Welcome to the Australian Timber Design Awards

Australia’s premiere design awards recognising outstanding timber design in the built environment.

Spotlight: 2024 Winner

The 2024 Annual Australian Timber Design Award winners were recently announced at View by Sydney in Walsh Bay. Professor Greg Nolan from the University of Tasmania was MC for the evening who announced Bates Smart as the winner of the Grand Prix for their outstanding Embassy of Australia in Washington D.C.

The design of the new Embassy of Australia in Washington D.C. was complex, necessitating a delicate balance between cultural representation, iconic civic presence and practical security considerations. The inspiration came from Australia’s iconic landscape and embodies the essence of the vast continent. The building’s transparency was intended to capture the inherent Australian values of welcomeness and trust, while the interior’s expansive atmosphere embodies the vastness of the Australian landscape.

At the heart of the 20,000 square metre building, a large atrium serves as an orienting space displaying a powerful connection between the ground plane and the sky. This central atrium establishes a north south axial arrangement of representational spaces where every visitor is granted an equally immersive experience on entry.

The main representational spaces are defined by strong materiality with Australian timber wall panels, that provide both air reticulation and sound absorption, organised around a series of textured horizontal bands that transition from rough to smooth. This mirrors the protective qualities of the bark during the eucalypt forest’s cycle of growth, burn and regrowth. Intricate metallic filigree screens have been sensitively deployed to mediate the interplay of light and shadow in social breakout and office spaces

2024 Award Winners

View Our Awards Magazine

Each year, our Award Winners are featured in our annual Awards Magazine. The publication is available for viewing online and distributed in hard copy.

Published as a digital magazine, the eBooks feature top content received from participant entries. Once a year, all category entries will have the participating design projects published. We also feature the Overall Winner, the People’s Award Choice, and all category winners. 


Australian Timber Design Awards 2024 Overall Winner Bates Smart for Embassy of Australia of Australia in Washington D.C.

What are the Awards About?

The Australian Timber Design Awards competition celebrates great design and sustainability through the use of timber. The Awards are open to built environment professionals and students who want to showcase their built design and/or building projects in residential and/or public or commercial buildings that feature timber structures or finishes.

Great Design

The Awards aim to develop a timber design ethos by showcasing and encouraging superlative timber design in a variety of applications, from bespoke small projects to large-scale commercial projects.

Sustainability

Timber is a beautiful, strong and renewable material. The Awards champion the consideration of the nature of wood and the heritage of timber construction, including the importance of sustainable forest management.

Sharing

The Australian Timber Design Awards aims to act as a platform that brings together architects, designers, builders, engineers, students, businesses and the press to encourage innovation and sustainable timber design.

Voting has closed for the People’s Choice Award!

Have your say and vote now for this year’s People’s Choice award! Intended for participants, friends, family, and industry affiliates to cheer on participants and show support, the People’s Choice Award raises the profile of the Australian Timber Design Awards participants within the general public and the built environment industry.

This year’s Awards Night has been announced!

Join us in celebrating excellence in timber design at the Australian Timber Design Awards night. Don’t miss the awards ceremony presentation, hear from our expert judges and gain insights into the latest trends in sustainable timber design.

Entries are Now Closed for the 2024 Awards

Entry is open to architects, builders, building designers, engineers, and students working on projects based in Australia OR projects built overseas but designed/managed by an Australian firm.

Why Enter the Awards?

There are many benefits and privileges offered to Award winners and participants.

Free Publicity

The Awards competition provides extensive and intense publicity for award-winning designs.

Award Trophy

Award winners can proudly display their exclusive award trophies and design excellence.

Awards Magazine

Winning designs feature in our Awards Magazine, showcasing all entries to a broader audience.

Press Access

Our media channels feature Award winners in numerous online and press publications.

Prestige & Recognition

Winning an Award is a great achievement that brings national prestige and recognition.

Project Assessment

All Award entries get access to judges’ expertise through commentary about winning projects.

Please visit our Winners Gallery page for more information on winning projects information including architects, engineers, fabricators, builders, locations as well as project images and photography credits.

Like to Get Involved?

Use the links below to find out about our sponsors, judging and publicity.

Sponsors

Sponsor an Award!


Explore our sponsor showcase and discover opportunities to support outstanding timber design through sponsorship of prestigious awards.

Enter Now

Register Today!


Register today to enter Australia’s premiere design awards platform recognising outstanding timber design in the built environment.

Publicity

Help Us Promote!


Discover our comprehensive publicity strategy, spotlighting outstanding timber design achievements to a global audience of enthusiasts and professionals.

Need More Information?

If you’re not quite ready to register and start your application, please check out additional information on Key Dates, Award Categories and Frequently Asked Questions on the pages below.

Key Dates

Don’t Miss Out!

Don’t miss our submission deadlines, key announcements or presentation night.

Categories

Check Your Entry!

All you need to know about award categories, from design to merit and product categories.

FAQs

Got A Question?

If you can’t find what you’re? Head to our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Our Sponsors

The Australian Timber Design Awards would not be possible without the generous support from our sponsors. Please click the sponsor logos below to find out more about how they support sustainable timber and outstanding design.

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Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Keep in touch with our Awards by subscribing to our news mailouts to receive updates and happenings in the Competition, as well as, personal invitations to free educational workshops and/or timber industry insights on timber design trends and technologies.

All contact information will be kept confidential as per the Information Privacy Act 2009.