Award of Merit winners for Designers Australia Awards and Fellows 2023 announced
DIA – Awards
Delatite Cellar Door by Lucy Clemenger Architects.
• Award of Merit recipients include Elenberg Fraser for Slattery Melbourne; Kerstin Thompson Architects for Lothian Street Studio; Little Wonder for Round Rhizome Rings; Ross Gardam for Vestige; Ellis Jones for Karrkad Kanjdji Trust; and The University of Sydney CX Design Team for Sydney Uni App.
The Design Institute of Australia (DIA) has announced the recipients receiving the Award of Merit honours for its Designers Australia Awards 2023. Amongst 230+ entrants, 86 were shortlisted, with 32 Merit awards. The awards have garnered a reputation for identifying Australia's foremost designers and studios, shedding light on the individuals and their design processes as much as the outcome. The major category winners will be celebrated in Sydney on November 2nd.
Furthermore, the DIA unveiled its Fellow 2023 appointments—a program that rewards those who help the DIA deliver its strategy to include and engage with designers within its open governance structure. This initiative fosters collaboration and dialogue, ultimately elevating the collective dedication to Australian design. The Fellows are being recognised for their exceptional abilities, commitment to the design community, and achievements through the realm of design or associated professions.
"For over 80 years, the DIA has advocated and promoted designers, their contributions and outcomes. In recent years, we have highlighted diversity, equality, and our social, cultural and environmental needs. Seeing these impressive Awards of Merit and the cross-disciplinary ideas around Place, Use, and Interact is pleasing and satisfying.
"It is with much pleasure that we praise and welcome the outstanding Fellow designers and design advocates. Through a commitment to designers and people, the DIA adds value and support for our members and industry at large."
—DIA President Gavin Campbell FDIA
Prominent and respected jurors include Jam Factory's CEO Brian Parkes; The Fulcrum Agency co-founder Emma Williamson; multicultural artist Grace Lilian Lee; Gene Bawden, communication designer and Head of Department (Design) at Monash University, Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture; and Australian Tapestry Workshop's CEO Sophie Travers. In reflecting on our current times and how we live and design now, there are three cross-disciplinary categories: Place, Use and Interact.
The Award of Merit 2023 recipients are listed below with Fellow honours following.
Australian Retirement Trust Workplace by Cox Architecture.
Designers Australia Awards 2023 – Award of Merit Recipients:
• PLACE representing the spaces we live in, work, and play
all(zone) for MPavilion 2022
Architectus for Markham Avenue
Cox Architecture for 70 George Street, Cox Sydney Studio
Cox Architecture for Australian Retirement Trust Workplace
Cox Architecture in collaboration with H&E Architects for The Charles Grand Brasserie &Bar
Elenberg Fraser for Slattery Melbourne
Hammond Studio for SafetyCulture, Sydney Headquarters
jcHQ for Chestnut House
Kerstin Thompson Architects for Lothian Street Studio
LAHAUS Studio for Upland Farm - Cabin Forest & Cabin Wren
Lucy Clemenger Architects for Delatite Cellar Door
Tonkin Zulaikha Greer for Campbell House, Private Offices
Walter Brooke for ARUP Workplace Adelaide
Woods Bagot for Bassendean Hotel
Pa collection by nau.
• USE describing things we use
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’s “Re-pete” Chair
Design Health Collab for PALM - Breathing new life into asthma treatment
Desiree Ibinarriaga, MADA & Wominjeka Djeembana Indigenous Research Lab for Agave
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
Ross Gardam for Volant Chandelier
Ross Gardam for Vestige
SensiLab & Monash Art, Design and Architecture for Drawbotic DB-1: A Drawing Robots Platform
Karrkad Kanjdji Trust - Brand ID and Digital by Ellis Jones.
• INTERACT depicting what or who we interact with
Art Theory for FOMO Public Art
BMW Group + QUT Design Academy for Digitalisation for Sustainability
Deepend Group for ReachOut - PeerChat
Ellis Jones for Karrkad Kanjdji Trust - Brand ID and Digital
Monash University for Light Colour Humanity - Alastair Swayn Legacy Showcase
The University of Sydney CX Design Team for Sydney Uni App
Design Institute of Australia Fellows 2023
Anna Brown, lecturer in industrial and product design, University of South Australia
Brooke Lloyd, interior designer and director, Cox Architecture
Celina Clarke, founder and senior industrial designer, ISM Objects
Csilla Csabai, global technical team leader, Woods Bagot
Fiona Lynch, interior designer and founder, Fiona Lynch Office
Jonathan Tighe, head of industrial design, Intellidesign
Paul Turley, educator, TAFE Queensland and Griffith University, and designer at Home ReThink
Ross Gardam, lighting and furniture designer, founder, Ross Gardam
Simon Christopher, founder and senior industrial designer, ISM Objects
The Designers Australia Awards 2023 major category winners (chosen from the Award of Merit recipients) and the recipient of the President's Prize will be celebrated in Sydney on Thursday, 2nd November.
The DIA – Awards are proudly supported by major partners: Dulux Venetian Plaster, Smeg, Wood Solutions, Brickworks, and The Australian's WISH magazine.
