Presented by Stylecraft and NGV, the Australian Furniture Design Award (AFDA) is open to all Australian designers to submit their concept for consideration in one of Australia’s richest design prizes. For 2026 the Jury will be looking for thought-provoking furniture and lighting designs for small spaces that offer new solutions for sustainable production, while reflecting how many live and work today.
All competitors shortlisted for Stage One will receive an honorarium of $1,000 (ex GST) to assist with the realisation of their design as a resolved prototype for exhibition in Stage Two. The winner will receive a $20,000 cash prize, and the opportunity to develop a commercial range or product with Stylecraft – a leader in commercial and residential furniture and lighting with six showrooms across Australia.
You must register prior to entry. Registrations open 16 October 2025.
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Founded by Stylecraft and presented in collaboration with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), the Australian Furniture Design Award is one of the nation’s most significant furniture and lighting design competitions with a $20,000 prize that celebrates the most interesting and innovative furniture and lighting design being created in the country. The winner will also receive the opportunity to develop a commercial range or product with Stylecraft.
AFDA is a two-stage competition with the first stage being an open call for a new and original furniture or lighting design concept and information on the entrant’s professional practice. From the entries received, a shortlist of entrants will be invited to proceed to Stage Two and present a resolved prototype of their design for exhibition and judging at the Stylecraft showroom during Melbourne Design Week 2026.
Please note: Both the design concept submitted in Stage One and the realised design submitted in Stage Two must not have been published, exhibited or commercially produced prior to the time of the AFDA exhibition, 13 May 2026.
The winning designer will receive:
Cash prize: AUD$20,000 (ex GST) cash prize with associated press activity.
Stylecraft invitation: an opportunity to develop a commercial range or product with Stylecraft.
As urban living becomes denser and Australians increasingly inhabit smaller homes and apartments, AFDA 2026 challenges designers to imagine furniture and lighting that enhance comfort, functionality, and wellbeing within compact spaces – revealing intelligent approaches to space, material, and making with proposals that are innovative, thoughtful and practical.
Designs should seek to reflect the values of conscious living, using sustainable, responsibly sourced, upcycled or recycled materials. Submissions may also choose to explore the shift taking place from linear, extractive, non-renewable design production to circular, non-extractive, or bio-design.
In their evaluation the Jury will look for products that are adaptable, multi-functional, and capable of evolving over time to suit changing lifestyles. Lighting and furniture should maximise efficiency without compromising beauty, offering solutions that are flexible, intuitive, and reflective of contemporary life.
Although submissions will be presented as resolved prototypes in Stage Two, submissions should allow meaningful conversations with the Jury around production methodologies were the Submission to be evolved for commercial production – this could mean exploring existing or emerging manufacturing technologies or conversely drawing upon traditional craft knowledge and skill.
Importantly, submissions should reveal the potential for commercial viability within the Stylecraft range. The Jury will be attentive to designs that not only innovate but could realistically transition from concept to product, demonstrating both market awareness and the clarity of the designer’s thinking and approach. The award seeks work that embodies careful consideration of space, materials, and human experience, while inspiring new possibilities for living well in smaller environments.
Ultimately, AFDA 2026 is about design that elevates everyday life. Showing that even within compact spaces, furniture and lighting can be beautiful, purposeful, sustainable, and adaptable, enabling Australians to live consciously and comfortably in the homes they have today, and the homes of tomorrow.
Since opening their doors in Melbourne in 1953 as a maker of desks and workstations, Stylecraft has grown to be a leader in commercial, residential, hospitality and education furniture and lighting. For over 70 years, Stylecraft has been guided by upholding principles of contemporary design, quality manufacturing, professional service, and active collaboration with the global design community. Their six showrooms across Australia represent an exclusive range of European, Asian and local furniture and lighting brands.
Stylecraft has a strong commitment to Australian design, fostering local talent and championing collaborations with manufacturers, craftspeople, and artisans. In 2015, they launched the Australian Furniture Design Award (AFDA), now presented in partnership with the NGV, reinforcing their dedication to design innovation. Many of Stylecraft’s products are proudly designed and manufactured in Australia, a testament to the quality and authenticity of local craftsmanship.
Stylecraft currently represents a number of renowned Australian brands, including Ross Gardam, Skeehan Studio by Tom Skeehan & LEN by Helen Kontouris.
AFDA provides the opportunity to work with Stylecraft, and as a result Seaton McKeon launched his brand Neatt with his portfolio encompassing seating, tables and accessories. Elliat Rich’s debut collection, Different Thoughts, with Stylecraft launched in 2020. The 2020 AFDA winner, James Walsh, launched his Tuck lounge, armchair, and table collection in 2024. The 2022 and 2024 AFDA winners, Ashley Eriksmoen and Marta Figueiredo, are currently working with the Stylecraft product team to develop their respective collections.
JURY
Ross Gardam – Founder & Director, Ross Gardam
Pascal Gomes-McNabb
Brian Parkes – CEO at JamFactory
Tony Russell – Brand Director at Stylecraft
Gemma Savio – Curator of Contemporary Design and Architecture, NGV
Competition Advisor – CityLab
STAGE ONE
Registration opens 16 October 2025
Stage One opens 20 October 2025
Registration close 12 November 2025*
Stage One close 17 November 2025 (1PM AEDT)
*Competitors must register first to enter the Competition
STAGE TWO
Stage Two notification 21 November 2025
Stage Two opens 24 November 2025
Stage Two competitor information session 15 December 2025
Stage Two close 22 April 2026 (1PM AEST)
Freight Period 23 April – 13 May 2026
Stage Two presentations (Shortlist attendance required) 13 May 2026
Exhibition opens 13 May 2026
This is the sixth iteration of the Australian Furniture Design Award. Sydney-based designer Seaton McKeon won the inaugural award in 2015 with The Sun The Moon and Me, a freestanding light and mirror. In 2017, Alice Springs-based designer Elliat Rich received the award for her sculptural vanity, Place. In 2020 Sydney-based industrial designer James Walsh won, impressing the jury with Anthropic bench, which combined rammed earth with recycled glass filings to produce a sustainable and hard-wearing composite. Ashley Eriksmoen received the award in 2022 with The Dream, or: the view from here is both bleak and resplendent a signature work that conveys the potential of postconsumer waste for transformation and reuse. In 2024 Marta Figueiredo’s Chronicles of Resilience cabined features three rotating drums, each detailed with tiles decorated in a workshop ran by Figueiredo with a group of women experiencing endometriosis.