The winners of the 2015 Design Institute of Australia VIC/TAS Graduate of the Year Awards (GOTYA) have been announced at a ceremony at Brickworks Design Studio.
Now in its eighth year, the award categories include Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Furniture Design, Textile & Fashion Design, Interior Design and Interior Design and Decoration, which are assessed by a panel of judges from each discipline.
Each portfolio is judged on design solutions, transferrable workplace skills and the graduate’s predicted impact on the design industry.
Nominations were received from 10 tertiary institutes including Academy of Design Australia, Billy Blue College of Design, Box Hill Institute, CATC Design School, Holmesglen, Melbourne Polytechnic, Monash University, RMIT University, Swinburne University of Technology, and the University of Tasmania.
The overall winner for 2015 was Scott Van Tuil of the University of Tasmania for his furniture design. The judges were impressed by Van Tuil’s interpretation of sustainability, which focused on longevity rather than source of material or designing for minimal waste.
The theme Van Tuil incorporated in all his pieces was to make furniture that, through its design and material selection, would become an heirloom that would appeal to many generations of family members.
The 2015 VIC/TAS GOTYA category winners and runners-up are:
Interior Design winner - Gabrielle Livermore, University of Tasmania
Interior Design, runner-up - Janelle Van Der Velde, University of Tasmania
Interior Design and Decorationwinner -Manuela Mojica Milan, RMIT University
Interior Design and Decoration, runner-up - Samantha Verkuylen, CATC Design School
Industrial Design winner - Rowan Turnham, Monash University
Industrial Design, runner-up |Ryan Pennings, RMIT University
Furniture Design winner - Scott Van Tuil, University of Tasmania
Furniture Design, runner-up - Harry Zanios, RMIT University
Graphic Design winner - Hayden Doward, Monash University
Graphic Design, runner-up - Michael Semeniuk, Swinburne University of Technology
Fashion and Textile Design winner - Michelle DeCastro, RMIT University
Fashion and Textile Design, runner-up - Callan Davies, RMIT University
