Held at the Quezon Hall 1 of Seda Vertis in Diliman, Quezon City, the event encouraged students of Interior Design and Architecture to use their talents in transforming future environments and creating a significant impact in the succeeding generations through practical design solutions that help address pressing issues of our time. 

Now on its 15th year, this year's AYDA Awards carries the theme "Converge: Championing Purposeful Design," which is a fitting reflection of Nippon Paint's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative excellence. 

This year's theme is about finding your core and what you truly believe in before manifesting it into your design. It focuses on a designer's journey in searching for a cause worth fighting for. what we believe, and invest in, may change over a period of time. The use of the word "converge," on the other hand, refers to that situation when a point or a line meets - leading to a common result. 

"The AYDA Awards would like to help shape a future where designers from different backgrounds, cultures and regions can learn from each other and deliver the best possible solution to common and underlying social challenges," explained Giselle Campos, Sales and Marketing Manager of Nippon Paint (Coatings) Philippines, Inc. 

"Today, as designers face the challenge of providing a balance between sustainability and urbanization, and at a time when digitalization has already taken over interpersonal bonding, we believe that going local should also be considered fit for global appreciation," she added. 

Judges, Criteria for Judging, and Prizes 

Aside from formally jumpstarting this year's awards program, and explaining the contest mechanics, the launch was also used to introduce some of the biggest names in the industry who have agreed to serve as judges for the awards program. 

Leading the panel of adjudicators this year are Ar. Eduardo Casares (architecture category head judge), the brains behind the structure of the Tutuban Center in Divisoria, and IDr. Wilmer Lopez (interior design category head judge), president and creative director of Space Encounters, an interior design firm that specializes in interior branding and mid-century modern furniture. 

The other members of the board are Almario sisters IDr. Cynthia Almario and IDr. Ivy Almario, the co-founders of Atelier Almario, an award-winning interior design firm in the Philippines; and Ar. Cathy Saldaña, president of PDP Architects, one of the leading architectural firms in the country.

The criteria for judging in the Architectural category are as follows: 

• Design Concept (20%), Functionality & Relevance (15%), Design Innovation (20%), Sustainability (15%), Aesthetic & Visual Impact(10%), Color Usage (10%), Delivery and Presence (10%)

For the Interior Design category, judging will be based on the following: 

• Design Concept (25%), Functionality & Relevance (10%), Design Innovation (20%),Sustainability (10%), Aesthetic & Visual Impact (10%), Color Usage (15%), and Delivery and Presence (10%). Prizes include a P50,000 cash prize and an internship opportunity at top desigan and architectural companies headed by the AYDA judges. 

More importantly, this year's winners also get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to go abroad and compete against 

AYDA Gold Awardees from 14 other countries and be proclaimed as "Asia Young Designer of the Year." 

This distinction comes with an all-expense-paid,3-week learning experience under the Design Discovery Program of the Harvard University School of Design in the US. 

The AYDA Awards was first introduced in 2008 to inspire interior design and architecture students to apply creativity and innovation in modern design. It started off with just Malaysia and later reached up to 14 other countries that now include Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

It is currently judged by some of the most prominent and well-established professionals in the industry and is supported by the United Architects of the Philippines (UAP), the Philippine Architecture Schools Association (PhilASA), the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers (PID), and the Council of Interior Design Educators (CIDE). 

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, architectural and/or other relevant courses at an educational institution. They must also have less than a year of professional working experience. 

According to AYDA's rule book, university and college-mandated internships may already be considered as professional work experience if the one year internship period happens right after the participant has graduated. 

In the Philippines, the deadline for submission of entries is on January 31, 2024. Each student is allowed to submit only one (1) entry. 

For more information, visit https:/ayda-awards.com/competition-details/