DIA Reveals Australia’s Graduate Designer Winners of Gotya 2023

The Design Institute of Australia (DIA) has announced the winners of its flagship program for emerging designers—the Graduate of the Year Awards 2023 (Gotya).

From 163 ambitious nominations, 73 were Shortlisted, and 9 extraordinary young designers have been awarded the prestigious Australian prize. A massive undertaking, the DIA collaborated with 40+ universities, institutions and design departments nationwide. The Madeleine Lester Award recipient will be named on 2 November in Sydney.

“Gotya is a critical program as it connects Australia’s emerging designers and unites them with our most respected educators and designers from leading design practices. This year, we introduced three new cross-disciplinary design categories: Place, Use and Interact,” said DIA CEO, Jo-Ann Kellock.

“The graduates presented projects with an expansive scope and ambition, spanning diverse mediums. They proposed human-centred design solutions focusing on behaviours, technology, our environment and our impact on emotional, mental, and physical well-being. Comprehensive portfolios highlighted the dedication to leveraging design to improve people’s lives and positively impact society.”

This year, the graduates were able to develop and showcase responsible and thoughtful design techniques, particularly renewed ways around sustainability and repurposing. They were able to design products that help people and the planet, focusing on human-centred design and approaches around identity and cultural impact.

The graduates presented a mix of concepts, technical drawings and prototypes. They showcased the skills required in the commercial marketplace and the ethics or moral obligations necessary to practise as a design professional.

Gotya 2023 jurors include Alena Smith, Csilla Csabai, David Smith, Evan Reeves, Harriet Sutherland, Jack Flanagan, Jan-Marie Jaillei, Jayden Lim, Kate Bednarz, Nicole Gemlitski, Paloma Hodgins, Peter Lambert, Sally Evans, Sara Horstmann, Spiroula Stathakis, and Timothy Wilkinson.

The Gotya program, mentoring students since 2005, is a unique awards program created to support and celebrate exceptional designers from around Australia in the early stages of their careers. The program is instrumental in providing tertiary institutions and design graduates with vital, real-life feedback from experienced designers and industry figures and is sponsored by Stylecraft.

Australian Graduates of the Year Awards 2023 major category winners:

Gabrielle Versace
Award: Interact Category Winner — Higher Education
Course: Swinburne University of Technology
Tutor: Anthony Elliott

Isobel Baker
Award: Use Category Winner — Higher Education
Course: Bachelor of Design (Product Design),
University of Technology Sydney
Tutor: Roderick Walden

Joanne Odisho
Award: Use Category Winner — Vocational
Course: Associate Degree in Furniture Design,
RMIT University
Tutor: Julian Pratt

Kate Masters
Award: Place Category Winner — Vocational
Course: Diploma in Interior Design,
Sydney Design School
Tutor: Kylie Hickman

Sandra Srun
Award: Place Category Winner — Higher Education
Course: Bachelor of Interior Architecture (Honours),
University of New South Wales
Tutor: Eva Lloyd

Zoey Portilla
Award: Interact Category Winner — Vocational
Course: Advanced Diploma of Graphic Design,
North Metropolitan TAFE
Tutor: Tim Ewers

State Graduates of the Year Awards 2023 winners:

Elena-Dea Burger
Award: WA Graduate of the Year
Course: Bachelor of Applied Science (Interior
Architecture), Curtin University
Tutor: Dr Aleksa Bijelovic

Jamieson Davis
Award: SA / NT Graduate of the Year
Course: Bachelor of Design (Product Design),
University of South Australia
Tutor: Daniel McLean

Joanne Odisho
Award: VIC / TAS Graduate of the Year
Course: Associate Degree in Furniture Design,
RMIT University
Tutor: Julian Pratt

Liam Georgeson
Award: QLD Graduate of the Year
Course: Bachelor of Design (Industrial Design),
Queensland University of Technology
Tutor: Dr Rafael Gomez

Sandra Srun
Award: NSW / ACT Graduate of the Year
Course: Bachelor of Interior Architecture (Honours),
University of New South Wales
Tutor: Eva Lloyd

The Gotya, Madeleine Lester Award 2023 recipient will be named on Thursday, 2 November, in Sydney to coincide with the Designers Australia Awards 2023 major category winners and the recipient of the President’s Prize announcement.

Learn more about Design Institute of Australia: www.design.org.au