Award categories to be confirmed for 2025. Keep an eye on this page.
Category Awards [8]
Visual Communication Design / Illustration Award
Surface Design Award
Fashion Design Award
Jewellery Design Award
Product Design Award
Furniture Design Award
Lighting Design Award
Ceramic Design Award
Special Awards [2]
Innovation in Sustainability Award
Peoples Choice Award
The Surface Design Award recognises students who have explored and created new forms of surface design. This category includes textile design (previously part of the fashion design category) plus pattern design, architectural surfaces, wall coverings and floor coverings.
Surface Design is an emerging and growing design discipline and has a number of applications within government, the healthcare sector, travel, architecture, protective wear, sport, service industries and much more. Everything you see, touch and experience has a surface and we’re particularly interested in seeing new and innovative surface design ideas in this exciting new category.
Students who are studying graphic design and have academic projects which are focussed on developing graphic patterns for a specific surface use, are also eligible to enter this category.
Please refer to the 2021 Entry Criteria.
The Fashion Award recognises students who have shown skill and creativity in a fashion related course. Students can enter a fashion collection or a singular fashion piece. Submissions must be from work completed in 2020 or 2021 as part of a fashion course.
We’re interested in seeing student work which addresses sustainability issues and responds to global fashion.
The Visual Communication Award celebrates and encourages the use of illustration to tell stories. Stories that change culture, stories that educate, stories that communicate. We are particularly excited to see New Zealand related stories.
This Award recognises there is a huge talent in New Zealand in this growing area and we want to support those who are seeking to make a career as an illustrator.
The career possibilities for illustrators has grown since the rise of social and digital channels. There are numerous digital companies who embed visual story-telling through-out their design, communication and marketing strategies.
We're looking to celebrate and encourage stand out-storytellers, who use illustration as a method to change culture, to educate and inform.
You may be a current student studying visual communication design, art or digital media or you may have completed your studies in 2020. Many great communication projects are the result of clever copywriters and illustrators working together. Teams are welcome to enter as well as individual entrants.
Whilst the beauty of your illustration or techniques are important, the judging panel will be looking for stories that effectively communicate a clear point in a cohesive and engaging way. You must enter work that has been part of an academic brief as part of your course of study.
The ECC Furniture Design Award showcases the very best students who are emerging furniture designers. This category focuses on how students have used materials and a human-centered approach to develop designs which are not only aesthetically pleasing but are functionally solid. Furniture design includes the design of seating, tables, storage and furniture for home or office.
The ECC Product Design Award showcases the very best students who are emerging object, product and industrial designers. This category recognises students who solve problems through design and who consider user experience, ergonomics, material usage and commercialisation.
The ECC Ltd Lighting Award recognises students who show exceptional design aptitude related to lighting. The vast array of lighting applications means that this category is open to any lighting application for internal or outdoor use.
The award celebrates those students who can push the application of materials in their design and considers user engagement and experience.
The Dowse Ceramics Award celebrates entries that use ceramics as the main material and design technique. Ceramics entries can include a variety of object based designs including pottery, jewellery, sculpture, product design and homeware (vases, pots, bowls, dishes to name a few).
The Village Goldsmith Jewellery Award looks for students who have demonstrated originality and authenticity and innovative use of materials. Students have the opportunity to provide new interpretations of jewellery, pushing the boundaries and providing new jewellery forms.
The L'affare Innovation in Sustainability Award recognises students who have considered sustainable practices and the impact on the environment. This award is chosen from all entries, across all categories.
You are unable to enter specifically in the sustainability category.
The ECC Ltd People’s Choice Award gives the power to the public to vote for their favourite designs across the top finalists. The winner of the People’s Choice Award receives $1,000 in prize money.