Special Accolades

Good Design Australia presents a number of special awards and accolades within the annual Good Design Awards to recognise, reward and celebrate the expanding role of design in helping shape a better, safer and more prosperous world.

  • Indigenous Designer Award
  • Women in Design Award
  • Good Design Team of the Year Award
  • Patron's Australian Design Award
  • Australian Design Prize
  • AUTOMOTIVE DESIGN AWARD
  • MAAS Design Award
  • Design Institute of Australia Award
  • 202020 Vision Green Design Award
  • CSIRO Design Innovation Award
  • Safe Work Australia Award for Good Design

  • The Indigenous Designer Award recognises and celebrates the important contribution that Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander designers make to Australian Design across the spectrum of design disciplines and practice.

    The Award is selected from participants in Australia’s annual Good Design Awards program.

    RMIT and Indigenous Community representatives evaluate nominated submissions and select the overall winner for the Award based on specific evaluation criteria.

    Please note, at least one member of the design team must identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander to be eligible for this Award.

    Proudly presented by RMIT.

    Indigenous Designer Award Winners

    2019 – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Career Pathways Service
    2018 – Australian Indigenous Design Charter

  • The Women in Design Award was established in response to the significant gender imbalance within leadership roles in the design industry. This award seeks to recognise and celebrate women who have made significant contributions to the industry and hopes to encourage a more diverse and equal representation within leadership roles and in the design and creative industries in general.

    Process

    • Nominations will be accepted through an online form on the Good Design Awards website.
    • There is no cost to nominate and nominators can submit more than one nomination.
    • The Winner will be announced at the Good Design Awards Ceremony.

    Eligibility

    The Women in Design Award is open to nominations. Nominees must be Australian citizens or women working and living in Australia. Nominations are also open to Australian women currently working overseas.

    Women in Design Award Winners

    2019 – Sharon Gauci

    2019 Finalists
    Sharon Gauci, Executive Director at General Motors and the first Australian woman to hold this position;
    Liane Rossler, Founder of Superlocalstudio and Co-Founder of Dinosaur Designs;
    Judith Glover, RMIT lecturer in Industrial Design and Founder of cult sex toy brand Goldfrau;
    Vanessa Bird, Architect and Co-Founder of the multi-awarding winning architectural practice Bird de la Coeur Architects;
    Ros Moriarty, Designer and Managing Director of Balarinji Studio, Australia’s leading indigenous art and design group.

  • The Good Design Team of the Year Award is a special honour bestowed annually to a design team who consistently perform at the highest level in the annual Good Design Awards.

    The Good Design Team of the Year recognises a design team that has made a positive and tangible impact in establishing and maintaining a design-led culture within their organisation.

    The Award is selected by Good Design Australia and is aimed at inspiring corporations to build and maintain a design-led culture throughout the organisation.

    EVALUATION CRITERIA

    Evidence that the organisation is design-led from the CEO down and that design forms part of the DNA of the organisation.

    The Design Team has cultivated a culture of creativity and leadership where everyone in the organisation is inspired and influenced by the power of design.

    The Design Team is consistently recognised in the annual Good Design Awards and other credible international design award programs.

    Good Design Team of the Year Award Winners

    2019 – Caroma Design Team
    2018 – The Breville Design Team

  • The Patron’s Australian Design Award is presented annually by the Patron of Good Design Australia.

    The Award recognises and celebrates the best Australian designed product, service or project in the annual Good Design Awards and is awarded to an entry that has the potential to shape the future economic, social, cultural and environmental aspects of our planet.

    Patron’s Australian Design Award Winners

    2019 – Sans Forgetica
    2018 – NurseWatch
    2017 – Sofia 2
    2016 – The Safety Compass
    2015 – Transportable Building Collapse Training Simulator  (Joint Winner)
    2015 – High Resolves  (Joint Winner)
    2014 – Community Centred Innovation: co-designing for disaster preparedness
    2013 – Quicklay Fire Attack Pack
    2012 – MineLab F3 Compact Metal Detector

  • The Australian Design Prize was established to recognise individual designers who are making or have made, a significant impact in Australian design over the course of their career.

    There is no application to be considered for this Award. Good Design Australia will be calling for nominations from the Australian design community and will assemble a Jury to determine the recipient who will be invited to accept the Award at the annual Good Design Awards Presentation Ceremony.

    Australian Design Prize Winners

    2019 – Mark Armstrong
    2018 – Paul Schremmer
    2018 – Carl Nielsen (Awarded Posthumously)

  • Good Design Australia’s Automotive Design Award is a special accolade within the Automotive and Transport Category to recognise excellence in automotive design and styling.

    Vehicles entered into the Automotive and Transport Category in the annual Good Design Awards will also be considered for the Best Exterior Design Award and Best Interior Design Award as part of the jury process.

    EVALUATION CRITERIA

    Best Exterior Design Award

    • Form
    • Function
    • External visual impact and appeal
    • Design detail
    • All round visibility
    • Pedestrian considerations and safety
    • Ease of driver maintenance and cleaning
    • Predicted durability and material choice

    Best Interior Design Award

    • Form
    • Function
    • Internal visual impact and appeal
    • Design detail
    • Ease of entry and egress
    • Seating and adjustability
    • Control location and ergonomics
    • Control feel and function
    • Predicted durability and material choice
    • Luggage capacity and security

    Automotive Design Award Winners

    2019 Best Exterior Design – Alpine A110
    2019 Best Interior Design – Tesla Model 3
    2018 Best Exterior Design – Lexus LC Coupe
    2018 Best Interior Design – Volvo XC60

  • Since 1992 the Powerhouse Museum, part of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS), has recognised excellence in Australian design with its own Award as part of the annual Australian Good Design Awards.

    The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences Award is chosen from the annual Good Design Awards and the criteria includes good design, innovation and the significance of a design to Australia’s culture. The Award is given to a project that has potential to make a significant improvement to the quality of health, wellbeing or the environment. This Award recognises the important role of design in harnessing the challenges of science and technology to make a positive impact on our lives.

    MAAS Award Winners

    2019 – RangerBot
    2018 – Fashion Revolution Australia
    2017 – BES Rehab EXOFLEX Hand Therapy and Assessment Device
    2016 – Sydney Park Water Re-Use Project

  • The Design Institute of Australia Award recognises an Australian professional designer, design team or design company who has made a significant impact in the Australian Good Design Awards over the year.

    This Award was established by Good Design Australia and the Design Institute of Australia to recognise the role of professional design in projects submitted to the annual Good Design Awards program.

    DIA Award Winners

    2019 – Designworks
    2018 – Clandestine Design Group
    2017 – Blackmagic Design
    2016 – Cobalt Niche
    2015 – Catalyst Design Group
    2014 – Design + Industry

  • The 202020 Vision Green Design Award recognises excellence in green urban and space design. The Award was established by Good Design Australia and the 202020 Vision to help raise awareness and to promote excellence in green design.

    The 202020 Vision Green Design Award recognises and celebrates the important role of green and living infrastructure design to our built environment and to our overall health and wellbeing.

    EVALUATION CRITERIA

    Contribution to more and better green space, greater appreciation for plants and trees in the design and development stage of projects, biophilia, air purification, water sensitive urban design, product design and development that progresses green and living infrastructure increases and improvements.

    202020 Vision Green Design Award Winners

    2019 – Bendigo Hospital Project
    2018 – Sydney Park Water Re-use Project
    2017 – Hassett Park
    2016 – The Goods Line

  • The CSIRO Design Innovation Award recognises and celebrates the important role of design-led innovation in harnessing the challenges of science and technology to create better products and services that make a positive impact on our lives.

    The Award is selected from winners in Australia’s annual Good Design Awards program.

    CSIRO representatives evaluate nominated submissions and select the overall winner for the Award based on specific evaluation criteria.

    CSIRO Design Innovation Award Winners

    2019 – Sundrop Farms
    2018 – Facett
    2017 – Sofia 2
    2016 – The Seabin Project

  • The Safe Work Australia Award for Good Design was a joint initiative between Safe Work Australia and Good Design Australia from 2016 to 2018 and raised awareness of the role of good design to support work health and safety.

    Safe Work Australia Award for Good Design Winners

    Award Discontinued

    2018 – DBCT Remedials – Mobile Swing-Stage Gantry
    2017 – Melbourne LRV E-Class Design Enhancement
    2016 – Makinex Construction Products