Open Calls

Young Design Generation
Open Call 2025
Lisbon Design Week + MUDE

Download Brief | Link to Application Form

# Introduction

Lisbon Design Week, in collaboration with MUDE - Design Museum, invites young creatives to submit their work for the second edition of the exhibition, which aims to showcase the creativity of Portuguese authors or those residing in Portugal.

This Open Call is part of the Lisbon Design Week 2025 events. The jury will select 20 pieces to be part of a Capsule Collection that will be presented at MUDE from May 28 to July 27, 2025.

# The Exhibition

The 20 selected pieces will be part of the Capsule Collection, which will be displayed at MUDE - Design Museum, Rua Augusta 24, 1100-053 Lisbon, opening on May 28, 2025.

The exhibition will be a joint production by Lisbon Design Week and MUDE, integrated into the cultural programs of both institutions. Open to a wide and diverse audience, it will be part of the major events of the last week of May: Lisbon Design Week 2025, Arco Lisboa, Creativity Week (CCP), and the Open Galleries of FBAUL, which bring together students, creatives, industry professionals, collectors, national and international specialised press, and key figures from the arts, crafts, design, and architecture sectors in Lisbon.

The authors of the selected pieces will be invited to participate in various events organised by Lisbon Design Week, including exhibitions, studio visits, tours of shops and galleries, networking events, lectures, and being featured in articles and communication materials. This set of opportunities aims to recognise creativity and excellence, providing participants with a platform for professional growth within the creative community.

# Objective of the Exhibition

The primary goal of this exhibition is to promote a dialogue between the heritage of design, history, and contemporaneity through the interpolation of new pieces into the existing Long-Term Exhibition at MUDE.
It seeks to highlight emerging creativity and share the perspectives of younger generations who are just beginning their professional careers with a wider audience.

# Category - Counterpoint

MUDE’s Long-Term Exhibition offers visitors a reading of design in Portugal within a context of self-reflection and reflection on the surrounding world. The pieces and their processes are displayed in affinity clusters, juxtaposing one era after another to reveal the intricate dynamics of the different cultural references from the 20th and 21st centuries that contribute to the debate "What are things for?".

Opening the exhibition to contributions from young creatives invites the voices of the latest generations to join the discussion that the Museum aims to foster. Submissions are accepted for pieces that engage with the central theme and present novel approaches to developing, communicating, perceiving, and utilising design. Participants are encouraged to demonstrate how their work addresses contemporary challenges in design. The pieces submitted may include equipment, components, objects, or communication media (one-off items, products, or HI-FI prototypes) in full scale.

# Eligibility

All young creatives or students from the artistic and creative sector of Portuguese nationality or residing in Portugal, either individually or as a team. Participants must be under 35 years old at the time of submission (by April 24, 2025).

# Submission guidelines

Participation is free of charge
Each participant or team can submit only one piece
The deadline for submission is April 24, 2025
The piece must result from a design process and be either two-dimensional or three-dimensional
The piece can be unpublished or may have already been edited, exhibited, or commercialised
The piece should be presented through photographs, drawings, and a detailed description of its specific characteristics, including dimensions and materials. It should be accompanied by a brief text explaining how the piece establishes a dialogue with the Long-Term Exhibition at MUDE, either through its thematic, conceptual, or material relationship with one or more pieces, contributing to the reflection and interaction with the existing exhibition discourse
20 pieces will be selected for temporary exhibition at MUDE
If selected, the author commits to delivering a high-fidelity (HI-FI) model or prototype, accompanied by high-resolution photographs (HR), a description, and a brief biography, to be exhibited at MUDE - Design Museum
The piece will remain on display until July 27, after which a date for collection will be arranged at the same location
The submission form and detailed information on the submission process are available on the Lisbon Design Week/Open Calls website
Submissions can be made in either Portuguese or English
Submissions and any information requests should be sent to [email protected] , with a copy to [email protected]
All participants will receive a participation certificate.

# Jury

The members of the jury, with proven professional merit, will evaluate the submissions based on the criteria mentioned, selecting 20 pieces to be exhibited, ensuring that the selected works align with the objectives of the exhibition:

Bárbara Coutinho
Director and Curator of MUDE - Design Museum, PhD in Architecture (IST-UL), Master’s in Contemporary Art History, and Postgraduate in Art History Didactics (FCSH-UNL). Associate Professor at IST-UL in the Integrated Master’s in Architecture.

Toni Grilo
Member of the Advisory Board of LDW, Renowned designer and Art Director for various brands, he has been running his own studio since 2008. In 2023, he produced the inaugural public art installation for Lisbon Design Week.

Ana Thudichum Vasconcelos
Designer, PhD in Industrial Design and Multimedia Communication (Politecnico di Milano), Associate Professor at FBAUL, responsible for the Master's in Design for Sustainability (D4S), and President of the CIEBA Research Center.

Sam Baron
Member of the Advisory Board of LDW, World-renowned designer and owner of Sam Baron & Co., based in Lisbon, recently honoured with the prestigious title of "Insignes de Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres."

Joana Astolfi
Member of the Advisory Board of LDW, Portuguese designer, founder of Studio Astolfi in 2009, and has since worked with brands such as Hermès, Vitra, and L’Oréal.

Diogo Brito
Young multidisciplinary designer and independent web developer. He graduated in Fine Arts from FBAUL in 2018. He has worked in fashion, visual and performing arts, and cinema. In 2020, he co-founded Stand, an artistic initiative focused on curating contemporary art exhibitions in unconventional spaces.

# Evaluation Criteria

Relevance (40%)
The degree to which the piece addresses the most critical issues of contemporary society, taking into account both the international and national context. The evaluation will focus on the potential for dialogue (counterpoint) between the piece and the core of the MUDE's Long-Term Exhibition, "What are things for?".

Integration of Design (30%)
The way in which the piece proposes enriching and transformative solutions in terms of design. The evaluation will center on the potential for exploring transversal and cooperative elements that transcend disciplinary boundaries.

Future-Oriented Solutions and Excellence in Execution (30%)
The degree to which the piece or its concept reinterprets material and immaterial heritage to innovate responsibly, aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This criterion also assesses meticulous execution, emphasising design, precision, artistry, and attention to detail. The pieces will be evaluated on their ability to translate ideas into reality with a high standard of quality.

# Intellectual Property Rights Policy

The intellectual property (copyright) of the submitted pieces remains with the author(s). By submitting a piece for the competition, the authors grant the right to exhibit and publicise it to Lisbon Design Week, MUDE, and partners, allowing them to communicate, promote, and disseminate the submitted pieces through various communication channels, including, but not limited to, online platforms, exhibitions, and content related to the “Young Design Generation” Exhibition. The identification of the author(s) must be clearly and prominently included in all forms of communication.

# Declaration of Originality and Copyright

By submitting a piece, the author(s) declare, under their honor, that the submitted work is original, i.e., a creative expression of their own. It is the sole responsibility of the participant to ensure all necessary permissions and rights regarding any elements incorporated in the submission. Any identification of plagiarism or violation of intellectual property rights will result in exclusion.

# Important Dates

Launch of Open Call: February 24, 2025
Deadline for Submission: April 24, 2025
Announcement of the 20 Selected Pieces: April 30, 2025
Submission of Pieces to MUDE: Between May 13 and 14, 2025
Exhibition Opening: May 28, 2025
Exhibition Closing: July 27, 2025
Collection of Pieces at MUDE: Between July 28 and 31, 2025
Digital Participation Certificate: By September 28, 2025