Above image appears courtesy of Workshopped.

ADR looks at some of the most popular design competitions in Australia that acknowledge and reward the talent of local students and emerging designers.

VIVID
One of Australia’s longest running design competitions, Vibrant Visions in Design (VIVID), celebrates emerging designers and helps them kick start their careers. The competition has already helped over 700 designers showcase over 1000 products. Past winners include Marc Pascal, Ross Gardnam, David Harwick and Adam Lynch.

The competition is free to enter and includes categories for professional designers who have been in business for less than five years as well as current students of design. Product categories include market-ready furniture, prototype furniture and lighting designs. For more information, click here.

WORKSHOPPED
The WORKSHOPPED exhibition has become one of the biggest product design events in Australia, working to identify great Australian design and bring it to local and international attention. Running since 2001, WORKSHOPPED facilitates commercial relationships between design creators, producers and buyers.

WORKSHOPPED looks for designers who have identified and considered the issues relating to production, whether limited or mass production and irrespective of the production method. If you are ready to take your original idea through to production, apply to be in the next WORKSHOPPED exhibition here.

Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA)
The Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) is Australia’s largest and most successful independent design awards program. Launched by inside magazine in 2003, the program celebrates the best of Australian interior and product design across 11 categories and five awards.

As well as attracting submissions from some of the country’s leading architecture and design firms, the program also helps to support emerging local designers through its Emerging Designer and Object – Furniture and Lighting (Rising) awards. All shortlisted projects are published in a special shortlist edition of inside magazine and appear on the IDEA and ADR websites. For more information, click here.

Indigo Slam by Smart Design Studio, the Overall winner at IDEA 2016.

ACE Design Awards
The Australian Contemporary Emerging (ACE) Design Awards is organised by the Australian Furniture Association with an aim to provide a platform to acknowledge and showcase the work and effort of furniture design students and emerging Australian furniture designers to local national and international audiences.

All the nominated entries become part of the FURNITEX connect exhibition. Applications are accepted across seven award categories. Find out more here.

Australian Furniture Design Award (AFDA)
The biennial Australian Furniture Design Award, presented by JamFactory in conjunction with Stylecraft, honours excellence in Australian furniture design. This program provides an opportunity for entrants to be recognised within the furniture manufacturing industry, with the winner receiving $20,000 cash, acquisition of the winning prototype by the Art Gallery of South Australia, a residency within the JamFactory Furniture Studio and distribution of the resulting product or product range through Stylecraft’s showrooms. For more information, click here.

Mercedes-Benz Design Award
The Mercedes-Benz Design Award looks for an object design that enhances the outdoor dining space. From dining chairs and barstools, to lighting and lounges – it can be any object. The winner receives mentorship with the Tait design team, prototyping and production of the design with Tait, and the product added to the Tait range. To find out more, click here.

Miele ‘Forever Better’ Competition
Beginning in 2015, Miele’s ‘Forever Better’ design competition offers a cash prize to an Australian designer for a creative installation concept. This is a unique opportunity for your work to be seen by Australia’s leading architects and interior designers. Previous winners include Woods Bagot, Edwards Moore, and Karoline De Mendonça from Sydney-based practice Those Architects.

For news on next year’s competition, keep an eye on ADR and the Miele website.