Australian Design Awards now open to professional designs

The 2008 Australian International Design Awards are now calling for entrants, and for the first time, professionally designed products will be eligible. After discovering such varied ideas as the electric violin, retractable umbrella, convertible high heels and the waiting room chair that converts into a hospital bed, it will be fascinating to see what will come in under the new eligibility criteria.

The Australian International Design Awards, a division of Standards Australia, has opened its doors to all professionally designed products on the Australian market and is calling for entries to the 2008 program.

Executive Director of the Australian International Design Awards, Australia’s peak design awards body, Brandon Gien said the Australian Design Awards has evolved into a global design assessment and promotion body, and has become the Australian International Design Awards.

“From this year onwards, entry is open to all professionally designed products available for sale in Australia, and products professionally designed by Australians for overseas markets,” said Gien. “The decision has been born out of industry feedback and a demand for the program to better reflect the changing climate of design in Australia and around the world. This is a natural expansion that better reflects the global nature of the design industry.

The Australian International Design Awards provides a low-cost launch pad for designers to seek that much needed competitive edge.

Entry covers a broad range of industry sectors including:

• Consumer
• Business and Technology
• Medical and Scientific
• Automotive and Transport
• Sport and Leisure
• Housing and Building
• Agriculture and Heavy Machinery
• Public Spaces
• Furniture and Lighting
• Materials and Textiles Innovation
• Packaging and Point of Sale
• Student

• Applications Open – Wed 5 September 2007
• Applications Close – Fri 14 December 2007
• Notification of First Round Shortlist - Tues 29 January 2008
• Final Round Assessments - Mon 10 to Thurs 20 March 2008
• 2008 Presentation Night in Sydney - Fri 30 May 2008