Words and Images Good Design Award Philippines
Editing The Kanto team
Design made with malasakit takes the spotlight once again as Good Design Award Philippines (GDA) opens its 2026 cycle. The biennial awards program recognizes Filipino work that harmonizes form, function, innovation, and compassion.
The program is organized by the Design Center of the Philippines, an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry. The award positions design as a creative, strategic, and innovative tool for development, with emphasis on impact, context, and responsibility. Central to its framework is malasakit (compassion), which informs how entries are assessed in relation to social, economic, and environmental concerns.
We’ve got all you need to know about the awards program below!
The pillars of Good Design Award Philippines
Good Design Award Philippines is guided by four screening perspectives: Form, Function, Innovation, and Malasakit. These good design pillars, together with positive user experience, are applied across all categories during screening and jury deliberation.
Categories
For 2026, the award covers the following categories:
- Object Making: Furniture, décor, fashion, accessories, and mobility
- Place Making: Architecture and interior design
- Image Making: Packaging, photography, and visual art
- Systems and Service Design: Manufacturing, supply chain, transportation, retail, education, and government services
- Material Innovation: Innovative and sustainable material solutions, including material reuse
- Governance and Civic Design (New for 2026): Design initiatives focused on governance, public services, civic participation, and institutional systems
Eligibility
Good Design Award Philippines is open to fully realized works launched, modified, or made available in the Philippines starting January 2023.
Entries must be fully owned by the submitter. Eligible entrants include:
- Designers or creatives from public or private institutions with proof of Philippine business registration or an individual Tax Identification Number (TIN) issued by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)
- Non-Philippine-based designers or creatives with commissioned work for Philippine-registered companies
- Philippine-registered companies or institutions with certificates from the BIR, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), or Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA)
Awards given
- Malasakit Award: The highest recognition of Good Design Award Philippines. One recipient is selected from among the Gold Awardees.
- Gold Award: The highest level of design excellence within a category. One Gold Award is given per category, selected from the Red Awardees.
- Red Award: Given to entries that meet the screening perspectives for good design. Multiple Red Awards may be granted per category.
- White Award: A special award for innovative and sustainable material solutions within the Material Innovation category.
- Green Award: Given to the entry demonstrating the strongest sustainable design practice and alignment with the greatest number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The recipient may be selected from any Malasakit, Gold, Red, or White Awardee.
The Malasakit, Red, Gold, and Green trophies of Good Design Awards Philippines
How to join Good Design Award Philippines
- Access the entry form and complete the entrant profile in the first section. A tutorial video is also available on the first page if you want to see what makes a compelling entry.
- Select one to two categories and provide the required entry details, including title, designer name, designation, and sub-category.
- Complete the essay sections outlining the concept, process, and context of the work.
- Review all information and agree to the attestation.
- Submit the entry on or before February 15, 2026, 11:59 PM (Philippine Time).
Screening Process
All entries submitted by the deadline will undergo the following stages:
Entry Validation
The Secretariat reviews submissions for eligibility and completeness. Incomplete entries are disqualified.
Initial Deliberation
Jurors review validated entries and produce a shortlist for each category.
Final Deliberation
Shortlisted entries are exhibited. Jurors select Red Awardees, then determine the Gold, Green, White, and Malasakit Awardees from the Red Award pool.
Jurors may request a five-minute online hearing with selected entrants, consisting of a three-minute presentation and a two-minute question-and-answer segment.
What will you get as a Good Design Award Philippines winner?
Awardees receive a trophy based on an original artwork by the Design Center’s inaugural director and Philippine National Artist Arturo R. Luz, along with the Good Design Award Philippines seal.
Winning entries are featured on the official website gallery and in the biennial yearbook, supported by professional photo and video documentation. All awardees are also automatically considered for the Good Design Award Japan. •
Got work made with compassion and passion?
Submit your entry: https://bit.ly/GDAPH2026
Nominate someone else’s design: https://tally.so/r/dWWLNy
Seek extra guidance? Email gooddesignawardph@designcenter.gov.ph for help.
Submissions for Good Design Award Philippines close February 15, 2026.
