Bucharest, 18 September 2025 – DIPLOMA Show, the largest festival dedicated to the new generation of artists, architects and designers, a project by The Institute, presented by UniCredit Bank and co-produced by Bucharest City Hall through ARCUB, returns between 3–12 October 2025 at Hanul Gabroveni. This year’s selection brings together 145 emerging artists from 17 creative disciplines, from a total of 630 submitted works, a record in the history of the event.
Through the organisation of DIPLOMA Show, The Institute thus reaffirms its mission to discover and promote the new generations of artists and creatives. The festival represents the first professional and curated context in which the works of graduates of faculties with a creative profile are presented to the general public and the specialist community.
Now in its twelfth edition, DIPLOMA Show has become a landmark for the career pathways of young artists: from graduates who exhibited their bachelor projects within the festival and return with master’s works, to creatives who, after participating in DIPLOMA, have signed collaborations with art galleries, have been selected for international exhibitions or have initiated architectural and design projects visible nationwide. The annual programme also includes opportunities for networking and direct connection with the professional environment, through dedicated meet-and-greet sessions and discussions with industry professionals.
The central exhibition and the 2025 selection
The exhibition design at Hanul Gabroveni is by Attila KIM Architects, in a concept that marks a decade since the inauguration of the space after renovation.
In 2015, after the reopening of Hanul Gabroveni following extensive consolidation and renovation, we had the opportunity to design, as the first major event, the central exhibition of the third edition of Romanian Design Week. This year’s DIPLOMA Show exhibition, exactly 10 years later, is a reference to that exhibition, a reinterpretation of the solutions and materials used and a play with the stock of scenographic elements gathered over the years by Romanian Design Week and DIPLOMA Show. – says Attila Kim, Attila KIM Architects.
In the central exhibition, the public will discover 143 works from fields such as Painting & Sculpture – presented by Rompetrol, Fashion Design – presented by NEPI Rockcastle, Mega Mall, Promenada Mall, Textile Arts & Ceramics–Glass–Metal – presented by Bucharest City Hall through ARCUB, Architecture & Urbanism, Graphic and Product Design, Photo-Video, Scenography, New Media and Animation & Comics.
For this year’s edition, a creative board composed of 50 specialists – designers, artists, architects, curators, gallerists, cultural managers and academics – evaluated the portfolios of graduates of creative-vocational faculties from across the country. The result is a representative selection that brings to the forefront the talent and originality of the new generation in 17 distinct specialisations.
I believe that DIPLOMA Show is like a talent exhibition that everyone working in the creative industries should see, from fashion, product design, architecture and contemporary art. I also include those working in advertising agencies and companies. In short, DIPLOMA Show is a win-win show. It is an opportunity to be noticed for young graduates and master’s students, but also a fantastic occasion for specialists and the general public to get to know the new wave of talent. – says Noemi Meilman, part of the Creative Board, Fashion Design section.
Installations and related exhibitions
Complementing the central exhibition, DIPLOMA Show 2025 proposes an extended programme of events and related activations, aimed at encouraging dialogue and interaction between the new creative generations and the general public. The agenda includes guided tours, meetings with exhibitors, parties, as well as a series of special installations and exhibitions: „Locuri de stat, locuri de start” – the UniCredit Bank project signed by architects Cristian Matei, Alexandra Muller and Justin Baroncea, which connects the festival with the main Bucharest universities; „Coline Țesute”, the collective installation exhibited at Promenada Mall and Mega Mall through the partnership with NEPI Rockcastle, bringing emerging design into the public space; the Once in a Moment capsule presented by IQOS, exploring the perception of time and memory through Roman Tolici’s works, “Day Song” and “Night Song” – alongside a selection of works signed by DIPLOMA Show alumni; and RegenZ powered by ASAP Romania, a curated exhibition that brings sustainability and the role of the new generation in transforming society to the forefront. Thus, the festival becomes not only a space for exhibiting works of art, architecture and design, but also a framework for interaction, exchange of ideas and collaboration between disciplines.
From one edition to another, DIPLOMA Show manages to bring together young graduates and professionals from the creative industries, offering a unique platform of visibility and direct contact with the professional environment. It is a context in which the first projects of the new generation become visible, gain validation and turn into starting points for solid careers. We want the general public to discover every year at DIPLOMA Show the energy, courage and creative diversity of this generation – and to leave inspired, with the feeling that they have encountered Romania’s cultural future.– Teodora Dinu, Director, DIPLOMA Show.
Guided tours & tickets
For the first time at DIPLOMA Show, visitors will be able to take part in guided tours, designed by curators Cristina Bută and Catrinel Rădoi, to offer a broader and more personalised experience that introduces the public to the creative universe of emerging artists.
Tickets are available at: bilete.diplomafestival.ro. Until 25 September, tickets can be purchased early bird: 25 lei(general access) / 60 lei (access + guided tour).
Pupils, students, retirees and persons with disabilities benefit from free access, thanks to the support of UniCredit Bank. UniCredit cardholders benefit from a 50% discount.
