Benilde Open

About • Benilde Open • Best of Benilde • FAQs • Convenors • Selection Committee • Schedule • Press • Contact

about the next wave of design and art in the country?

Announcement of grantees is on May 8, 2024.
Benilde Open runs May 23 to June 30, 2024.

in synergy with De La Salle University and the Embassy of Switzerland

In celebration of its 35th year, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde launches Benilde Open Design + Art, an initiative that welcomes artists, actors, architects, technologists, engineers, industrial designers, craftsmen, illustrators, textile designers, animators, playwrights, composers, video game artist, poets, filmmakers, producers, cinematographers, lighting designers, web developers, editors, fashion designers, chefs, photographers, graphic designers, landscape architects, jewelry designers, orchestra conductors, choirmasters, DJs, stylists, multimedia designers, make-up artists, arts teachers, dancers, choreographers, authors, writers, puppeteers, art directors and all creative practitioners of Filipino citizenship – to heed the call to submit proposals to realize projects that have not seen the light of day.

Benilde Open Design + Art is dedicated to shaping art and design sensibilities by championing innovative and collaborative projects across diverse creative disciplines within and outside the school.

The theme for 2024 is CURIOUS.

As humans, we are hardwired to be curious. It is an instinct that goes past design and invention, past creativity and information. Curiosity is part of our evolutionary DNA, part of how we as a species have survived; it is the stimulus for our desire to learn and discover. Even in a world beleaguered by wars and climate catastrophe we want to know what happens next. The curious are the ones who ask the questions and are the ones who take the next steps to find out how things can be done.

Through the pinhole of curiosity, we would like to invite proposals and unrealized projects with interests and curiosities found across the following: sustainability and movement, craft and technology, digital or virtual worlds.

The Benilde Open calls for unrealized projects from Benildean and non-Benildean creative practitioners. This thematically explores the curious mindset. Proposals should revolve around curiosities on movement and its relationship to sustainability; the shuttling of thinking across craft and technology; and the culturing of the virtual with the real. The call further seeks design and art projects marked by an appetite for investigation and experimentation, for tinkering that fuels renovation and innovation.

Submissions of proposals begin December 1, 2023 and are extended until February 12, 2024. All selected proposals will be announced by March 2024.

The entries will be reviewed and selected by a committee of local and international advocates representing the creative industries.

Ten projects will each be awarded a grant of up to Php 300,000 net of taxes to assist in bringing the projects to fruition. Benilde Open Design + Art will provide curatorial assistance for the install of each project in consultation with the project proponent.

Fill out the application form with the details of your proposal and send your entry to benildeopen@benilde.edu.ph.

Benilde Open Design + Art also features the Best of Benilde, a juried degree exhibition of student works. An open call for proposals is extended to all students of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde:

School of Environment and Design
School of Arts, Culture and Performance
School of New Media Arts
School of Diplomacy and Governance
School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management
School of Management and Information Technology
School of Multidisciplinary Studies
School of Deaf Education and Applied Deaf Studies

Students are encouraged to submit proposals of school projects resonating with the idea of curiosities to enable students to speculate on the future of their industry – spanning sustainability and movement, the intersection of craft and technology, and the exploration of digital or virtual domains.

The Best of Benilde delves into these queries: Is there such a world? Can such a world be more than imagined? Can we create foundational designs and proposals for such worlds to become more than just fanciful ideas? What is it?

Proposals will be accepted from students who are currently enrolled. Proposals from alumni from the academic years spanning 2020 to 2023 will be accepted, if it is endorsed by the dean of the school. The same selection committee for Benilde Open will review and select proposals for Best of Benilde. There is no funding for these projects as they are part of a current or previous academic exercise. However, full support will be provided in staging and promoting the project in the best possible way so the viewers will be fully engaged.

Fill out the application form with the details of your proposal and send your entry to benildeopen@benilde.edu.ph.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can propose to the Benilde Open call?

All creative practitioners are invited to heed the call to submit proposals: artists, actors, architects, technologists, engineers, industrial designers, craftsmen, illustrators, textile designers, animators, playwrights, composers, video game artist, poets, filmmakers, producers, cinematographers, lighting designers, web developers, editors, fashion designers, chefs, photographers, graphic designers, landscape architects, jewelry designers, orchestra conductors, stylists, multimedia designers, make-up artists, arts teachers, dancers, choreographers, authors, writers, puppeteers, art directors and all creative practitioners of Filipino citizenship.

What type of creative projects can be proposed for the Benilde Open call?

We encourage proposals of unrealized projects that are multidisciplinary in nature and in line with the theme, Curious. Proposals should reflect interests and curiosities found across: sustainability and movement, craft and technology, and digital or virtual. As in the spirit of any Open we would like to affirm that it welcomes all proposals across disciplines and inspirations.

Is my proposal eligible for a Benilde Open call grant?

All projects proposed specifically for the Benilde Open, in line with the theme, CURIOUS are eligible for funding of up to ₱300,000.00 net of taxes, if it’s selected. Up to ten proposals will be selected by a committee of local and international advocates representing different sectors in the creative industries. The announcement of selected proposals is on March 2024.

Is my proposal for Best of Benilde eligible for funding?

Best of Benilde is a juried degree exhibition of student works. Proposals can be submitted by all students of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde who are currently enrolled. Proposals from alumni from the academic years spanning 2020 to 2023 will be accepted, if it is endorsed by the dean of the school. There is no funding for these projects as they are part of a current or previous academic exercise. However, full support will be provided in staging and promoting the project in the best possible way so the public is fully engaged.

Where do I find the application form?

Visit the Benilde Open Design + Art website: open.benilde.edu.ph to access the application forms for both Benilde Open and Best of Benilde.

What is the schedule of Benilde Open Design + Art?

December 1, 2023 to February 12, 2024 (extended)
Submission of proposals

February 2024
Review and selection of proposals

March 2024
Announcement of selected proposals

May 23, 2024 to June 30, 2024
Benilde Open Design + Art exhibition dates

Can I meet with a representative from Benilde Open Design + Art before applying?

Yes, a zoom meeting can be arranged with a representative of the Benilde Open Design + Art team. Please send an email request to benildeopen@benilde.edu.ph. Also email in advance any questions or concerns that need to be addressed.

Can anyone help me write the proposal?

Yes, anybody can help you write the proposal except for individuals who are part of the Benilde Open Design + Art team.

Who reviews the proposals for Benilde Open and Best of Benilde?

The proposals are reviewed and selected by a committee of individuals who are local and international advocates representing various sectors within the creative industries. Current faculty, associates and consultants of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde are not part of the selection committee to encourage them to submit proposals.

Are administrative, transport or related expenses supported by the Benilde Open grant?

All administrative, transport and related expenses are supported as long as they are reflected in the budget submitted in the proposal. The maximum amount that can be funded is ₱300,000.00 net of taxes. You should be able to realize your proposed project within this amount. The Benilde Open Design + Art team will also provide curatorial assistance for the staging of your project. There will be several meetings to discuss the ideas for staging the project.

What are the terms and conditions?

By submitting an application to the Benilde Open, each Proponent confirms that they are the owner or the licensee of all applicable intellectual property (and moral rights) in the Project.

All intellectual property rights in the Project shall at all times remain (as between the parties) the property of the Proponent, subject to the provisions of existing intellectual property laws.

In consideration of the grant provided by Benilde, the Recipient agrees to acknowledge, in perpetuity, the support received from Benilde in all materials, publications, and public presentations related to the Project. The Recipient further undertakes to ensure the access of Benilde to any exhibitions or use of the Project, allowing representatives of Benilde reasonable access, upon prior notice, for purposes of observation, documentation and promotion. This undertaking shall continue beyond the completion of the Project, and is binding on the successors and assigns of both parties.

Envisioning the Future of Design and Arts

Benilde Open Design + Art is facilitated by a working team of convenors who are faculty, associates or consultants in service of the school together with Benilde President, Br. Edmundo Fernandez FSC, a visual artist.

The convenors share, “It’s the kind of creative democracy that should be encouraged, one that cuts across geography, social status, privilege, gender, power, disciplines, and even education. The inquisitiveness of a curious mind could well be the impetus in the articulation of a multiplicity of creativities. In a similar way that knowledge is different, creativity is fleshed out through the most surprising of modes. As in the spirit of any Open we would like to affirm that it welcomes all proposals across disciplines and inspirations.”