A Filipino student’s artwork is set to travel around the world after becoming the featured envelope design of a global shipping and logistics company.
Lauren Kerby Obaldo, a multimedia arts student from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), was hailed as the grand winner of the UPS Express Envelope Design Competition 2026 for his artwork, “Haraya sa Kalsada.”
The artwork, which bested more than 400 entries submitted by DLS-CSB multimedia arts students, features a Filipino jeepney with its driver wearing a Barong Tagalog.
The award was presented by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos during the awarding ceremony on August 25 at the Ayala Museum in Makati City.
Obaldo said he wanted to emphasize the importance of jeepneys in Filipino culture through his artwork.
“‘Yung naisip ko lang po kasi ito is how the jeepney is important to our culture as a Filipino, especially na nakakalimutan na ng iba yung jeepney dahil nga nagkakaroon na ng modernization,” the second-year college student said.
“Ang gusto ko lang i-imply na part ng culture and life as a Filipino ‘yung jeepney,” he added.
For Obaldo, who shared that the contest was also his “first win” as an art student, opportunities like this allow individuals like him to hone their skills and step outside their comfort zones.
“Para i-improve yung skills natin at parang mas lumabas tayo outside the box,” he said.
“Kahit aminin naman po natin ngayon, parang super kaunti ng opportunity here sa Philippines kaya super thankful na nagkakaroon ng ibang opportunity na pUwede sa ibang bansa,” he added.
According to Russell Reed, managing director of UPS Philippines, Obaldo’s artwork will be printed and mass-produced on UPS envelopes for distribution both locally and globally.
“This design gets printed, mass-produced on the UPS envelopes in the Philippines, and basically, all our customers in the Philippines will get this envelope,” he said.
“So, this envelope will go to any country in the world. We serve 220 countries worldwide. So, this design, this concept, and the student’s name will go anywhere in the world,” he added.
Apart from Obaldo, two more students bagged first-place awards in other categories of the envelope design competition. Each category had three winners.
Aleana Szobelle Lallamant ranked first in the “Roots of Progress” category for her artwork, “Started From the Bottom Now We’re Here!” The category highlights resilience, adaptability and the ability to move forward, drawing inspiration from Filipino culture.
“Reach for the Waves” by Jana Lois Oliveros was awarded the best design under the “Galaw ng Bayan, Abot ang Mundo” theme, which highlights connectivity and its role in creating access to global opportunities.
Meanwhile, Obaldo’s artwork placed first in the “Clark Rising: Asia’s Center, Philippines’ Pride” category, which focuses on innovation and modern infrastructure that position the country within Asia’s global network.
Reed revealed that the university “helped us to come down to about 60 designs,” which were later posted on social media for public voting. The top 30 designs, based on online votes, were then submitted to UPS for another round of voting.
According to Reed, Filipino contemporary artists Jigger Cruz, Demi Padua, Olivia d’Aboville and Lisa Ongpin-Periquet, who served as judges for the competition, helped the company select the nine finalists.
“So, the judges helped choose from here on was to look at how the designs align on the concept, the creativity, and the innovation that the students brought in, as well as the visual appeal,” he said.
The managing director also revealed that they brought the competition to the Philippines to highlight the company’s infrastructure investments in the country and showcase local talent.
He added that UPS’ expanded Clark International Hub is set to launch in October.
UPS, which provides logistics services in more than 200 countries and territories, previously conducted the program in Japan in 2023 and Singapore in 2025.
