IDEA

Enter Now 2026 Program important dates

The Interior Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) is Australia’s largest and most successful independent design awards program. Launched by inside magazine in 2003, the program celebrates the best of Australian interior and product design across 14 categories and seven Special Awards.

Now attracting hundreds of entries every year from across Australia, IDEA is considered the country’s premier awards program by the A&D industry.

Entries are judged by a panel of design industry professionals, each of whom brings a wealth of expertise and experience to the process. Attracting submissions from many of the country’s leading architecture and design firms, the program also helps to support emerging designers.

We are proud to be associated with some of the principal partners within the Australian design industry. (For more on these organisations, see our Sponsors page.)

All shortlisted projects are published in a special shortlist edition of inside magazine, appear on the IDEA and Australian Design Review websites. Winners are determined by the jury, with winners announced at the IDEA Gala Party in November. In addition, winning projects and designers will be published online and profiled in a special IDEA edition of inside magazine.

The Jury

Michael Drescher

Michael Drescher is a partner at DKO Architecture, leading interior teams across the globe delivering residential, hospitality, and mixed-use projects. Known for integrating architecture and interiors, he focuses on experiential design, brand storytelling, and commercial outcomes, shaping contemporary environments across Australia and international markets through collaborative, design-driven practice.

Adele Winteridge

Adele Winteridge is co-founder and director of Foolscap Studio, known for narrative-driven interiors across hospitality, retail and residential sectors. Her work emphasises storytelling, materiality, and emotional connection to place, shaping immersive environments for leading brands while contributing to design discourse through speaking, writing and industry mentorship.

Felicity Bernstein

Felicity Bernstein is an award-winning designer and co-founder of Melbourne Design Studios. A pioneer in carbon-zero and Passivhaus principles, she creates healthy, biophilic spaces that balance luxury with environmental ethics. Through her landmark Hütt 01 project and the Arkiterra platform, she shares regenerative design strategies to benefit both people and planet.

Diana Espiritu

Diana Espiritu is an associate at 3XN/GXN, working at the intersection of architecture and interiors. A UNSW alumna and 30UNDER30 cohort member, she specialises in education and public spaces across the APAC region. Diana is a passionate advocate for diversity, intersectional equity and mentoring the next generation of designers.

Shaun Lockyer

Shaun Lockyer is the founding director of Shaun Lockyer Architects (SLa), a Brisbane-based practice recognised nationally for highly resolved, site-responsive residential work, working predominantly on Australia’s east coast. SLa’s designs reflect a deep understanding of subtropical climate and coastal lifestyle, with a focus on materiality, light and connection to landscape and favouring natural, tactile and resilient materials. Working closely with clients and collaborators, the practice delivers crafted, enduring homes that contribute to the evolving discourse of contemporary Australian residential design.

Important Dates

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