“Design awards typically focus on the product rather than the person behind it. That has now changed with the first Designers Australia Awards held by the Design Institute of Australia, the country’s peak professional body”

“The three categories ‘Place,’ ‘Use’ and ‘Interact’ boast a wealth of forward-thinking projects across the country.” DIA president Gavin Campbell stated that “since 1948, the Design Institute of Australia has been committed to nurturing and empowering designers. It is pleasing to see the culmination of these awards, responses to design shifts while also being a part of our collective future.”

“A refreshing new approach to award excellence in design. In a unique reimagining of more traditional awards, the focus for the inaugural Designers Australia Awards is not just about the end result but the designers themselves, their processes and how they respond to wellbeing, ethics and advocacy.”

“They are different in their categories and criteria to most of the design awards currently offered in Australia. The three ground-breaking cross-disciplinary design categories would have previously been categorised by traditional design disciplines such as industrial, interior, graphic, digital, product, environmental, textile, fashion, and many more.”

“In an industry first, the awards dispense with tradition design disciplines such as industrial, interior, graphic, digital, product, environmental, textile, fashion, and others.”

“The final winners out of a shortlist of seventy-four across the country, reflect the designer’s ability to make a strong contribution to a better world and include three national winners, a President’s Award and thirty-one awards of Merit.”

“DesignByThem has teamed up with fashion designer Dion Lee for a project that, at its heart, promotes cross disciplinary design across Australia. The DIA jury, which included Adelaide-based Enoki director Susanna Bilardo, Dezeen editor Marcus Fairs and LIMINAL studio co-founding director Peta Heffernan, praised the project for its concept of translating Fashion into Furniture.”