Sydney-based Brooke Lloyd sits at the forefront of design. As a director at Cox, one of Australia’s leading interior design specialists, she brings a diverse skill set to bear in every project. With extensive experience across multiple design typologies, including hospitality, residential, cultural and workplace, Lloyd possesses a unique ability to balance the pragmatic with the poetic. The seamless blending of ideas and the degree to which a project expands the design potential of its specific typology are aspects Lloyd looks forward to seeing in this year’s entries. 

Davina Bester, an accomplished architect, interior designer and qualified builder, leads as the managing director at Milieu Creative—a dynamic studio spanning Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne. Renowned for design excellence across diverse project sectors, Bester has a global footprint, contributing to ventures internationally for more than 20 years. Her collaborative approach involves closely working with clients to comprehend their objectives and translate them into fitting design solutions. For Bester, excellent design is about delivering and realising exceptional outcomes for clients, which are the qualities she will be looking for when considering the IDEA 2024 entries.

Co-founder of South Australian-based architecture and interior design practice, Studio Gram, Graham Charbonneau excels at pushing the envelope and challenging the norm. With a particular focus on lifestyle projects, Charbonneau believes that good design is fundamental in all areas of our lives, including social, cultural and personal. Through this lens, each of his projects incorporate the comfort of the familiar with the allure of the unexpected. Each is infused with a sense of artistry, craft, and curiosity. It is this combination of innovation and creativity that Charbonneau will be looking for in the entries to IDEA 2024.

Melissa Bright is the principal and design director of Melbourne based practice, Studio Bright. As one of Australia’s leading architectural practices, Studio Bright engages in city-making projects of various scales and typologies. Having been immersed in the industry for almost two decades, and working extensively across Australia and internationally, Bright is known for her innovative design thinking, thoughtful material explorations, respect for heritage, deference to civic context and rigorous acknowledgement of environmental influences. For Bright, award-worthy design must embed each of these aspects in a meaningful way throughout the entire end-to-end design process.

Sydney-based architect and designer Michael Alvisse is one of the leading voices in sustainable design in Australia. With more than 20 years of experience designing award-winning furniture for some of Australia’s leading commercial furniture manufacturing companies, he has also consulted for global heavyweights, including Apple, Google and Microsoft, as well as public institutions like Austin Hospital. Alvisse has an intimate knowledge of what it takes to make a product or a building truly sustainable. Alvisse is co-founder of award-winning design studio Schamburg+Alvisse and has works in the permanent collections of major institutions, including the National Gallery of Victoria. Through his role as adjunct professor at University of Technology Sydney’s Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building, Alvisse is actively contributing to shaping the future of sustainable design in Australia. As our sustainability judge, he will be looking closely at projects that encompass full life cycle sustainability principles in a truly innovative way. 

Colombian-born Manuela Millan is a leading designer who’s spent the better part of the last decade taking Melbourne by storm. In addition to her role as interior design associate for esteemed firm Cera Stribley, Millan is also the founder and curator of ‘Meanwhile in Melbourne’, an online platform dedicated to celebrating local architecture and design. Through her work at both Cera Stribley and Meanwhile in Melbourne, she has solidified her position as a notable voice in the Australian design scene.

Millan brings a wealth of experience across diverse design sectors, including multi-residential, hospitality and private residences. She possesses a unique ability to harmonise functionality with aesthetic innovation. In reviewing 2024 IDEA entries, she seeks designs that seamlessly blend pragmatism with flair, while offering fresh and captivating perspectives.