Entries to the Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) 2024 are now open, with early bird entry pricing available now until 14 April. If the winning entries from 2023 were anything to go by, 2024 will be one of the most dynamic years in IDEA’s 22-year history.

New awards and a refinement of the Sustainability award

This year, Australian Design Review is very excited to introduce a special new award to IDEA 2024 — The Mark Robinson Community Award. You can learn more about this award here.

ADR is also thrilled to introduce our sustainability judge Michael Alvisse, one of Australia’s most fervent and respected champions of sustainable design. For the past two months, ADR has been working in close consultation with Alvisse to redefine and refine our Sustainability Award criteria. The new criteria reflect the importance of human-centric, full life cycle design, acknowledging that using sustainable materials alone is only one part of sustainable design. 

All IDEA entries will be eligible for the category you enter and put you in the running for Designer of the Year, all of which are chosen by our industry-leading judges.

To be eligible for Emerging Designer of the Year and the Sustainability award, entrants must also align with the category and complete an additional description about this.

Overall project of the Year has to win at least one category to be considered.

Championing Australian architecture and design

Entries to IDEA close on 12 May. We encourage you to start working on your entries now and submit them early to take advantage of early bird pricing and secure your tickets to the 2024 IDEA gala. 

As Australia’s premier design event, IDEA is the only design award event dedicated entirely to celebrating Australian architects and designers. Taking place in Melbourne this year, it is not to be missed. Stay tuned for more details about this exclusive evening.

Magazine features and covetable trophies

If you’ve got a project that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible and elevates the built world environment within Australia, we want to see it, and we want to share it with Australia.

All entries, including those that made the shortlist, will be featured in inside magazine issue #119 and will be eligible for online coverage on ADR.

Winning projects receive a bespoke trophy designed by Axolotl, which, in 2024, will be an even more desirable object than ever  — more to come on the trophy soon. Sign up to the ADR newsletter to stay in the loop and find out who will be designing the 2024 trophy. 

Winning projects will also be featured in inside’s December winners edition. The December edition not only presents the best of IDEA, but it also showcases our editors’ selection of profiles on outstanding Australian architects and designers, as well as feature stories on the people who live in IDEA winning spaces.

Key dates to remember

Early bird entries open on Tuesday 5 March 2024. 

Early bird entries close on Sunday 14 April 2024. Save yourself from last-minute panic and save $95 by getting your entries in early. 

Standard entries open on Monday 15 April 2024. If you miss the early bird date, you can still enter, it will just cost you more. 

Standard entries close on Sunday 12 May 2024. 

We’ve shortened the entry window this year to give our judges more time to engage deeply with each submission. Even more reason to start working on your submission now as competition, and critique, will be fierce. 

IDEA on the road — meeting the design community where you are

Brilliant design doesn’t just exist in Sydney and Melbourne. This year, ADR and IDEA will be engaging with the design community across the country at our shortlist and special category events. 

The Shortlist reveal event will be held on Thursday 18 July 2024 at Zenith showroom, Adelaide. 

Emerging Designer of the Year presentation on Thursday 8 August 2024 at ForestOne Melbourne showroom 

Designer of the Year presentation on Thursday 22 August 2024 at Cult Design Perth showroom 

The IDEA winners’ gala event will take place in November 2024. Come together with your community and finish off the year celebrating in style. The 2024 gala will be held in Melbourne. More details to be revealed. 

Questions?

If you have any questions about IDEA 2024, email us at idea@niche.com.au

Photography by Nickolas Gurtler Office, winner of the IDEA 2023 Institutional category.