Entries are now open for the 2026 Vivid Emerging Designer Awards, Australia’s longest-running design competition celebrating early-career furniture, lighting and object designers.
Curated by Daniel Dalla Riva of Latitude Group, the awards have become a key platform for emerging talent across Australia and beyond. Now in its 23rd year, the competition has helped launch the careers of many progressive designers while championing authentic, locally driven design.
Entries for the 2026 program are open until Sunday 12 April, with finalists to be showcased at the Vivid Emerging Designer Awards Exhibition during Decor and Design from 15–17 July 2026.
Over its history, Vivid has supported more than 1,300 designers and showcased over 1,500 products, providing a springboard for emerging creatives to gain industry exposure and connect with buyers, manufacturers, media and design leaders.
Maryam Moghadam, winner of the 2025 Judges Choice Award said, “Vivid champions ideas that aren’t afraid to bite back. It’s rare to find a platform that values objects which question us as much as they serve us. To have that recognised felt like a validation of how design can confront, provoke, and still belong in the world.”
The competition is open to professional designers in Australia who have been practicing for less than five years, as well as current design students. Categories include Furniture Design, Lighting Design, Object Design and Concept Design, alongside special honours such as the Authentic Design Alliance Award of Merit, the Dulux Award for Colour, the Judges Choice Award, and the Student Design Award.
Finalists are selected by a panel of respected figures from across Australia’s design industry, ensuring a rigorous judging process.
You can enter here.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
