reclaimed systems, and material storytelling that stretch the boundaries of both function and form, sky’s the limit!

From experiments in robotics, poetic machines, hybrid ecosystems, reclaimed systems, and material storytelling that stretch the boundaries of both function and form, sky’s the limit!

Benilde Open Design + Art 2025 Calls for Radical Creativity on the Shape of the Future

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Benilde Open Design + Art 2025 Calls for Radical Creativity on the Shape of the Future

Marie Yu

Published June 09, 2025 07:29 PM PHT

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