The search for the brightest and most creative interior designers and architects in the country continues after Nippon Paint (Coatings) Philippines Inc. turned on the green light with a theme launch of the Asia Young Designer Awards — a platform designed to inspire students to develop their skills through cross-learning opportunities and networking with key industry players, as well as with their fellow peers in the region.

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.

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.