Words and Images Good Design Award Philippines
Editing Gabrielle de la Cruz
“It starts with malasakit (compassion),” says the Good Design Award (GDA) Philippines in its call for submissions. The biennial awards system founded in 2019 is happening again this 2024, putting a spotlight on design products, projects, images, systems, and solutions that “enrich the quality of human life.”
GDA is organized by the Design Center of the Philippines, an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, and ensures that “design plays its role as a creative, strategic, and innovative tool for positive development.” The design center says that by stressing the importance of malasakit (compassion) in good design, GDA shines its light on “design’s impact and context, particularly its ability to improve lives and address social, economic, and environmental sustainability.”
We summarized everything you need to know about the awards below:
The pillars of GDA
Good Design Award Philippines is anchored on the three pillars of Good Design: Form, Function, and Innovation. The Design Center of the Philippines recently added the Filipino value malasakit (compassion), stating that it must be the heart and soul of good design. These pillars will also be used as screening perspectives for all entries, along with positive user experience.
Categories
- Object Making – for furniture, décor, fashion, accessories, and mobility
- Place Making – for architecture and interior design
- Image Making – for packaging, photography, and visual art
- Systems and Service Design – for manufacturing, supply chain, transportation, retail, education, and government
- Material Innovation – for innovative and sustainable material solutions such as material reuse
Eligibility
GDA is open to fully realized works that have been launched, modified, or made available in the Philippines starting January 2021. Entries must be fully owned by their submitters, who can be either of the following:
- Designers or creatives from public or private institutions with proof of business registration in the Philippines or 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 a certificate of registration from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), or Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).
Awards given
- Malasakit Award – the highest form of recognition from the Good Design Awards Philippines. Only one awardee will be chosen from the Gold Award recipients.
- Gold Award – represents the highest level of design excellence in a category. This will be chosen from the Red awardees and only one award is given per category.
- Red Award – awarded to products, images, projects, or systems that, in the expertise and opinion of the jury, have satisfied the screening perspectives for good design. This can be given to multiple entries who made it to the GDA’s shortlist.
- White Award – given to innovative and sustainable materials solutions that push the boundaries of material innovation. The special award can be awarded to any entry from the Material Innovation category.
- Green Award – given to an entry that represents the highest level of excellence in sustainable design practice and possesses the greatest number of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The recipient will be chosen from the Malasakit, Gold, Red, or White awardees.
The Malasakit, Red, Gold, and Green trophies of Good Design Awards Philippines
How to join GDA
- 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 how you can effectively submit an entry.
- Proceed to the second section, choose one to two categories for your entry, and fill in details such as entry title, designer’s name and designation, and relevant sub-category.
- Answer the essay questionnaires in sections three to four of the form, where you can weave the narrative behind your entry.
- Make sure all the details you’ve entered are correct and read the attestation in the last section.
- Submit your entry on or before February 29, 2024, 11:59 PM (Philippine Time).
Screening Process
Entries will only be accepted until February 29, 2024, 11:59 PM (Philippine Time). All submissions will then go through the three-step screening process stated below:
Entry Validation
The Secretariat will validate entries for eligibility and completion. Submissions with incomplete information will automatically be disqualified.
Initial Deliberation
Jurors will select final entries and will come up with a shortlist for each category.
Final Deliberation
All shortlisted entries will be exhibited, and category jurors will select recipients of the Red Award. Jurors will then choose the Gold, Green, White, and Malasakit awardees from all the Red Awardees.
Take note that jurors can choose to have a 5-minute online hearing session consisting of a three-minute pitch and a two-minute question and answer with selected entries, so might as well be ready! This part will help you clarify and explain details about your design.
What will you get as a GDA winner?
Good Design Awards Philippines awardees will receive a trophy based on an original artwork of the Design Center’s Inaugural Director and Philippine National Artist Arturo R. Luz. They will also be given the Good Design Award Philippines seal, a lasting symbol of excellence and quality guarantee.
All winners are featured at the official website gallery and in the biennial yearbook, along with a professional photo shoot and video production to showcase their story and product. The combination of widespread recognition, media exposure, and publicity will help the winners boost their market value.
Winning entries of the Good Design Awards Philippines will also automatically get considered for the prestigious Good Design Award Japan. •
