Behind every bold idea is someone willing to see its potential. For Benilde Open Design + Art 2025, that responsibility falls to an international panel of judges made up of leading voices in design, architecture, technology, and contemporary culture. Together, they have reviewed this year’s submissions and selected the grantees whose concepts best respond to the theme, “Extension of Nature”,helping shape which ideas move from imagination to real-world realization.
Coming from museums, universities, global companies, and cultural institutions, the jury reflects what Benilde Open is about where art, design, and innovation meet to imagine future facing ideas rooted in the world we live in. Each judge brings a distinct perspective, united by a shared commitment to champion bold, thoughtful work that pushes boundaries.
Judging the Future of Art + Design
Members of the panel of judges include Freddy Anzures, a Filipino American designer whose work has helped shape how millions of people interact with technology every day. As part of Apple’s original iPhone design team, Anzures contributed to defining features such as swipe-to-unlock, iMessage effects, and Visual Voicemail. With decades of experience in human-centered interface design, he brings a valuable perspective on how innovation can remain intuitive, meaningful, and grounded in experience.
It also includes Jihoi Lee, curator at Korea’s National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA). Her work moves between architecture, care, and the body through multidisciplinary exhibitions that travel internationally—from Seoul to Venice. With landmark projects such as Looking After Each Other and Jung Youngsun: For All That Breathes On Earth, Lee brings a research-driven, global lens shaped by her work across Asia, Europe, and the United States.
Representing architecture as both practice and research is Mireia Luzárraga, architect, educator, and co-founder of TAKK, a Barcelona–New York–based studio known for its feminist and ecological approach to design. Her work which is exhibited at major biennials and institutions worldwide, explores how architecture can support more equitable ways of living.
From the world of large-scale design leadership comes Nathalie Huni, Managing Director and Head of Design at Wells Fargo, where she leads end-to-end digital experiences across consumer, AI, small business, and wealth management platforms. With a background spanning industrial design, advertising, and digital products, Huni understands what it takes to create design that works in real life, bridging creativity, strategy, and impact at scale.
Rounding up the panel is Timothy Moore, Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) and long-time director of Melbourne Design Week. A founder of Sibling Architecture and Senior Lecturer at Monash University, Moore brings deep experience in public programming and design discourse especially in work that experiments with material, space, and new ways of imagining the future.
Shaping What Comes Next
Together, the panel of judges have helped define the next chapter of Benilde Open Design + Art, identifying projects that reflect the spirit of experimentation, sustainability, and creative ambition. Their combined expertise ensures that the selected finalists won’t just challenge conventions, they’ll help spark conversations around how design can extend, respond to, and evolve with nature.
Benilde Open Design + Art, a biennial platform by De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde, supports experimental and in-progress ideas at the intersection of art, design, and technology. From this year’s submissions, the jury have selected finalists who will each receive production grants of up to Php 300,000 to bring their ideas to life, culminating in a public presentation of the realized works.
The finalists chosen through the discernment of this international panel will be announced in the coming months, marking the next stage of Benilde Open Design + Art 2025.
For more information on the Benilde Design and Art Open 2025 and the call for proposals in two categories - Benilde Open and Best of Benilde, please visit the official website: open.benilde.edu.ph and follow the social media platforms: @benildeopen on IG and Tiktok and BenildeOpen on FB. For further inquiries, send an email to benildeopen@benilde.edu.ph
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