In line with its commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative excellence, Nippon Paint (Coatings) Philippines, Inc. unveiled this year’s theme for the Asia Young Designer Awards (AYDA).
Under the banner of ‘Converge: Championing Purposeful Design,’ Nippon Paint invites the brightest and most creative interior designers and architects in the country to utilize their talents to transform future environments and create a significant impact on succeeding generations. This can be achieved through practical design solutions that address the pressing issues of our time.
True to its commitment, Nippon also aimed to promote Filipino designs with cross-learning opportunities, leadership mentoring, and onboarding experience that AYDA could offer.
This year’s theme focuses on finding the core of every student, what they believe in, and their journey before manifesting them into their design.
For 15 years, AYDA has served as the platform for aspiring architecture and interior design students to find inspiration and develop their skills through cross-learning opportunities and networking with key industry professionals, as well as their peers.
“It started with a simple mission, that is to inspire students to develop their skills on a competitive platform and connect them to knowledge of successful approaches that are emerging in architecture and interior design,” Nippon Paint Philippines general manager Chen Lee Siong shared during the announcement of AYDA.
Siong also added that more than being a competition, AYDA became a collaborative network of professionals, architects, interior designers, industry associations, schools, and students who worked together to raise the next generation of socially conscious designers.
“It has become a platform that challenges young designers to conceptualize designs that go beyond aesthetics and create works that make [a] significant impact in the society and communities,” Sion stated.
On the other hand, Giselle Campos, sales and marketing manager of Nippon Paint Philippines, said that AYDA aimed to help shape a future where designers, irrespective of their diverse backgrounds, cultures, and geographic origins, can engage in mutual learning and collectively address the profound and shared societal challenges.
“Today, as designers face the challenge of providing a balance between sustainability and urbanization, and at a when digitalization has already taken over interpersonal bonding, we believe that going local should also be considered fit for global appreciation,” Campos continued.
The design competition is open to all interior design students in their second year and above, as well as architecture students in their third year and above. Upon the time of submission, participants must have been enrolled in interior design, architecture, and/or other relevant courses at an educational institution. They must also have less than a year of professional working experience.
AYDA winners will receive a cash prize of P50,000 and an internship opportunity at top design and architectural companies headed by the AYDA judges.
More than that, winners will also get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go abroad to compete against AYDA Gold Awardees from 14 other countries and be named as the “Asia Young Designer of the Year.”
This distinction comes with an all-expense-paid, three-week learning experience under the Design Discovery Program of the Harvard University School of Design in the United States.
The deadline for submission of entries will be until January 31. Each student is allowed to submit only one entry.
To learn more about AYDA, students can visit https://ayda-awards.com/competition-details.
