CALL FOR PROPOSALS OPEN
15 APRIL – 30 JULY 2025
2025 Call for Proposals
Through the theme, Extension of Nature, we seek creative responses at the intersection of creativity, technology, and nature that respond to the urgent realities of climate change and ecological instability.
The Benilde Open calls on designers and artists to reimagine sustainability, material use, and our collective role in shaping a balanced relationship between invention and the environment.
The Benilde Open Design + Art supports unrealized projects by creative practitioners both within and beyond the Benilde community.
Benilde Open
P300,000 for up
to 10 grantees
Best of Benilde
P50,000 for up to
5 Benilde students
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can send proposals to the Benilde Open Design + Art?
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 Extension of Nature. 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, Extension of Nature 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 in November 2025. The Exhibition will be held in DLS-CSB in February 2026.
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.
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.
Press
- BusinessWorld - Arts & Culture (06/04/25)
- Shape tomorrow’s world at Benilde Open Design + Art 2025
- Turn your artistic vision into reality: Benilde is accepting applications for a P300,000 production grant
- Nature and technology to take centerstage at Benilde Open Design + Art 2025
- Shape tomorrow’s world at Benilde Open Design + Art 2025
De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde
Design + Art Campus
950 P. Ocampo Street, Malate, Manila, 1004 Philippines
De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde
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