Graduate of the Year Awards winners announced by Design Institute of Australia

The Design Institute of Australia (DIA) has announced the winners of their 2021 Graduate of the Year Awards (GOTYA). Chosen from 173 nominations and 27 State winners, the 8 overall winners are drawn from disciplines across the design industry, from fashion and products to interiors and decorating.

Launched in 2005, the GOTYA program seeks to “celebrate exceptional designers from around Australia in the early stages of their careers.” The announcement of the awards for early career professionals follows a similar initiative in the UK announced by the Architects Journal last month, highlighting early career graduates from the UK’s largest practices.

The graduates celebrated in the GOTYA 2021 edition include those who have explored new approaches to sustainability, created new products to benefit people’s everyday lives and presented ideas through a mix of concept developments, technical drawings, and prototypes.

“This year, we had a remarkable 173 nominations and worked closely with over 40 university design departments — the graduates proposed human-centered design solutions like never before,” explained Jo-Ann Kellock, program juror and DIA CEO. “Using innovative ways to utilize natural materials, they promoted sustainable development. It was wonderful to also see design and technology delivering thoughtful solutions to affect social and environmental causes."

The winners of GOTYA 2021 are as follows:

Australian Design Graduate of the Year (Madeline Lester Award) + Australian Interior Design Graduate of the Year:
Isabelle Kleijn, University of New South Wales

Australian Textile Design Graduate of the Year:
Sophie Yencken, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

Australian Fashion Design Graduate of the Year:
Gisella Candi, University of Technology Sydney

Australia Furniture Design Graduate of the Year:
Bolaji Teniola, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

Australian Interior Decoration Graduate of the Year:
Joanne Odisho, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

Australian Industrial / Product Design Graduate of the Year:
Tim Lutton, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

Australian Visual Communication Design Graduate of the Year:
Madison Chan, University of Technology Sydney (Joint Winner)
Erin McConnell, Swinburne University of Technology (Joint Winner)

The initiative by the DIA to support early-career designers follows on from similar projects in the United States. Last month, The Architecture Team announced a scholarship program at Boston’s Wentworth Institute of Technology, intended to “build a pipeline into professional practice for underrepresented students.” In July, meanwhile, the Architects Foundation announced the recipients for four of its scholarship programs aimed at supporting future leaders in equity, diversity, and sustainability in the architecture profession.

In May, five architecture students were awarded the 2021 Kohn Pedersen Fox Traveling Fellowship, giving them access to a summer of travel and research. Also in May, the Beyer Blinder Belle Foundation announced the recipients of its $30,000 grant to support Howard University’s architecture students, with three students each receiving $10,000 to support their academic pursuits and professional development.