Today, the DIA—Australia's peak national body spearheading the design industry, released the Shortlist for its sought-after Designers Australia Awards 2023. An overwhelming Shortlist of 86 entries was revealed across the three cross-disciplinary categories—Place, Use, and Interact.

“Organised by the DIA, designers for designers, the Designers Australia Awards are the ultimate industry benchmark in Australia.
“For over 80 years, the DIA has advocated and promoted design outcomes. In recent years, we have spotlighted the circular economy, diversity, and positive environmental and social impact. Seeing this impressive 2023 Shortlist and the cross-disciplinary ideas around Place, Use, and Interact is incredible.”
—DIA President Gavin Campbell FDIA
“Participation in the Designers Australia Awards 2023 has been an inspiration. It is fantastic to see the talent, innovation and acumen of these designers across all the categories.”
—Awards juror, Sophie Travers, CEO, Australian Tapestry Workshop

The DIA values collaborative in-group decision-making that promotes trust, thoughtfulness, understanding, competency and responsiveness. The jury includes Brian Parkes, Emma Williamson, Grace Lillian Lee, Gene Bawden, Sophie Travers, and convener Claire Beale.

The awards have built a reputation for identifying Australia's best designers and studios, emphasising the designer/s and their processes as much as the outcome. They recognise the most nuanced design thinking applied across the categories Place, Use, Interact, and dissolve the traditional silos, reflecting a trend toward multi-disciplinary approaches and problem-solving. They replace conventional design categories such as industrial, interior, graphic, digital, product, environmental, textile, fashion, etc.

The Designers Australia Awards 2023 Shortlist is as follows:

• PLACE representing the spaces we live in, work, and play

all(zone) for MPavilion 2022
Anna Carin Design Studio for Solid Air
Architectus for The Langston
Architectus for Markham Avenue
Architectus for NATURA, Macquarie Park
Arent&Pyke for Hearth House
Brinnie T Design for Brinnie T Design
BVN for Darlinghurst Workplace
ClarkeHopkinsClarke for Waterman Workspace Eastland
COMUNiTI for APA Brisbane
Cox Architecture for 70 George Street, Cox Sydney Studio
Cox Architecture in collaboration with H&E Architects for The Charles Grand Brasserie & Bar
Cox Architecture for Glory Days Bondi
Cox Architecture for Australian Retirement Trust Workplace
Design Theory for City Beach Residence
DJAS Architecture for Ian Potter House
Elenberg Fraser for Slattery Melbourne
Fe Design Interiors for Fe Design Interiors Fiona Bruzzano
Feng Shui Concepts for Feng Shui House
Hachem for Luma
Hachem for The Playford
Hammond Studio for SafetyCulture, Sydney Headquarters
Hammond Studio for Darling Quarter South, Lobby, Cafe & EOT
jcHQ for Chestnut House
Kerstin Thompson Architects for Lothian Street Studio
LAHAUS Studio for Upland Farm - Cabin Forest & Cabin Wren
LAHAUS Studio in Collaboration with Templewell for Project South Beach
LAHAUS Studio for Akiko
Lucy Clemenger Architects for Delatite Cellar Door
Lynne Bradley Interiors for Apex House
Mata Design Studio for Bar Vino
McIldowie Partners for Ivanhoe Grammar Sports & Aquatic Centre
Nickolas Gurtler Office for Ocean Cosmetics
Ohlo Studio and Finespun Architecture for Lawson Flats
PAPER for FH2 - Philanthropic Organisation
PAPER for South32 Johannesburg
Petrina Turner Design for Campground Kitchen
Phillips/Pilkington Architects & koush design for Flinders Uni Science & Engineering New College Front
Plus Architecture for QV1 Lobby
SJB for The Royce
Smac Studio for Light House
Studiospillane for Tattersall's Club
Susi Leeton Architects + Interiors for RIVER House
Swanbury Penglase for University of South Australia, Enterprise Hub
TKD Architects for Double Bay House III
Tonkin Zulaikha Greer for Campbell House, Private Offices
UniFor & Paper Collaboration for UniFor Showroom Perth
Walter Brooke for ARUP Workplace Adelaide
Williams Burton Leopardi for East End
Woods Bagot for Central Park End of Trip
Woods Bagot for Bassendean Hotel
Woods Bagot for Blackburne Workplace
Woods Bagot for Herbert Smith Freehills, Perth

• USE describing things we use

ARID industrial design development and manufacturing for Positure "Grip"
ARID industrial design development and manufacturing for Embarr Argus
Bankston Architectural + Edition Office for Casts by Bankston Architectural + Edition Office
Canberra Design Lab for MPavilion 22 'Re-pete' Chair
Charlwood Design for Aerolight
Danielle Brustman Studio for Fortuna Lights
Design Health Collab for PALM - Breathing new life into asthma treatment
Desiree Ibinarriaga, MADA & Wominjeka Djeembana Indigenous Research Lab for Agave
Dutoit Studio for TUIN
Edward Linacre Studio with Kerstin Thompson Architects for Lothian Street Recycled Lighting
Little Wonder for Round Rhizome Rings
Monash Design Health Collab, SensiLab for PupilMetrix
nau for Pa collection
Neil Cownie Architect for At Your Service
Paraform Design for SEAVU Explorer - Underwater Livestream
Queensland University of Technology for AAV - Accessible Autonomous Vehicle
Remington Matters for MF Chair
Ross Gardam for Volant Chandelier
Ross Gardam for Vestige
Sedni Studio for Atu Range
SensiLab & Monash Art, Design and Architecture for Drawbotic DB-1: A Drawing Robots Platform
Street+Garden for Miles CBD - Street Furniture Suite
UNO Australia for Taktik Tennis
Valet Hygienic for Valet

• INTERACT depicting what or who we interact with

Art Theory for FOMO Public Art
BMW Group + QUT Design Academy for Digitalisation for Sustainability
David Whitbread for The Design Manual
Deepend Group for ReachOut - PeerChat
Ellis Jones for Karrkad Kanjdji Trust - Brand ID and Digital
Monash University for Light Color Humanity - Alastair Swayn Legacy Showcase
Monash University for ICONS - Australian Design
Pride at Play for Pride at Play: Queer Games Exhibition
The University of Sydney CX Design Team for Sydney Uni App

View all shortlisted entries

The Designers Australia Awards 2023—Shortlisted and Awards of Merit celebrations will occur in each state on Thursday, 31 August 2023, at 6 pm. Tickets are on sale.

Book tickets

The final winners will be revealed on 2 November in Sydney.

The Awards partner with Dulux Venetian Plaster, Smeg, Wood Solutions, Brickworks, and The Australian's WISH magazine.