Global initiative to foster creativity and innovation
BE OPEN will present its sustainability-focused competition programme during the Young Energy Researchers Conference and other events of the World Sustainable Energy Days (WSED) that will start on February 24 in Wels, Austria.
The WSED presents policies, technologies and business models which increase competitiveness and make energy more affordable. The event is a leading annual conference on the energy transition and climate neutrality with participants from more than 60 countries.
The International Student Energy Summit (SES), the world’s biggest and most diverse youth energy event, starts today in Manaus, Brazil, in the heart of Amazonia, hosted by the Federal University of Amazonas in collaboration with Student Energy.
BE OPEN is proud to be a partner in this internationally significant event. BE OPEN and SES are united by the ambition to harness the power of youth-led change to impact communities worldwide. The event brings together young changemakers from across the globe to accelerate the just transition, and creates space for young leaders, industry experts, government officials, policymakers, and private sector representatives to share knowledge and collaborate on solutions to the critical energy issues affecting by vulnerable communities worldwide.
Aiming to showcase young talents, every month for the past six years, BE OPEN Art has been inviting art enthusiasts to choose the best artist among those 20 exhibited in the gallery. The artist whose works gains the majority of votes throughout the year becomes the Artist of the Year.
The regional competition for emerging artists BE OPEN Regional Art, developed by Elena Baturina’s humanitarian think-tank BE OPEN, is proud to announce the winners for the Western Africa region. October to December became the months of celebration of young artists from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
From December 8 to 12, BE OPEN attended the 7th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) held by the UN Environment Programme in Nairobi, Kenya. The foundation took that opportunity to reward and celebrate the winners of the Designing Futures 2050 competition finalized earlier this year.
UNEA is the world’s highest decision-making body on the environment, and it is critical for addressing the shared environmental threats. The Assembly brings together ministers, intergovernmental organizations, multilateral environmental agreements, the broader UN system, civil society groups, scientists, activists and the private sector to shape global environmental policy.
In November 2021, the UNESCO General Conference unanimously adopted 2 December as “World Futures Day” (WFD). Over the years, key milestones recognizing the importance of anticipatory decision-making have been met, such as the Secretary General’s Our Common Agenda, the adoption of the Pact for the Future along with the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations.
The regional competition for emerging artists BE OPEN Regional Art, developed by Elena Baturina’s humanitarian think-tank BE OPEN, is proud to announce partnerships established for the Western African region.
BE OPEN Regional Art finishes the 2025 programme by continuing to select those artists whose art best represents their regional, cultural and ethnic identities to feature them in the BE OPEN Art gallery and offer support and greater visibility. The 12th stage of the programme is covering Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha.
On November 14th, the fifth day of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP30), BE OPEN had an opportunity to present its work and report on the outcome of its latest student competition at the HiHouse studio in the Green zone of COP30.
BE OPEN presented video pitches by all five winners and winning teams of Designing Future 2050, the recently finalised global student competition encouraging young creatives to reframe and update the SDG agenda based on today’s realities. The project aimed to inspire them to go beyond the 2030 agenda, and actively participate in developing and implementing realistic and sustainable action plans favourable for their own future.
Art Limitless is a new programme within the BE OPEN Art online gallery tailored specifically to display the competitions, webinars, master-classes and other sources of knowledge and guidance on sustainability in arts.
In 2025, the Art Limitless project within BE OPEN Art has been dedicated to inclusivity in arts. For the Art Limitless Competition, from May to October 2025, BE OPEN expert community have been researching and selecting artwork by artists with disabilities that demonstrate the beneficial power of creativity and inclusivity.
