The Design Files + Laminex Design Awards is an awards program designed to acknowledge the designers, architects and makers who contribute to Australia’s vibrant creative community.
This is an awards program which recognises the diverse creative fields which make up modern Australia, from small scale, handcrafted practices, to Residential Architecture, Interior Design, and Landscape Design.
From established to emerging creatives, home studios to globally recognised design firms, these awards bring together the very best in Australian design and creativity.
The TDF + Laminex Design Awards program champions creativity, originality, sustainability, innovation and visionary thinking, across multiple disciplines.
One winner in each category will receive a certificate, a handblown glass trophy, and a cash prize. Up to two commendations in each category will receive a certificate.
All award winners and commended entries will receive acknowledgement within editorial on The Design Files, and within The Design Files Design Awards newspaper.
CASH PRIZES by Category
Residential Architecture – $5,000
Interior Design – $5,000
Landscape Design – $2,000
Lighting Design – $2,000
Furniture Design – $2,000
Textile Design – $2,000
Handcrafted – $2,000
Sustainable Design or Initiative – $2,000
Emerging Designer – $2,000
Collaboration – $2,000
The Design Files + Laminex Design Awards is open to all Australian-based designers and creatives, for projects completed within Australia between January 1st 2020 and April 27th 2021 (each, a “Project”).
Exception : the Landscape Design and Sustainable Design or Initiative category will accept submissions for products / projects that have been developed in the past three years. Projects created anytime between January 1st 2018 and April 27th 2021 are eligible in these categories.
Applicants may be individuals, small groups of collaborators, companies, or individuals working within companies, provided that all individuals listed on an application:
– are 18 years or over at the date of entry;
– possess the legal right to work in Australia; and
– meet specific eligibility criteria as detailed in any award category.
(“Applicant”)
In order to be eligible, each Applicant must submit their Project via the online portal located here by 5.00pm AEST Friday 4th June 2021. (“Entry”). All information in each Entry must be completed with true and accurate information. The Design Files may reject any Entry on the grounds of incomplete or inaccurate information.
Where appropriate, Projects may be entered in more than one category. A separate Entry and entry fee is required for each category entered into.
The Design Files and their agents are not responsible for lost, late, or misdirected entries, for technical, hardware or software failures of any kind, for lost or unavailable network connections, or for failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions or any human error which may occur in the receipt or processing of the entries.
First Nations designers and makers are encouraged to apply for The Design Files + Laminex Design Awards – contact sally@thedesignfiles.net for assistance, if required.
For more info on eligibility and judging criteria, please refer to additional text on the Application Page relevant to your category.
Applications will be judged in two phases:
General Round
All applications will initially be judged by The Design Files team (with oversight from judges in some cases), who will choose 5-15 Entries in each category to form a ‘shortlist’.
Shortlist
A panel of 2-3 industry experts will judge applications from the General Round shortlist to determine a winner for each category.
All shortlisted Entries will be published on The Design Files, with winners announced at The Design Files Design Awards ceremony, Thursday September 30th 2021 at Deakin Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne.
Judges’ decision making will be final and binding in all matters relating to the awarding of Design Files Design Awards
Elisa is a Ngugi woman from Quandamooka Country (Moreton Island/Moorgumpin and Stradbroke Island/Minjerribah, Queensland). Her practice honours her cultural heritage by incorporating materials collected from Country, utilising traditional techniques and expressing contemporary adaptations through the mediums of painting, weaving and textiles. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Queensland College of Art and a Masters of Fine Art from the Queensland University of Technology.
Paul Bangay is widely regarded as the foremost garden designer in Australia today, having completed an extensive list of private and public commissions across the world. In 2001, Paul was awarded the Centenary Medal for his contribution to public design projects, and in 2018, he received a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to landscape architecture. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Horticulture) from the University of Melbourne.
Nick founded Nick Rennie Studio in 2001 after completing his studies in industrial design at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. With a penchant for simple elegant design, the studio endeavors to create products with a visual balance and harmony between the idiom and materials used.
Jirra Lulla Harvey is a Koorie woman who works with First Nations creatives to build impactful businesses. She is the founder of Kalinya Retreats, a place for Aboriginal entrepreneurs and friends to talk business under the stars.
Danielle Brustman is a highly experienced and awarded interior designer. In recent years, the designer launched an installation for the NGV Triennial 2020, received a commendation for her ‘Chromatic Fantastic’ cabinet at the 2020 TDF + Laminex Design Awards, and established her studio Collingwood Yards as the recipient of the Bank of Melbourne Studio Residency.
Khai Liew’s multidisciplinary design practice is based in Adelaide. The practice comprises a design studio and workshop, where highly-skilled craftspeople produce one-off design commissions, small-run furniture editions, and complete interiors. Khai himself is an expert in Australian historical decorative arts. His designs have been exhibited at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum and Design Museum, as well as Triennale De Milano.
Nicolette Johnson produces contemporary and unique ceramic vessels handmade in Brisbane. She was the inaugural winner of The Design Files Design Awards Handcrafted prize for her work, Dark Tower, 2019.
Myles Baldwin is a horticulturist, writer, and one of Australia’s leading landscape designers. Trained at The Royal Botanic Garden Sydney, Myles developed an interest for a broad diversity of plant material and a passion for period garden design. He founded his self-titled practice in 2000.
Adriana Hanna is the head of interiors and an associate at Kennedy Nolan. The architect’s approach is characterised by a meticulous attention to elegant detail, and a focus on delivering high-quality built outcomes.
Good Citizens was born in 2018 over a family dinner between Nik Robinson and his young sons. The family were upset about the amount of plastic waste in the world, so they created Good Citizens, which turns 600ml plastic bottles into locally-manufactured sunglasses made from 100% recycled materials.
Amanda Henderson launched her event design and visual merchandising business, Gloss Creative, 20 years ago. What ensued has been a stellar career of incredible large-scale event design and visual merchandising concepts, including a spectacular recreation of Versailles inside a racing marquee, collaborating with artist Bill Henson, and even making it rain on a fashion runway.
Aaron Peters is a director of Vokes and Peters, a Brisbane-based architectural practice. Their Subiaco House was awarded the inaugural Residential Architecture prize in the 2019 The Design Files Awards.
Ross Harding is a creative environmental consultant with an academic background in engineering and finance. His practice Finding Infinity, provides self-sufficiency advice, with projects ranging from houses to city-wide masterplans.
Luciana Wallis is a textile designer and product developer with over 13 years experience in the Australian textile design industry. She is the design manager at Warwick Fabrics, working with printers, dyers, weavers and suppliers worldwide to create distinctive textile collections.
Tristan Wong is a director of SJB Architects’ Melbourne studio. His projects have won architectural and urban design awards with particular reference to clarity and creativity in their design and planning. In 2019 he was selected as co-creative director of Australia’s pavilion at the 2020 Venice Architecture Biennale.
Kerstin Thompson established her Melbourne-based practice Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA) in 1994 encompassing architecture, interiors, landscape and urban design. In recognition for the work of Kerstin’s practice, contribution to the profession and its education, Kerstin was elevated to Life Fellow by the Australian Institute of Architects in 2017.
Amanda Dziedzic is a Melbourne-based glass blower, designer and maker, and the co-founder of Hot Haus – Melbourne’s newest glassblowing studio in Heidelberg West. Amanda is not only a judge of the Handcrafted category, she’s also the creator of the awards’ stunning glass trophies, which are back again by popular demand for 2021!
Pascale Gomes McNabb is a celebrated Melbourne-based interior design. She is known for her detail-driven hospitality spaces such as Cumulus Inc. and Stokehouse, as well as her highly-considered residential projects.
Designer Sophie Matson founded textile label Købn in 2017 with a view of bringing the consideration of interior styling to the outdoors. The label’s towels are designed in Melbourne and sustainably crafted by a family-owned mill in Denizli, Turkey.
Sue Carr, founding principal of Carr, has championed and cemented the power of design in Australia for 50 years. Sue’s design philosophy permeates every project and has evolved through a deep understanding of the value that design can impart on the human experience.
Trained in industrial design, Christopher Boots’ focus is on interpreting lighting as sculptural objects. His self-titled studio was founded on material and metaphysical exploration of quartz crystal, birthing a signature aesthetic.
Mardi Doherty is the director of Doherty Design Studio (DDS) and has more than 20 years’ experience in residential and commercial interior design projects. Her passion for interior design has led DDS to work on a portfolio of multi-disciplinary projects across Melbourne and encourage the studio to design with a highly collaborative and bespoke approach.
Amanda Oliver is the founding director of Amanda Oliver Gardens – a Melbourne-based landscape design and garden company with a reputation for creating plant-focused gardens and spaces. The practice is renowned for its collaborative design expertise, alongside extensive plant and horticultural knowledge.
Celina co-founded ISM Objects in 1990. For over 30 years, ISM Objects has designed lighting and furniture products with a focus on technology, experimentation and a commitment to Australian manufacturing. Celina’s work is also held in major collections including MOMA New York, the Powerhouse Museum NSW & the National Gallery of Victoria.
Tyrone Wright, aka Rone, is one of Australia’s most accomplished modern painters. Originally part of Melbourne’s early 2000s fledgling street art movement, the artist is now a fixture on the international street art scene, renowned for his large-scale wall paintings and immersive installations exploring beauty and decay.