Design can be defined by various styles and aesthetics. But good design goes beyond how something looks—it solves problems, improves lives, and creates meaningful experiences.

But for the Good Design Award Philippines, it goes beyond visual appeal. Great design is rooted in the Filipino value of "malasakit"—a deep sense of compassion and care that extends beyond the individual to uplift and benefit the entire community.

That’s what the Good Design Award Philippines celebrated during its 2026 ceremony last June 29 at the Likhang Filipino Exhibition Halls in Pasay City: designs that are rooted in “malasakit,” the uniquely Filipino value of compassionate care for the people they serve.

Across six categories, the awardees span objects and architecture, images and services, materials born of waste, and civic programs built on design thinking. What they share is not a style or a discipline, but an obligation to the people their designs exist for.

Out of 311 entries from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, 246 were selected before being shortlisted to 84. On May 18, a final jury of practitioners, academics, and specialists from the Design Advisory Council, the Good Design Award Japan (G Mark), and the United Nations Development Programme made the final selections following exhibit presentations and live hearing sessions with the entrants themselves.

For Design Center of the Philippines executive director Maria Rita O. Matute, the works honored answered many questions related to the Good Design Award Philippines' core value of "malasakit":

“Filipino designers have a higher obligation beyond making things beautiful,” she said. “‘Malasakit’ is not a sentiment; it is a design standard. It asks: who is this for, what problem does it solve, and what does the world look like after this design exists? The works we honor tonight answered that question with conviction.”

The Malasakit Award is the highest recognition conferred by the Good Design Award Philippines. It is presented exclusively to the Gold Awardee whose design exemplifies innovation while advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and improving the quality of life of communities and fellow citizens.

This year’s award was given to “Banwag,” designed by Studio Impossible Project under the Place Making category. A permanent structure conceived as a shared ground for three communities with a long history of conflict—Muslim, Christian, and Lumad—“Banwag” is among the most direct expressions of “malasakit” the award has seen: a design whose entire purpose is to hold space for people who have long been kept apart.

CIIT College of Arts and Technology’s “Ding! Zine para sa Bading” also won a Gold Award under the Image Making category. The zine was recognized as an editorial outlet that traces the evolution of Filipino drag, safe spaces, and queer power.

The jurors also conferred 22 Red Awards to entries that satisfied all five screening perspectives: form, function, innovation, positive user experience, and “malasakit.”

The Red Awardees under the Image Making category include “QC Stories: The City We Call Home” by Do Good Studio; “Forgotten” by The Tribe – GGC Group Asia; “Nexus: A Filipino Architecture as a Network in Constant Remaking” by Bien Alvarez; Haring Ibon Playing Cards by Birds in Focus, Inc.; Pista ng Kapuluan: Archipelago Festival and Biennale by Tukod Foundation; “Salumpuwit: Chairs in Filipino Life” by Arc Lico International Services Corp. and Facade Books; and “Request sa Radyo” by Theatre Group Asia and Ayala Land.

“Ihawi” by Selena Placino and Hiblatech Ventures, Inc.; Make-a: Pusô DIY Kit by White Brick Creative Studio Corp.; “Kai’a” outdoor hanging lamp by Chini Lichangco; “Champion Detergent Table Clothes” by TBWA Santiago Mangada Puno; “Celestina” rugs by Hacienda Crafts; and “Curio” by Kenneth Cobonpue were presented with Red Awards under the Object Making category.

The Red Awardees for the Place Making category are &Matcha Three Yards by MLA-at-Home; Pasig River Urban Development by WTA Architecture and Design Studio; Mamanwa Community Center by Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences, the Mamanwa Community, Kawayan Collective, and Project Partners; Alhibe: A Regenerative Placemaking Anchored by Bamboo Architecture by M+S Studio Co. Ltd.; Comuna by Jumnie Ramana Developers, Inc.; Urban Forestry Institute Diliman by Karl Castro and Mede Studio / KaLIKHAsan: Outdoor Projects on Campus Ecology; and Atok Barnhouse by Ninety Design Studio.

Rounding out the Red Awardees are Zero Waste Textile Circular Solution by Anthill Fabric Gallery, Inc. and Oyloop by Klimatech Innovative Solutions, Inc. under the Systems and Service Design category.

Three special recognitions were also conferred during the event. The Green Award was given to the Mamanwa Community Center for demonstrating that sustainability gains meaning through cultural utility and everyday use. The White Citation was awarded to Bohol Island State University’s Kindling Aid for Disaster-Linked Ignition Tool (KADLIT) for transforming rice bran into a disaster-ready firestarter that enhances emergency preparedness through sustainable and community-centered innovation. The Blue Citation, a new addition introduced this year under the Governance and Civic Design category, was conferred on the Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office for iRISE UP, a system that helps communities prepare for disasters before they happen using localized forecasts, real-time data, early warnings, and clear risk information to support timely evacuation, faster decision-making, and safer, more resilient communities.

“What stood out to me was not just the creativity, but the strong sense of purpose behind the designs,” Sosuke Nakabo, product designer and director of Sosuke Nakabo Design Office, said about the ingenuity and creativity of Filipino designers. “I’m excited to see more of them shared with the Good Design Award in Japan, and hopefully soon, the world.”

Winning entries at the Good Design Award Philippines automatically skip the initial screening stage of the Good Design Award Japan (G Mark), one of the world's most prestigious design recognition programs, established in 1957. Under the cooperation and recognition agreement between the Design Center of the Philippines and the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, these winning designs proceed directly to the final deliberation in August 2026.

Receiving the G Mark elevates Philippine-designed products in the Japanese market, showcasing their quality and innovation while opening opportunities for trade and greater international recognition through a network of partner countries, including Thailand, India, Singapore, Turkey, and Indonesia. Since the launch of the Good Design Award Philippines in 2019, 21 Philippine designs have earned the coveted G Mark across its first three editions.

“For fellow designers, let’s keep creating. Let’s keep collaborating with fellow creatives. Also, talk about your work! Show your work outside,” advised Jowee Alviar, Team Manila’s co-founder and creative director. “Work with diverse clients from different industries, especially if you’re young. Work with a lot of people, and eventually, you’ll find your voice and signature, and clients will start coming to you for your consistent body of work.”