DIA reveals Australia’s national winners – Graduates of the Year Awards 2022
DIA – Awards
• The Gotya program part of the Designers Australia Awards, has been mentoring students for almost two decades and was created to support and celebrate exceptional designers from around Australia in the early stages of their careers.
Today, the Design Institute of Australia announced the Australian National winners for its flagship program for emerging designers—the Graduate of the Year Awards 2022 (GOTYA). From 181 ambitious nominations and 27 State winners, 8 extraordinary young designers have been awarded the prestigious Australian prize, with a student also named the Madeleine Lester Award recipient. This year, an enormous undertaking the DIA collaborated with 24 institutions and 40 + design departments from around the country.
2022 Gotya jurors include Daniel Dalla RIva, James Harper, Dean Norton, Jo Ann Kellock, Brett Capron, Alisha McGilp, Claire Bramich, Sally Evans and Bernadette Wilson. This year the graduates were able to develop and make work showcasing a responsibility to the industry, especially new ways around sustainability and repurposing. They were able to design and create products that benefit people and the planet. By presenting a mix of concept developments, technical drawings and prototypes, the winners displayed a clear understanding of the skills required in the commercial marketplace, and a clear understanding of ethics or moral obligations required to practices as a design professional.
"GOTYA is a critical program as it brings together Australia's emerging designers and connects them to our most respected educators and designers from leading design practices. This year, we had a remarkable 181 nominations and worked closely with over 40 university design departments—the graduates' proposed human-centred design solutions with a focus on wellbeing. Using design process to utilise natural materials, they promoted sustainable development. It was wonderful to also see design and technology delivering thoughtful solutions to affect social and environmental problems."
Jo-Ann Kellock, juror and DIA CEO
The GOTYA program mentoring students since 2005 is a unique awards program created to support and celebrate exceptional designers from around Australia in the early stages of their careers. The program is instrumental in providing tertiary institutions and design graduates with vital, real-life feedback from experienced designers and industry figures, and is sponsored by Stylecraft.
Australian Graduates of the Year 2022 Winners:
Australian Design Graduate of the Year | Madeline Lester Excellence Award
Kirsteen James, Queensland University of Technology (QLD)
Australian Fashion Design Graduate of the Year
Maddison Robinson, University of Technology Sydney (NSW)
Australian Interior Decoration Graduate of the Year
Lauren Coleman, TAFE NSW Design Centre Enmore (NSW)
Australian Industrial / Product Design Graduate of the Year
Dorcas Chu, University of New South Wales (NSW)
Australian Interior Design Graduate of the Year
Kirsteen James, Queensland University of Technology (QLD)
Australian Jewellery Design Graduate of the Year
Lorissa Toweel, Queensland College of Art Griffith University (QLD)
Australian Furniture Design Graduate of the Year
Alexei Todd, RMIT University (VIC)
Australian Visual Communication Design Graduate of the Year
Michael Smith, Swinburne University of Technology (VIC)
Australian Textile Design Graduate of the Year
Emma Daley, North Metropolitan TAFE (WA)
State Graduates of the Year 2022 Winners:
• New South Wales / Australian Capital Territory
NSW ACT Design Graduate of the Year, Dorcas Chu, University of New South Wales
Fashion Design Graduate of the Year, Maddison Robinson, University of Technology Sydney
Industrial / Product Design Graduate of the Year, Dorcas Chu, University of New South Wales
Interior Design Graduate of the Year, Lia Pipolo, UNSW Sydney
Interior Decoration Graduate of the Year, Lauren Coleman, TAFE NSW Design Centre Enmore
Visual Communication Design Graduate of the Year Emily Savage, University of Technology Sydney
• Queensland
QLD Design Graduate of the Year, Kirsteen James, Queensland University of Technology
Fashion Design Graduate of the Year, Rachel Johnston, Billy Blue College of Design at Torrens University
Industrial / Product Design Graduate of the Year, Epifanio Pereira, Queensland University of Technology
Interior Design Graduate of the Year, Kirsteen James, Queensland University of Technology
Interior Decoration Graduate of the Year, Natalie Boyd Mordehai, Billy Blue College of Design at Torrens University
Jewellery Design Graduate of the Year, Lorissa Toweel, Queensland College of Art Griffith University
Visual Communication Design Graduate of the Year
David A. Cardenas Cordova, Queensland University of Technology (Joint winner)
Emily Child, Queensland College of Art Griffith University (Joint winner)
• South Australia / Northern Territory
SA NT Design Graduate of the Year, Isabelle Dick, University of South Australia
Industrial / Product Design Graduate of the Year, Henry Shaw, University of South Australia
Interior Design Graduate of the Year Isabelle Dick, University of South Australia
Visual Communication Design Graduate of the Year, Darrien Oudih, University of South Australia
• Victoria/Tasmania
VIC TAS Design Graduate of the Year, Aaron Nguyen, RMIT University
Fashion Design Graduate of the Year, Rachel Shugg, RMIT University
Furniture Design Graduate of the Year, Alexei Todd, RMIT University
Industrial / Product Design Graduate of the Year, Aaron Nguyen, RMIT University
Interior Decoration Graduate of the Year, Elizabeth Kuehne, The Interior Design Institute
Interior Design Graduate of the Year, Alecia Mostert, Collarts
Textile Design Graduate of the Year, Antonia Papasergio, RMIT University
Visual Communication Design Graduate of the Year, Michael Smith, Swinburne University of Technology
• Western Australia
WA Design Graduate of the Year, Emma Daley, North Metropolitan TAFE
Fashion Design Graduate of the Year, Dimitrije Simic, North Metropolitan TAFE
Furniture Design Graduate of the Year, Jo Gaunt, North Metropolitan TAFE
Interior Design Graduate of the Year, Lisa Henley, Curtin University
Textile Design Graduate of the Year, Emma Daley, North Metropolitan TAFE
Visual Communication Design Graduate of the Year, Lucas Marques Faim, North Metropolitan TAFE