Winner
Troy Borg, RMIT University
Jury citation
Since starting his Bachelor of Architecture at RMIT in 2015, Troy Borg has proven himself to be a dedicated and hardworking student with a passion for giving back to the student body. After assisting in the Victorian Architecture Awards’ Presentation to Juries in 2015, Troy joined SONA as the RMIT representative in 2016, was the national vice-president in 2017 and was recently announced as the network’s national president for 2018.
During his time with SONA, Troy has volunteered at the National Architecture Conference in Canberra and attended National Educational Committee and National Council meetings. Most significantly, he has worked with the Institute to reconfigure SONA’s social media platforms in a way that increases engagement and facilitates contact between different universities. This has led to improved awareness of events and opportunities for SONA members.
Troy is passionate about equality and shows care and respect for everyone he meets. He has organized a number of events, including the By Invitation Masterclasses, Buddy Breakfast and Embracing Differences. While the content of these events has varied greatly, the underlying message has been to break down barriers between people and facilitate community. Troy embodies values that speak well to architecture’s future – generosity, leadership and inclusiveness.
Commendation
Paul Violett, University of Queensland
Jury citation
Since starting his Bachelor of Architectural Design in 2011, Paul Violett has shown a passion for giving back to the student community. After representing University
of Queensland students on SONA, he sought to bring architecture students and design professionals together.
In his role as SONA representative, Paul had the opportunity to initiate a number of events, including a student forum to deliver feedback to the head of school, an Architecture Bar Tour and Q and A panel with professionals, and the inaugural One:One event in Queensland. Paul continued his passion for events as the SONA vice-president in 2014, using his position to guide other students to achieve the success he had enjoyed as a representative. This included facilitating collaboration between interstate universities when One:One was run concurrently between six states. Paul’s most significant contributions came after he took on the role of SONA national president in 2015. He secured agreement from the Institute’s National Council to sponsor SONA committees. SONA committees allow each university representative to have a committee of four other students, allowing the workload to be shared and collaborative skills developed. This has led to the creation of better events, attracting more participants.
Jury
Richard Kirk LFRAIA (Chair) – President, Australian Institute of Architects and Director, Kirk
Sandra Kaji-O’Grady Aff RAIA – Dean of Architecture and Head of School, University of Queensland
Richard Black RAIA – Associate professor, RMIT University
Kieran Maguire – 2017 SONA Vice President
