The National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) is partnering with the Victorian Government to deliver the next chapter of the Victorian Premier’s Design Awards – the state’s highest honour for design excellence.
Established by the Victorian Government in 1996, the awards celebrate the work of Victorian designers and spotlight the extraordinary impact they have on how we live – from lifesaving medical innovations and environmental solutions to architecture, placemaking and products that drive our economy.
Victoria’s design sector contributes an estimated $6 billion to the state economy and supports tens of thousands of jobs.
The Victorian Premier’s Design Awards celebrate groundbreaking work. Past winners include Blackmagic Design’s world-first URSA Cine Immersive camera developed with Apple; the Neonav® ECG Tip Location System, which helps clinicians safely place central lines in critically ill newborns; the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape infrastructure, protecting Gunditjmara aquaculture and connecting visitors with Country; and KeepCup, which turned reusable cups into a scalable alternative to single-use waste.
These projects show Victorian design transforming health, culture, sustainability and everyday life.
NGV will deliver the next instalment of the awards in 2027 with a new approach – a nomination-based model, with peak bodies, cultural institutions and universities representing the breadth of Victorian design putting forward nominees. Presented during Melbourne Design Week, the 2027 awards will feature five cross-disciplinary categories – Victorian Designer of the Year, Design Impact Award, First Peoples Design Award, Design Innovation of the Year, and Emerging Designer of the Year.
Spanning the full spectrum of design, the awards will celebrate Victoria’s design industry and its contribution to Victorian life – from cultural leadership and civic impact to innovation, sustainability and emerging talent.
Nominating organisations will include the Australian Institute of Architects, the Design Institute of Australia, the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects, the Australian Graphic Design Association, Craft Victoria, Arts Access Victoria, Australian Fashion Council, ACMI, and leading Victorian universities.
Nominations will be assessed by a newly appointed jury of leading design practitioners including: designer Mary Featherston AM; Kerstin Thompson AM, Founding Principal and Design Director, KTA; Professor N'arwee't Carolyn Briggs AM, Professor of Research, Monash Art Design and Architecture; architect Dr Jefa Greenaway, founding Director of Greenaway Architects; graphic designer Michaela Webb, co-founder and Creative Director of Round; Tamsin O'Neill, co-founder and Editor of green magazine; Dhiren Das, Director of circular design studio Relative Systems; industrial designer Celina Clarke, Founding Director of ISM Objects; industrial designer Paul Charlwood, founder of Charlwood Design; Georgie Cleary, co-founder of fashion label Alpha60; and Ewan McEoin, Senior Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture at the NGV (Chair).
There will also be an opportunity for experienced industry practitioners to submit nominations through a Peer Nomination Pathway. Groups of at least three respected design industry peers can nominate an individual or practice, drawing on their knowledge of the field.
The Victorian Premiers Design Award winners will be celebrated at a ceremony during Melbourne Design Week in May 2027.
For further information visit ngv.vic.gov.au/premiersdesignawards
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