Cover Good Design Awards Malasakit Award, Gold Award and Red Award recipients Studio Impossible Inc, creators of The Banwag
Good Design Awards Malasakit Award, Gold Award and Red Award recipients Studio Impossible Inc, creators of The Banwag
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From a peace-building bamboo structure in Mindanao to more progressive climate responses, this year’s Good Design Awards Philippines winners show how Filipino design is blending craftsmanship with heartfelt purpose
On World Industrial Design Day, Manila’s design community gathered for the fourth edition of the Good Design Award Philippines. With its new crop of the Philippines’ most innovative and inspiring designs, this ceremony doubled as both celebration and reckoning, as each participant was given an overarching view of how far Filipino design has travelled, and how much further its global ambitions can now reach.
The opening remarks were delivered by Assistant Secretary Al Valenciano of the Department of Trade and Industry and Professor Pradyumna Vyas, President of the World Design Organisation. Both extolled the Philippines’ distinctive approach to resilient, sustainable design. “Today, our world is [marked] by constant change; designers are being asked not just to solve problems, but to help people adapt, recover and move forward,” shared Professor Vyas.
For him, “Resilience is woven into how we work, how we deliberate, and what we create. It shapes both our processes and our outcomes. We see it in our studios, where designers push their boundaries of innovation. We see it in our classrooms, where experimentation and failure become part of it, and we see it in our communities, where design helps protect and strengthen our shared spaces.”
More from Tatler: Home tour: an expansive family home balancing peace and prosperity in Cavite, Philippines
Mamanwa Community Center Philippines by Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences, Mamanwa Community, Kawayan Collective and Project Partners, a recipient of a Green Award and a Red Award at Good Design Awards Philippines 2026
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The numbers alone told a story of momentum. This year’s cycle drew 311 entries, a 52 per cent rise from 2024, spread across six categories. For the first time, the Good Design Awards included the categories of material innovation and governance and civic design. This expansion signals the organisers’ desire to celebrate designs that shape the systems beneath everyday Filipino life.
Speaking on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry, Secretary Maria Cristina Roque framed the achievement within a wider economic narrative. Philippine exports grew 15.4 per cent in 2025, their strongest performance on record, with strong momentum carrying into 2026. For an industry in which micro, small and medium enterprises account for more than 99.5 per cent of registered businesses, she enthused, good design is not ornamental but existential. A responsive, progressive approach is key to showcasing distinctly Filipino aesthetics and functionality on a wider scale.
Above Good Design Awards Malasakit Award, Gold Award and Red Award recipient The Banwag created by Studio Impossible Inc
Above Good Design Awards Malasakit Award, Gold Award and Red Award recipient The Banwag created by Studio Impossible Inc
Good Design Awards Malasakit Award, Gold Award and Red Award recipient The Banwag created by Studio Impossible Inc
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The afternoon’s most anticipated moment came with its highest honour, the Gran Prix Malasakit Prize, awarded to Studio Impossible Projects Inc for The Banwag. This community pavilion in Parang, Maguindanao, was designed to engender conversations and connections among three communities with a long history of conflict: Muslim, Christian and Lumad.
With its innovative treatments of bamboo, steel and fabric, The Banwag has become a resilient space built to withstand environmental changes and create common ground for all Filipinos. Taken from the Bisaya word for ‘beacon’, this groundbreaking project elevates spaces into opportunities for peace and curiosity among people of different backgrounds.
In case you missed it: Here are 7 Filipino-designed table lamps to bring tranquillity to your space
Good Design Awards Gold Award and Red Award recipients, students from CIIT College of Arts and Technology, creators of Ding! Zine Para Sa Bading
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Other notable moments included the Red and Gold awards, which explored design across different disciplines. The three-volume “Ding! Zine Para Sa Bading” by students of CIIT College of Arts and Technology received the Red and Gold awards.
In the place-making category, the Mamanwa Community Center Philippines by Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences, Mamanwa Community, Kawayan Collective and Project Partners received the Red and Green awards.
The introduction of new categories granted Bohol Island State University’s Kadlit Firestarter kit a White Citation for its applicability across different environmental experiences. On the national level, the Quezon City Local Government - Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (QCDRRMO) was highlighted for its programme, I Rise Up. In response to the recurring floods, typhoons and earthquakes in the city, this localised and data-driven system ensures a comprehensive, compassionate response for all citizens.
Kai’a Outdoor Hanging Lamp by Chini Lichangco, a recipient of a Red Award at Good Design Awards Philippines 2026
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To close the event, Rhea Matute, the executive director of the Design Center of the Philippines, situated this monumental event within a broader context. Marking ten years since the award’s inception in partnership with the ASEAN-Japan Centre and the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, the Good Design Awards uphold the country’s National Design Policy 2025–2030. Such a high level of prioritisation converts Filipino design from a discretionary flourish into a structural driver of competitiveness on the global stage, asserting that Filipino design's vibrant confidence is a true force to reckon with.
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About
Celine first read Charlotte’s Web at the age of five–and she hasn’t stopped turning pages since. Her favourite authors are Mona Awad and Nat Cassidy. Besides writing for Tatler, she listens to BTS and spends time with her family.
Work
Celine took up secondary education with a major in English, graduating from De La Salle University in 2023. She advocates for female empowerment through creative expression by writing for Tatler Homes.
For story leads or inquiries, you may reach out to her via celine.dabao@tatlerasia.com.
