Design Equality with Innovation Competition Winners Announced by BE OPEN in Support of UN SDG #5

Lugano, Switzerland, June 10th, 2026, FinanceWire

DESIGN EQUALITY with Innovation has announced the winners of its 2025/2026 international competition dedicated to advancing gender equality and supporting United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5. The competition became the 7th international initiative in the SDGs-focused programme for students, graduates and young professionals run by the socio-cultural initiative BE OPEN and its partners. Since 2019, the programme has aimed to encourage the creation of innovative solutions by younger creatives for a more prosperous and sustainable future, with a focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Programme.

At the opening of the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2025, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: “By ensuring access to quality education for girls, and opening the doors of opportunity to decent work for women, we kick-start economic growth and we forge stronger economies.”

BE OPEN joined in encouraging women's participation in innovation, community initiatives and sustainable small businesses by dedicating the 2025/2026 competition to contributing to achieving SDG#5, that is promoting the solutions that advocate and advance gender equality, meet the needs of women and girls, promote women as innovators and entrepreneurs.

From several hundreds of submissions fifty were shortlisted as honorary mentions. The winners of the first three prizes have been selected by an international jury panel that featured sustainability professionals, academics, designers, and experts in environmental policies and practices:

• The First Prize of 5,000 euros goes to Norah Kimathi, a 2026 graduate from Strathmore University, Kenya. Norah is a BA of Science in Informatics, Computer Science and Robotics Engineering. Her project Zerobionic, is an AI-powered robotic exoskeleton designed to improve access to STEM education for deaf and hard-of-hearing girls.
• The Second Prize of 3,000 euros goes to Victress Igboanusim from the Imo State University, Nigeria, for her Calyx-Probe, a handheld AI-powered diagnostic device designed to improve access to non-invasive reproductive healthcare.
• The Third Prize of 2,000 euros goes to Lennox Omondi and his team members Dullah Shiltone, Keylie Muthoni and Brian Ndung'u, 2024 graduates from St. Paul's University, Kenya. Their submission Ecobana, is a circular manufacturing project that transforms banana agricultural waste into biodegradable sanitary pads for women and girls in underserved communities.

Successful entrepreneur and avid supporter of innovation Elena Baturina, Founder of BE OPEN, praised the winners and all the participants: “As global challenges grow more complex and interconnected, traditional methods often fall short. Addressing today’s urgent issues demands fresh thinking, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and bold experimentation. And this is exactly what we see in incredible projects submitted to Design Equality by young people from all over the world. We are privileged to witness and support the creative power of younger people that will bring us closer to equality, thus creating more leaders of sustainable change”.

The Public Vote and Founder’s Choice Prize winners will be announced in June 2026. In addition to the grants, all winners will receive access to relevant educational opportunities and a fully paid trip to a major sustainability-related event to present their projects to decision-makers and global audiences.

About BE OPEN

BE OPEN is a global initiative to foster creativity and innovation, a think tank whose mission is to promote people and ideas today to build solutions for tomorrow. It is a cultural and social initiative supported by philanthropist and entrepreneur Elena Baturina. BE OPEN was set up to harness creative brain power through a system of conferences, competitions, exhibitions, master classes and cultural events. BE OPEN sees its mission in connecting the bright minds of the next generation with the leading creative luminaries of today, from fields as diverse as philosophy, art, design and business. It pays particular attention to promoting creative education at any age, thus trying to help prepare specialists in diverse areas able to develop non-conventional solutions due to that well-trained ‘creative muscle’.https://beopenfuture.com/

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