Graduates of the Year Awards 2023 - final jury announced
DIA – Awards
• Respected jurors include David Smith, Harriet Sutherland, Jayden Lim, Kate Bednarz, Nicole Gemlitski, Paloma Hodgins and Peter Lambert.
They join previously announced jurors Alena Smith, Csilla Csabai, Evan Reeves, Jack Flanagan, Jan-Marie Jaillei, Sally Evans, Sara Horstmann, Spiroula Stathakis, Timothy Wilkinson; and Bernadette Wilson and Claire Beale from the DIA.
The DIA released the names of the final seven jurors out of eighteen invited to judge the high-profile Graduates of the Year Awards 2023 (Gotya).
Gotya is Australia's flagship program for emerging designers, created to support and celebrate exceptional Australian designers as they embark on their careers.
Tertiary institutions nationwide have nominated their top graduates across traditional disciplines into three new categories this year—Place, Use, and Interact. Nominee portfolios will be anonymously evaluated on their design excellence and interviewed by the jury to determine their transferable workplace skills and predicted impact on the Australian design industry.
The prominent jurors represent a broad cross-section of Australia's design landscape and include:
• David Smith
David Smith is the design director at United Studio, a multi-disciplinary design consultancy specialising in branding programs and wayfinding based in Perth, Western Australia.
One of the things that makes the studio a little different is that it disregards traditional boundaries between various design disciplines and moves between architecture, industrial, interior and graphic design. United Studio's most significant advantage is that it can create environments for clients from many viewpoints; the rationalism of architectural planning and the emotive nature of graphics and colour are developed as part of the same process.
David prioritises an understanding of brand strategy and personality and how they can be expressed, which is central to his work philosophy. He is the DIA’s Branch Chair in WA and Co-founder of Perth Design Week.
• Harriet Sutherland
Harriet Sutherland is the Creative Director and Buyer at Camargue, a multi-brand boutique and e-commerce business based in Brisbane.
She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts(Fashion Design)/Bachelor of Business from the Queensland University of Technology and received the 2014 QUT Vaughn Award for Excellence in Fashion Design. Joining Camargue in 2017, Harriet oversaw the revival of one of Australia’s longest-running multi-brand boutiques.
Harriet is passionate about enhancing one’s individuality through their clothes, with a focus on quality and craftsmanship. Working with brands of all different scales and sizes—her passion is nourishing independent new fashion brands with a timeless sensibility.
• Jayden Lim
Jayden is an Interior Designer with experience including local, interstate and international exposure. He has worked on a variety of projects, from bespoke fit-outs to large-scale complex projects, and is proficient in all phases of design and project delivery. He has experience working on projects across different regions and locations, giving him a diverse perspective and the ability to adapt and understand to a different cultural.
His passion lies in creating commercial interiors that promotes health and well-being for the end users. He strives to design functional and visually appealing spaces that align with client’s brief and goals, always with the aim of delivering innovative, positive and unique experiences.
• Kate Bednarz
With over 10 years of industry experience, Kate obtained her Masters in Industrial Design through Swinburne’s pilot Design Factory programme with Aalto University, Finland. After starting her career as an in-house designer at a manufacturing facility, Kate joined the consulting world with Cobalt Design in 2017.
As a Senior Project Leader, she manages several high profile, long-term local and international clients, and combines a high aesthetic standard with a focus on usability and quality translation into production. Kate is also a key part of Cobalt’s professional development team as a Development Mentor, supporting junior staff to push their skills and achieve their career goals.
• Nicole Gemlitski
Nicole Gemlitski is an industrial designer who specialises in crafting innovative product, system and service designs supported by thorough research and practical solutions that address unmet market needs. She has a Bachelor of Industrial Design (Honours) from RMIT and graduated in 2019.
She focuses on human-centred design approaches, embedded research practices, and leveraging emerging technologies to enhance patient experiences in the healthcare sector. Gemlitski founded AlitePro in 2023, a health tech startup transforming nurse and patient experiences in hospital environments.
Nicole has collaborated with CISCO Health Transformation Lab, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, RMIT University, CSIRO and The Growth Drivers.
Notably, she received the prestigious Design Institute of Australia, Madeline Lester Award in 2020 and showcased her designs at Dubai Design Week that year.
• Paloma Hodgins
Paloma is a dedicated advocate for creative talent, with a strong passion for nurturing success in others. As an esteemed designer and educator with over a decade of international experience, she imparts her expertise across various institutions and design programs.
Paloma remains actively engaged in the industry and recently obtained a Master of Design at QCA, where she honed her expertise in Visual Communication Portfolios.
Embracing versatility, she seamlessly transitions between roles as a Designer, Educator, and Collaborator, constantly curating captivating graphic visuals and collaborating with other creative minds. Paloma's commitment to the creative industries inspires and empowers aspiring designers, leaving a lasting impact on the design community.
• Peter Lambert
Peter Lambert Design (PLD) is a graphic design consultancy. We provide a full range of services, from advice to design and production, including brand identity, communications, and signage.
Lambert has over 35 years of experience as a graphic designer and is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia.
Projects receive the very best attention, thought and execution to create an appropriate and well-considered design solution—and executed beautifully, functionally and responsibly. Essential to this is a thorough understanding of each project and applying the knowledge and skills gained from research and experience, rigorous design development and conceptual creativity and ideation.