OPEN CALL: Imagine what various aspects of future may look like, and create relevant imagery. Share an image with us and win €300! Don't forget the hashtag #BEOPENFutureVision.
BE OPEN invites you to join our new #BEOPENFutureVision open call and share the visuals that reveal your vision of the future to connect with open-minded people worldwide. This may range from creating your own futuristic art pieces to capturing glimpses of the future in the lights, reflections and architecture of modern cities, or to AI generated images - you can prove that your creativity is unlimited, and images of the future are all around us today.
The open call will close February 29th, 2024. The winner will receive a €300 prize.
Interested in taking part? Learn more at beopensocial.com
#BeOpenNEWS
Aureole by Rollo Bryant @rollo__studio reinterprets the spiral geometry of sunflower disk florets through advanced 3D printing and quartz sand construction. The sculptural wall lamp features densely layered organic textures that diffuse hidden backlighting into dramatic eclipse-like shadows, transforming a natural growth pattern into a futuristic lighting experience. More nature-inspired lighting on our blog.beopenfuture.com
#BeOpenDESIGN
Israeli designer Omri Piko Kahan @omri_piko transforms discarded bicycle frames into sculptural lounge chairs that preserve every detail of their former life. By reorienting the frames instead of disguising them, the project turns industrial engineering into functional furniture with surprising elegance, structural intelligence, and a strong sense of material honesty.
More tubular furniture on our blog.beopenfuture.com
#BeOpenDESIGN
DESIGN EQUALITY is the 7th international competition in the SDG-focused programme run by BE OPEN and partners. Open to students and graduates worldwide, the competition encourages innovative solutions by young people for a more prosperous and sustainable future.
Empowering women and girls plays a critical role in accelerating economic growth and social development. By dedicating the 2025/2026 competition to SDG#5, BE OPEN promotes solutions advancing gender equality, meeting the needs of women and girls, and supporting women as innovators and entrepreneurs.
BE OPEN will reward winners with grants from €2,000 to €5,000, educational opportunities and trips to a sustainability event.
This year’s jury includes Barbara della Rovere (FAO), Helen Watts (Student Energy), Anna Kaplina (UNECE), Peter Gamundani (GSSA), Anastasia Adamidou (Cyprus Gender Equality Office), Françoise Mlebinge (SOLIFEDE-RDC), Ajisafe Damilola Ifeoluwa (TerraYouth Africa).
The three main winners selected will be announced at end of May 2026.
#BeOpenNEWS
Last day to vote in the Design Equality competition!
signequality2025.com/
The top 50 entries have been shortlisted for the Public Vote based on viability, feasibility, sustainability, research, and creative value. While the international jury selects the official winners, everyone passionate about sustainability and creativity can support their favourite project.
The Public Vote winner will receive a €2,000 grant. Voting closes at midnight on May 15th, 2026 (CET).
#BeOpenNEWS
Beijing-based LUO Studio’s @luostudio Shell Book Pavilion transforms a public plaza into a kinetic, open-ended reading space defined by movement and accessibility. Shaped as a clamshell, the lightweight aluminum structure lifts and lowers to create shifting spatial conditions, from an open canopy to a more enclosed interior. Designed without a fixed front or back, the pavilion invites 360-degree interaction, extending into the plaza through movable seating.
#BeOpenDESIGN
The Lotus Clubhouse by MIA Design Studio @miadesignstudio_official unfolds as a low, fragmented composition of circular pavilions set within a lakeside landscape in Vietnam. Organized as a series of dispersed volumes connected by curved paths and bridges, the architecture follows the terrain rather than imposing on it. Layered green roofs unify the scheme, integrating planting, solar systems, and water management into a continuous surface that regulates climate and blends the building with its surroundings.
#BeOpenARCH
Korean designer Jongha Choi’s @jonghachoi_studio De-dimension collection rethinks furniture as both object and illusion, transforming flat, picture-like aluminium forms into fully functional stools and tables. Designed to blur the boundary between two-dimensional imagery and three-dimensional reality, each piece folds and unfolds like a physical sketch coming to life. While ideal for compact living, the project goes beyond practicality, offering a tactile exploration of perspective and challenging how we perceive images, objects, and space.
#BeOpenDESIGN
Geometriæ by Swedish studio Front @frontdesign for Italian brand Moroso turns furniture into a study of drawing made physical. Inspired by classic 3D perspective sketches, the collection builds seating and tables from intersecting geometric volumes that still feel like they belong on paper rather than in a room. Upholstered in custom jacquard textiles, the surfaces recreate pencil shading and watercolor gradients, translating light and shadow directly into fabric. By treating drawing techniques as structural logic, Geometriæ blurs the boundary between design representation and design reality.
More optical illusion furniture on our blog.beopenfuture.com
#BeOpenDESIGN
Mncobi Mndzebele @mncobimndzebele_art has been named the April 2026 winner of the BE OPEN Art Limitless programme, recognised for his distinctive portrait practice that explores African identity, culture, and womanhood through everyday materials like ballpoint pen and coffee stains. A self-taught artist from Eswatini, he creates sepia-toned backgrounds using coffee before building finely detailed, expressive portraits that celebrate Black African skin, heritage, and resilience.
#BeOpenNEWS #BeOpenART
The Bublyk lounge chair by Andrii Kovalskyi @akovalskyi_design turns a simple idea into a striking piece of design storytelling. Drawing from the ring-shaped bread that gives it its name, the chair builds on torus geometry and cylindrical volumes to create a soft, sculptural form that feels both playful and intentional. Wrapped in richly textured upholstery, its bold silhouette balances visual impact with genuine comfort, challenging the notion that furniture must choose between the two.
More unconventional soft furniture on our blog.beopenfuture.com
#BeOpenDESIGN
Register your events for World Environment Day!
This year is a moment to rethink how we power our economies and restore our relationship with the climate. Whether you’re a school, business, community group, or government, you’re invited to host an event around 5 June. Add your activity to the map, discover actions near you, and be part of a global movement—because every action counts toward a safer, healthier future for all.
Join the movement. Register your event. Be part of the change.
www.worldenvironmentday.global
#BeOpenNEWS
