MAKE Award: Biennial Prize for Innovation in Australian Craft and Design Finalists Announced

MAKE Award: Biennial Prize for Innovation in Australian Craft and Design is a new national award for Australian designer makers celebrating innovation in contemporary craft and design. Launched in April 2023, it is an initiative of Australian Design Centre in Darlinghurst, Sydney.

The MAKE Award is the richest non-acquisitive prize for craft and design in Australia. The winner will receive a cash prize of $35,000 and a second prize of $10,000 will be awarded. The aim of MAKE Award is to acknowledge the richness and diversity of creative talent in craft and design practice in Australia.

“Australia has a wealth of creative talent and this new award aims to give an elevated platform to that talent, shining a spotlight on the energy and innovation in craft and design practice,” said Lisa Cahill, CEO and Artistic Director of Australian Design Centre.

“There is no other award like it in Australia. There are discipline specific prizes but no major award that recognises creative practice across craft and design broadly.

Designer makers are innovative, highly skilled, and very knowledgeable about material use. They are curious problem solvers who strive to creative beautiful objects that are functional, conceptual, and reflective of our times. They deserve to be recognised.”

The MAKE Award is unique in Australia but is inspired by international award programs such as the Burke Prize, offered by the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, and the LOEWE FOUNDATION Craft Prize.

A total of 187 entries were received from Australian designer makers working across the fields of ceramics, glass, furniture/woodwork, metalwork, textiles and fibre, and contemporary jewellery. Designer makers were encouraged to submit a work that demonstrated innovation in technique or material use, and is an extension of their usual practice.

In August 2023, judges reviewed all entries and pre-selected 30 finalists. The follower designer makers have been named as finalists in the inaugural 2023 MAKE Award:

Luke Abbot
Kelly Austin
Andrea Barker
Julie Blyfield
Samuel Burns
Lisa Cahill
Cobi Cockburn
Csongvay Blackwood
Carly Dodd
Evan Dunstone
Gretal Ferguson
Hannah Gason
Minqi Gu
Rowena Foong (High Tea with Mrs Woo)
Kumuntjai Napanangka Jack
Cara Johnson
Sherrie Knipe
Korban + Flaubert
Johannes Kuhnen
Ju-shih (Ruth) Li
Brenda Livermore
Nick Mount
Jessica Murtagh
Kenny (Yong soo) Son
Vipoo Srivilasa
Bic Tieu
Angela Valamanesh
Tim Noone X Studio Ventana
Liz Williamson
Damien Wright and Bonhula Yunupingu

Judges for the award include Lisa Cahill, CEO and Artistic Director, Australian Design Centre; Hyeyoung CHO, Chairperson, The Korea Association of Art and Design and Jury Member Loewe Craft Prize; Brian Parkes, CEO, JamFactory; Jason Smith, Director, Geelong Gallery.

The winning work will be selected based on innovation, both in idea, technique and material use; how it displays excellence in design, making and/or craft, and its execution within contemporary practice. The winner will be announced on Thursday 28 September 2023.

Read more about the judges on the MAKE Award website, and the 2023 Finalists announcement.

The MAKE Award is an initiative of Australian Design Centre