Australian International Design Awards

Mission Statement

To be one of the world's foremost design assessment and promotion bodies through which Australia may become more globally competitive in design

Mandate

The Australian International Design Awards is a not-for-profit industry body dedicated to:

	Fostering a culture of design and innovation in Australia
	Rewarding excellence in design and innovation in the Australian marketplace
	Providing a means by which Australian design may compete on a global scale and gain further exposure to international business opportunities
	Improving the awareness and promoting the benefits of professional design to industry and the general public
	Positioning design as a driver of innovation, competition, export and productivity
	Demonstrating the importance of design in the link between invention and the commercial success of products
	Providing a clear, consistent indicator of design excellence at point-of-sale
	Creating a greater demand for design in Australia by appealing to more consumers and driving design strategy in product manufacture and business
	Providing a pathway for companies to compete for Australian market share through design differentiation
	Raising the position of Australian design against a global design benchmark
	Being an independent design assessment body acting in the best interests of the community in helping to create a safe and sustainable environment
	Building a knowledge bank of valuable information for people wishing to engage with the design industry including an archive of past entries and tally of award recipients
	Providing opportunities for emerging young Australian designers to showcase their talent to business in Australia and overseas

Audience

The Australian International Design Awards operates across a broad range of product development sectors including Consumer, Business & Technology, Medical & Scientific, Automotive & Transport, Sport & Leisure, Housing & Building, Agriculture & Heavy Machinery, Public Spaces, Furniture & Lighting, Materials & Textiles, Packaging & Point of Sale and Education.

Within these sectors, the Australian International Design Awards engages with:

A Retrospective

Formerly known as the Australian Design Awards, this high profile industry body was established by the Industrial Design Council of Australia (IDCA), founded in 1958. The IDCA also established several other awards including the Prince Philip Prize for Australian Design, established in 1967; the Design Selection Label, later referred to as the Good Design Label; and the popular Australian Design Index. To mark the inauguration of the Australian Design Award in March 1977, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was presented with the first Award by the Minister for Productivity, Mr I.M. Macphee and IDCA Chairman, Mr R.A. Rosenfeldt.

Standards Australia

Since 1991, the Australian International Design Awards has been a division of Standards Australia, a strong knowledge-based organisation committed to improving the quality of life through its support of excellence in professional product design. Over this time, Standards Australia has proven its commitment to the cause by taking a lead role in design assessment and promotion in Australia.

The synergies between Standards Australia and the Australian International Design Awards have never been stronger or better understood. For companies to design and develop internationally competitive products, they must first practice standards compliance, followed by professional design. Standards Australia sets standards of quality in manufactured goods, the Australian International Design Awards raises standards by encouraging excellence in product design.

Australian Design Icons

Australia's designers, scientists and engineers are continually exploring new horizons in the development of new technologies and products for the global marketplace. Few nations can lay claim to the international profile of ingenuity and entrepreneurship that Australia has carved out for itself over the past 50 years.

Since its inception, the Australian International Design Awards has a proud legacy of highlighting Australia's great design icons including the Hills Hoist, the Victa lawnmower, the Holden Monaro, the Cochlear ear implant, Ben Lexcen's winged keel, the Décor wine cooler, the Telecom Gold payphone, the Sunbeam steam iron, the Zip instant boiling water dispenser, the Dolphin torch, the test series cricket helmet, Marc Newson's Skybed for QANTAS, and many more.

For more information on the Australian International Design Awards or Standards Australia, contact us