/PRNewswire/ –DESIGN EQUALITY with Innovation is the 7th international competition under the SDGs-focused program implemented by the socio-cultural initiative BE OPEN and its partners. The competition is aimed at students and university graduates worldwide. It aims to motivate young people to develop innovative solutions for a more successful and sustainable future.
According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Development, empowering women and girls plays a critical role in accelerating economic growth and social development. BE OPEN advocates for the 2025/2026 competition to be dedicated to SDG #5 to promote solutions that advance gender equality, meet the needs of women and girls, and promote women as innovators and entrepreneurs.
BE OPEN rewards the best work with grants of between 2,000 and 5,000 euros, educational opportunities and travel to a large international event on the topic of sustainability.
The winning entries will be selected by an international jury made up of sustainability experts, academics, designers and experts in environmental policy and practices. On behalf of BE OPEN, founder Elena Baturina welcomed the jury members: “We are delighted to have assembled such an exceptional and diverse jury and are very grateful for the time and expertise the jury members will share with our participants and the wider public over the course of the competition. We have an exciting time ahead full of hard work and amazing discoveries.”
This year’s jury consists of Barbara della Rovere, Community Manager of the Innovation Champions Network at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); Helen Watts, managing director of Student Energy; Anna Kaplina, Environmental Officer of the UNECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution and Gender Focal Point of the UNECE Department of Forests and Environment; Peter Gamundani, a sustainability specialist with Global Sustainable Solution Agents (GSSA); Anastasia Adamidouv from the Office of the Commissioner for Gender Equality of Cyprus, Françoise Mlebinge, the Program Officer at SOLIFEDE-RDC, and Ajisafe Damilola Ifeoluwa, the Chair of the Foot Impact Unilorin Chapter and Founder of TerraYouth Africa.
The announcement of the three main winners selected by the jury will take place at the end of May 2026.