The design community came together at Zenith‘s Sydney showroom last week as the INDE.Awards officially unveiled its 2026 shortlist, marking the beginning of this year’s awards season and celebrating a significant milestone for the program.

This year’s event carried added significance as the INDE.Awards celebrates its tenth anniversary. Rather than announcing the shortlist over breakfast, as in previous years, shortlisted architects, designers, manufacturers and partners gathered together in one room, creating an opportunity to celebrate alongside peers whose work has also been recognised.

Guests travelled from across Australia and the wider Indo-Pacific to attend, making the evening as much about reconnecting with colleagues and forging new relationships as it was about the awards themselves. With projects, products and practices represented from across the region, the event reflected the collaborative spirit that has underpinned the INDE.Awards over the past decade.

Hosted within Zenith’s Sydney showroom, the evening unfolded in a relaxed setting, allowing guests to explore the space while catching up over drinks before the official proceedings began. The showroom proved an apt backdrop for the occasion, bringing together designers, architects, manufacturers and industry leaders in an environment designed for conversation.

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Opening the evening, Jan Henderson reflected on the evolution of the INDE.Awards since their inception, acknowledging the community that has helped establish the program as the Indo-Pacific’s leading architecture and design awards. Raj Nandan also addressed guests, thanking entrants, partners and jurors for their continued support, while Zenith’s Peter Townsend welcomed attendees on behalf of the evening’s host and longstanding Platinum Partner.

The highlight of the evening came with the reveal of the 2026 shortlist. A series of illuminated display boxes around the showroom unveiled the finalists across every category, prompting guests to gather around and celebrate colleagues, collaborators and their own shortlisted projects. The format transformed what is often a simple announcement into a shared moment for the profession, with many entrants seeing the shortlist revealed alongside their peers for the first time.

As the evening continued, conversations quickly shifted from congratulations to speculation ahead of the Gala Awards, which will take place in Melbourne on the 30th July. While the winners remain under wraps for now, the shortlist itself offered a compelling snapshot of the projects, products and people currently shaping architecture and design across the Indo-Pacific.

Ten years on, the evening served as a reminder that the INDE.Awards has always been about more than recognising outstanding work. It has become an opportunity for the region’s design community to come together, celebrate one another’s achievements and strengthen the connections that continue to shape the profession.

INDE.Awards
indeawards.com

Zenith
zenithinteriors.com