The exhibition honours the year’s most outstanding contributions from design graduates across Australia.

Over 200 nominations were submitted; this is the largest group the exhibition has ever received.

There are six categories, aimed to capture the diversity of design. Three finalists are chosen from each category, ranging from furniture to architecture through to animation.

The exhibition has become a platform for emerging design talent to showcase their talents to a broad audience. The goal, says object, is to “nurture bold ambitions”.

The 2009 finalists are:

Design for Studio Production: Hannah Wight (University of South Australia), Amanda McKenzie (Monash University), Karla Way (RMIT University).

Design for Industry: Krista Lindegger (Swinburne University of Technology), Michael Anderson (University of Technology Sydney), Barton Smith (Monash University).

Design for the Built Environment: Naomi Fogel (RMIT University), Anthony Hamilton-Smith (RMIT University), Alex Nicholls (University of Sydney).

Design for the Body: Hayley Barsden (Curtin University of Technology), Kim Wong (Curtin University of Technology), Harmony Lam (RMIT University).

Design for Communication: Lucy Simpson (College of Fine Arts, The University of New South Wales), Eric Ng (University of Technology Sydney), Christina Perry and Derrick Gee (University of Technology Sydney).

Design for the Home: Kali Norman (Curtin University of Technology), Renata Carmichael (University of Tasmania), James Oates (Swinburne University of Technology).

This year’s winners will be announced at the Design Now! 2009 exhibition opening, at Object Gallery in Sydney, on Friday 17 April 2009.

The exhibition will run from 18 April – 21 June 2009 at Object Gallery. It will then run from 14 August – 25 October 2009 at the Melbourne Museum.

Object
object.com.au

Major Sponsor:
Living Edge

Hero Image: Kali Norman, Untitled 14 (set of 4), work courtesy of Curtin University of Technology Art Collection Photo: Christiane Keller

Kim Wong, Three Greedy Pigs from the Bedtime Stories collection, 2008 Photo: Kim Wong

Naomi Fogel, Sound Bubble, 2008

James Oates, Etiquette Tea, 2008

Krista Lindegger, BreezeWay, 2008

Amanda McKenzie, Untitled from The Decay Of Life series, 2008

Alex Nicholls, Maritime Museum, Cockatoo Island, 2008

Anthony Hamilton Smith 1, Slow Kitchen, 2008 Photo: Anthony Hamilton Smith

Barton Smith, Stream, 2008

Harmony Lam,  pierced from the the loss.ofme collection, 2008 Photo: Jackie Adams

Eric Ng, Scenarios of a Sustainable Future, 2008

Hayley Barsden, A Study in Still Life, 2008 Photo courtesy the artist