The winners of Rog Creathon 2025

The jury, consiting of Daniela Doe, a designer in residence at Center Rog, Lin Martin Japelj, user of the Rog Project Studio, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mojca Perše from the Faculty of Design, had a very difficult task, but in the end selected as the winner the solution by the team that took on the third challenge, titled Biofabrication – from Waste to Wonder. The team, composed of Andreas Morales Bajc, Javier Serra, Beyzanur Ekmen, Elena Eckert, and Eszter Iván, set out to create functional, environmentally friendly products from food waste—products that reduce pollution, support the circular economy, and lower environmental impact. Under the mentorship of Virginia San Fratello (USA), Head of the Department of Design at San José State University in Silicon Valley, they worked with support from mentors from the Rog Centre’s green lab.

About the winning solution, the jury wrote the following: “With an outstanding design process, innovative use of eggshells and natural pigments, and a combination of techniques ranging from modern 3D printing to hand modeling, we were most impressed by the team that took on the third challenge. Their products are both functional and aesthetically refined — each piece is unique yet clearly part of a coherent collection. The team met all the challenge’s goals and demonstrated a well-thought-out concept, sustainable approach, and strong design identity.”

Design as a response to challenges in a time of shifting borders and rising friction

At the Rog Creathon, young creatives from around the world made excellent use of the full potential of Centre Rog's production laboratories. One of the participants, Cas Rondou, says: ''Center Rog is great in itself. It has so many workshops where you can learn.''

In just two days, the participants created innovative solutions for the given design challenges. The team led by Austrian designer Anna Resei presented a multifunctional garment for nomads that can change its purpose—from a poncho to a tent, basket, or bag (Challenge 1: Crafting objects for a nomadic world; members: Anna Kundriutskova, Sara Cherry, Taša Blatnik, Beatriz Mayorga Moscoso, Yüksel Doğan). The team mentored by Croatian-American architect Igor Siddiqui designed a collection of columns as fundamental architectural elements—from engineered wood to natural structures such as anthills, termite mounds, or plant networks (Challenge 2: Hybrid constructions: Columns as life support; members: Ingrid Montier, Pauline Kuntz, Viktoria Tudzharova, Cas Rondou, Sara Bologna). The team led by Italian sculptor and educator Alberto Gianfreda created modular urban furniture from broken ceramics that brings people together in a space of dialogue, transforming a chain into a symbol of connection (Challenge 4: Modular interventions: Crafting urban infrastructure; members: Pia Krepfl, Ada Lovenjak, Kincső Nagy, Matthieu Goetz, Nehal Fatima). The team mentored by Belgian-Dutch designer and educator Annelys de Vet designed a communal table that encourages dialogue between cultures and questions who is welcomed and who is excluded (Challenge 5: Objects of care: Designing for solidarity; members: Irem Kahraman, Claudia Crowe, Miran Jurisevic, Haijing Wu, Kateřina Vašicová).

Rog Creathon is a unique opportunity that brings together young creatives from all over the world in one place. Participant Elena Eckert described it as: ''When we're all finished, this will be a really rewarding experience for us.'' Sara Bologna feels similarly; what she liked most about Rog Creathon was: ''Being in the company of other creative people and sharing moments of free creativity.''

The winners of Rog Creathon will receive a two-week residency at Center Rog or an annual membership with a user package for participants from Ljubljana and the surrounding area.

All the solutions created at Rog Creathon are also on display at Rog Expo, Center Rog's annual exhibition, which will be on display until 7 February 2026.

Photos by: Tine Lisjak