Alexander Maverick Racca Malunes, an eight-year-old Filipino, won the Poster of the Year Award at the 31st Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum on March 8, 2026. His artwork 'Welcome to the Lunar City! The Concept of Rocket Capsule House' became the first by a Filipino child artist to claim this honor. The competition, themed 'Lunar City,' drew 5,431 entries from 15 countries.
Alexander Maverick Racca Malunes, known in the art world as BAP-K! or Batang Artist Pang-Kalawakan, is a second-grader in the Special Science Program at Las Piñas Elementary School Central. In 2025, at age seven, he won first place in the Philippine Space Agency's (PhilSA) #YamangKalawakan National Poster-Making Contest, along with the PhilSA Crewmates’ Choice Award. This led to his selection as the Philippines' representative at APRSAF-31, competing against 43 young artists from across the Asia-Pacific.
The forum was hosted in Cebu City, though the award ceremony was held online. His winning artwork depicts rocket-shaped homes, solar-powered rovers, and children exploring a futuristic, sustainable lunar colony. Out of 4,459 votes cast, his piece stood out for its inventiveness and heart, according to judges and voters.
This is not Maverick's first achievement. In 2024, he topped the 'Our National Heroes in Canvas' National Art Competition. In 2023, in the 4- to 6-year-olds category, he placed third in the spacecrafts and rockets section of the NASA Worldwide Children’s Artwork Competition.
