The Community Services category was introduced in 2021 to acknowledge the positive impact interior design and architecture have had on our community or not-for-profit sectors. In 2024, it was renamed to honour the late Mark Robinson, a dedicated advocate who actively promoted using one’s voice and resources to create a more inclusive and positively impactful design community. The Mark Robinson Community Award’s eligibility acknowledges that an individual’s impact within the design industry can go beyond the physical structures they design and programs they devise, the organisations they run or initiatives they support, to name a few examples.

To be eligible for this award the individual must have:

• Completed the project or facilitated the program or initiative between January 2021 and May 2024.
• Provided a platform to support marginalised or disadvantaged groups/peoples.
• Encouraged collaboration both within the design and broader community. This could include initiating or supporting programs that foster dialogue or partnerships with local organisations to achieve positive outcomes.
• Encouraged inclusivity in the design community by overcoming barriers to access and cultivating a diversity of voices within it. This could be through providing opportunities such as mentorships, access to employment or development resources, the running of programs to enhance diversity within the industry or providing design services to those who would not ordinarily have access to them.
  
  As part of their application, entrants will be asked to submit a 300-word description of how your practice, program or project benefits the community, vulnerable groups and/or neighbourhoods. Judges will be looking in particular at the contribution of the architect or designer in delivering the project

All entry fees for this category will be donated to the charity of the winning individual or studio’s choice.