LUGANO, Switzerland, June 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- BE OPEN has identified the winners of the Public Vote and Founder's Choice Prizes in DESIGN EQUALITY with Innovation, the 7th international competition in the SDGs-focused programme. The multi-year programme is open to students and graduates, and aims to encourage creation of innovative solutions by younger creatives, for a more prosperous and sustainable future.
The launch of Design Equality in 2025 marked the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration accepted by all 189 UN countries at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women. It sets strategic objectives and actions for the advancement of women and the achievement of gender equality. BE OPEN joined in by dedicating the 2025/2026 competition to contributing to achieving SDG#5, promoting the solutions that advocate and advance gender equality, meet the needs of women and girls, and support women as innovators and entrepreneurs.
Elena Baturina, Founder of BE OPEN, an international entrepreneur and supporter of innovation in her own right, commented on the finalisation of the competition: "For seven consecutive years now, BE OPEN has championed the UN SDGs by encouraging young people worldwide to test their creative and intellectual strength by tackling challenges of vital importance for the whole mankind. Every year, we receive hundreds of remarkable, insightful, and imaginative submissions. This continuous engagement confirms our belief that educating and inspiring youth is the most effective route toward impactful change. Our mission is to nurture a generation capable of addressing future challenges through creativity, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration."
To support that commitment, the Founder's Choice Prize of 3,000 euro allocated by Elena Baturina herself, goes to Ellena Vianne, Tria Indah Lestari, Farida Doa Valentina and Adnan Hasyim Wibowo from Universitas Indonesia for the Roots Menstrual Care System. Roots is a sustainable menstrual care system developed for the Orang Rimba indigenous community in Sumatra's Bukit Duabelas National Park. Designed for tropical rainforest conditions, the project combines biodegradable menstrual products made from locally sourced natural materials, women-led economic models, and culturally grounded health education.
BE OPEN also thanks all those who voted for the projects and helped select the awardees of the Public Vote Prize of 2,000 euro - Akshat Shah, Harshavi Patel and Aryaa Bhagwat, graduates from the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University, India for their project Samvaad Saathi: a Service Enabling Financial Inclusion for Women Daily-Wage Construction Workers. Samvaad Saathi provides guided, step-by-step facilitation to managing women's financial autonomy: helping gather necessary documents, open bank accounts, register for pension and welfare schemes, and understand their earnings and savings options.
In addition to the money grants, all the winners will be awarded access to relevant educational opportunities and a fully paid trip to a major sustainability-related event in order to be able to present their projects to decision makers and global audiences.
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