Entries to the 2012 Queensland Premier’s Design Awards are now open, as the Queensland government puts out the call for designers who have contributed to a better Queensland through good design.

Now in their third year, the Awards support Queensland’s growing reputation for world-class design. The Awards comprise two categories – a $40,000 Smart State Design Fellowship for a leader who has made significant contributions to developing a design culture in Queensland, and a $10,000 travel bursary for an emerging designer.

Part of the Queensland Design Strategy 2020 – which sees design at the heart of Queensland life as the state becomes a hub for design excellence – the Awards build on the energy and creative talent of the local design industry.

The recipient of the 2011 Fellowship was Nicola Lloyd (pictured above), awarded the prize for her long-standing commitment to design through her business, teaching and involvement with a number of professional organisations.

Brisbane-based urban and regional planner Yen Trinh won the Emerging Design Leader Award for her involvement in various design projects including landscapes, furniture and exhibitions. She will soon use her bursary to travel to Copenhagen and the London Architecture Festival.

Other winners include Alexander Lotersztain of Brisbane-based design studio derlot, who was awarded the 2010 Fellowship, and Kent Gration, who took out the 2010 Emerging Design Leader Award.

Entries close 23 April 2012. Visit the QPDA website for more information on guidelines and how to enter.

Photography: Elleni Toumpas

Queensland Premier’s Design Awards
arts.qld.gov.au/qpda