The Design Institute of Australia announced the national winners in the Graduate of the Year Awards for 2021.
From 173 impressive nominations and 27 state winners, seven designers have been awarded, while the winner of the Australian Interior Design Graduate of the Year, Isabelle Kleijn of UNSW, has taken out the overall Madeline Lester Award.
Running since 2005, the GOTYA program aims to support and celebrate exceptional designers from around Australia in the early stages of their careers. This year the graduates were asked to develop “a responsibility to the industry,” focusing especially on sustainability and repurposing and designing and create products that benefit people and the planet.
There were 24 leading jurors taking part in the judging process, including Mark Berlangieri, Jane Valentine, Dave Bickmore, Tim Phillips, Gustavo Ruckman and Nancy Beka. The jury noted that the winners, by presenting a mix of concept developments, technical drawings and prototypes, displayed a clear understanding of the skills required in the commercial marketplace.
Jo-Ann Kellock, juror and DIA CEO, said, “GOTYA is a critical program as it brings together Australia’s emerging designers and connects them to our most respected educators and designers from leading design practices. This year, we had a remarkable 173 nominations and worked closely with over 40 university design departments—the graduates’ proposed human-centred design solutions like never before. 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.”
Isabelle Kleijn, UNSW.
Image: Isabelle Kleijn
The winners are:
Madeline Lester Award
Isabelle Kleijn, UNSW
Australian Textile Design Graduate of the Year
Sophie Yencken, RMIT University
Australian Fashion Design Graduate of the Year
Gisella Candi, University of Technology Sydney
Australia Furniture Design Graduate of the Year
Bolaji Teniola, RMIT University
Australian Interior Decoration Graduate of the Year
Joanne Odisho, RMIT University
Australian Interior Design Graduate of the Year
Isabelle Kleijn, UNSW
Australian Industrial / Product Design Graduate of the Year
Tim Lutton, RMIT University
Australian Visual Communication Design Graduate of the Year
Madison Chan, University of Technology Sydney (Joint Winner)
Erin McConnell, Swinburne University of Technology (Joint Winner)
