How to enter

The 2025 Victorian Premier's Design Awards will open for entries soon.

Established by the Victorian Government in 1996, the Victorian Premier’s Design Awards are an opportunity to highlight and celebrate local design capability.

Entry Portal ↗

Process and Timetable

To be eligible, designers and architects must be based in Victoria and the majority of the design work must have been done in Victoria.

Entries are judged by a panel of national and international design experts representing the diverse range of design disciplines showcased by the awards.

All jury members are required to sign the Victorian Premier's Design Awards Judges Code of Conduct.

Round One: Online Evaluation
Australian and international Jurors independently evaluate entries against the Judging Criteria in their designated category.

Round Two: Online Discussion
Jurors meet to discuss the outcome of Round One Scoring and decide which projects will proceed as Finalists. Successful Finalists proceed to Round Three.

Round Three: In-Person Evaluation
Lead Jurors from each category meet in-person to evaluate, discuss and debate the selected Finalists. This multi-disciplinary panel will determine which projects will go on to receive the:
Victorian Premier’s Design Award Highly Commended,
Victorian Premier’s Design Award Best in Category Award,
Victorian Premier's Design Award Sustainability and Circular Design Commendation, and the
Victorian Premier’s Design Award of the Year.

2025 Awards Timetable

Late May 2025

Call for Entry Opens

11 July 2025

Entry Deadline

August 2025

Judging

Late October 2025

Finalists Announced

12 November 2025

Awards Ceremony

Judging Criteria

Entries in the Victorian Premier’s Design Awards are evaluated against four (4) main criteria and awarded accolades in the order outlined below. Questions have been provided below each criterion to act as prompts to applicants while completing their submission. Applicants are strongly encouraged to address the criteria in their submission(s) to allow the Jury to better understand the design merits of the project and how their project(s) addresses the Judging Criteria.

  • Is it evident the project has gone through a professional design process?
  • Has the design been professionally executed and finished?
  • Has the design team met or exceeded the design brief?
  • Does the project satisfy the fundamental criteria for good design including attributes such as functionality, aesthetics, safety, quality and sustainability?
  • Is there a holistic high-quality, fit for purpose user experience factored into the design deliverable?
  • Does the project set a new benchmark for design excellence in Victoria and will it communicate the benefits of investing in professional design?
  • Does the project solve a legitimate problem or create a new opportunity in a truly innovative and imaginative manner?
  • Is the project unique and does it offer any new and/or ground-breaking design features?
  • Is the design user-centred and does it answer the individual needs of its users and respond to their circumstances?
  • Does the project have the potential to make a positive impact from a Social, Environmental and/or Commercial perspective?
  • Does the design adhere to the principles of a Circular Economy such as designing out waste, minimising materials, regenerating natural systems and using processes that have the least possible environmental impact in their use and at the end of their life cycle?
  • Does the project build on and contribute to the reputation and status of Victoria’s design and creative culture?
DESIGN PROCESS
  • Is it evident the project has gone through a professional design process?
  • Has the design been professionally executed and finished?
  • Has the design team met or exceeded the design brief?
DESIGN EXCELLENCE
  • Does the project satisfy the fundamental criteria for good design including attributes such as functionality, aesthetics, safety, quality and sustainability?
  • Is there a holistic high-quality, fit for purpose user experience factored into the design deliverable?
  • Does the project set a new benchmark for design excellence in Victoria and will it communicate the benefits of investing in professional design?
DESIGN INNOVATION
  • Does the project solve a legitimate problem or create a new opportunity in a truly innovative and imaginative manner?
  • Is the project unique and does it offer any new and/or ground-breaking design features?
  • Is the design user-centred and does it answer the individual needs of its users and respond to their circumstances?
DESIGN IMPACT
  • Does the project have the potential to make a positive impact from a Social, Environmental and/or Commercial perspective?
  • Does the design adhere to the principles of a Circular Economy such as designing out waste, minimising materials, regenerating natural systems and using processes that have the least possible environmental impact in their use and at the end of their life cycle?
  • Does the project build on and contribute to the reputation and status of Victoria’s design and creative culture?

View highlights from the Awards Night

Credit Kit Haselden.

Categories

Entries are accepted under the following categories.

Architectural Design

Communication Design

Design Strategy

Digital Design

Fashion Design

Product Design

Service Design

Student Design