How to Enter the Timber Design Awards
This page explains how to register your interest to enter the competition and the steps to take to participate in the Australian Timber Design Awards.
Entry Steps
If you are in a rush, here are the basics of the entry process.
Register
Register for FREE
Check your eligibility, then create an account and fill in the registration form.
Pay Entry Fee
Confirm Your Entry
This process takes about a minute, just provide your payment information.
Submit
Questions & Photos
Have your project information ready and complete your online submission.
What is the Entry Process?
HOW DO I ENTER THE AWARDS?
The Australian Timber Design Awards entry process from start to finish is very simple, you just need to
1. Check your eligibility to participate in the competition.
2. Create an account on our submissions portal.
3. Enter your project’s basic design details and choose which categories you would like to enter
4. Pay for your submission.
5. Complete the online award category submission form (at your leisure. You will be able to save a draft and return to your submission information when convenient)
6. Upload your project photos as part of the submission process.
7. Make sure to follow up on your copyright endorsement nominee as your submission can’t proceed until he/she has confirmed his/her approval of photo use.
8. We may ask you to make changes if necessary to make sure your documentation is correct.
9. To enter your design in multiple categories, simply login to the submission portal go to “My Entries” and copy your submission. This way you won’t have to fill out the form again.
10. Wait for the Awards Results
11. Come and join us at the Presentation Night event for the announcement of all the Winners.
12. Receive your Australian Timber Design Award (if you are one of the lucky ones) and enjoy the benefits of winning an award and/or being shortlisted as a category finalist.
Important Entry Information
The sections below outline the basic entry process including eligibility, entry process rules and making submissions.
WHO MAY ENTER THE 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. That is, essentially any professional or student involved in the design or building of suitable architectural structures or elements involving an Australian project.
Where the original design concept provider is not the entrant, please nominate who the original concept designer (company) is. And if the designer is from two or more companies, please provide their details within the submission. If you are not the original designer or if the design was a collaborative effort, please also consider that they may have entered as well. Please check with them to ensure that two entries have not been made (where two entries are received for the same project, the entrants will be asked to combine the entry and to determine how the designers are to be acknowledged).
WHAT MAY BE ENTERED?
Entries must be based on projects that make significant use of timber. Projects must be architectural structures or elements of architectural structures; this may include furniture or joinery.
Suitable projects include new buildings, alterations and additions, renovations, interior fit-outs, landscaping and standalone timber structures such as bridges, foreshore developments or sculptures. Furniture and/or joinery may be entered into the Furniture and Joinery category. See the list of entry categories on the next information tab of this ‘entry information’ guideline.
Entries must NOT have a project completion date of more than three years from the start date of an Awards year competition. For the 2024 Australian Timber Design Awards (25th Awards), projects entered need a completion date of 1st July 2021 onwards. Nonetheless, project completion dates up to the competition’s close of entries date are acceptable.
Projects have to be located in Australia; nonetheless, as from the 2017 competition with a new International Project category opened, there is the opportunity for overseas-based projects to be submitted, but these need to have been produced and/or managed by an Australian firm. However, as the category receives few entries, entries are held for several years before the category is judged.
A project that has previously been entered into the Australian Timber Design Awards may be entered again. It may not, however, be considered for any entry category into which it was previously submitted.
WHAT ENTRY CATEGORIES MAY BE SELECTED?
Selecting your award entry category involves that you always start by selecting one (1) Timber Design award category (this is a mandatory entry group).
Then you may also select as part of a new category submission any or all Merits class award categories or Timber Products class categories. The Merits and Timber Products awards are free and optional to enter your project into to compete for those awards.
WHAT ARE THE AWARDS CATEGORIES?
TIMBER DESIGN CATEGORIES
- Residential Class 1 – New Building
- Residential Class 1 – Alteration or Addition
- Multi-Residential
- Public Buildings
- Commercial Buildings
- Interior Fitout – Residential
- Interior Fitout – Commercial and Public
- Landscape and Stand-Alone Structures
- Furniture or Joinery
MERITS CATEGORIES
- Sustainability
- Rising Star
- Small Budget Projects
TIMBER PRODUCT CATEGORIES
- Australian Certified Timber
- Engineered Timber Products
- Recycled Timber
- Timber Cladding
- Timber Flooring
- Timber Panels
- Timber Veneers
- Timber Windows and Doors
Awards may not be given where the Category is not sponsored.
To find out more about each category’s description go to the How to Choose Your Categories page.
PREPARING YOUR ENTRY SUBMISSION
Once you have registered your interest in competing for an Australian Timber Design Award you will be able to start the submission process.
The submission process involves completing an online form based on :
- Completing your professional contact details; then
- Choosing your Award category to participate in the competition; then
- Completing a tailored online questionnaire for your project’s chosen Award category; and
- Uploading your project’s supporting digital photos – these can include a plan image if desired. Six (6) minimum and ten (10) maximum photos are allowed per submission. Please note that uploaded plans and drawings images (for the 18th Awards Competition) will have to be in .jpg format. They must not have any identifying markings such as company name or address.
The submission process questions will aim to determine why your project is exemplary in its chosen category. Each questionnaire will be unique to your project, so carefully select your categories during the online submission stage.
Each submission questionnaire will request that you upload up to ten (10) low-res project images (see next tab on image submission specifications for more information on the photo file format).
You will be able to complete the submission process in bits at a time by saving the online form/questionnaire as a draft. Please submit your completed entry online questionnaire and upload your project photos before the closing date of the competition. Do not wait until the closing date to submit the questionnaire, as the system may become overwhelmed close to that date. Moreover, early submissions give us time to help you with any omissions or questions you may have regarding your entry.
Remember that your completed questionnaire answers and project images will be used by our panel of judges to assess your project. So please make clear why your project’s use of timber is extraordinary.
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR PHOTOS
Note: all photo images can be uploaded during the Submission process when completing your chosen award online category questionnaire. Identify the images with titles, and project captions (if required), and importantly identify the photographer/s if more than one (the endorser) has been used.
To maintain consistency in the presentation of the winning and runner-up entries, the following photo file specifications must be followed in your image submissions:
USE HIGH-RES IMAGES ONLY
The same images submitted as low-res for the judging process must also be submitted in high-res format as these will be published in our Awards Magazine and forwarded to various media outlets on demand. The specifications are as follows:
Dimensions:
Each photo image pixel dimensions must either be 1600x1200pix (for quarter page e-Magazine layout); or
2400x1600pix (for half page e-Magazine layout).
File Size:
Each photo image file size should not be more than 15 MB (megabytes) with a resolution at 300ppi.
File Type:
jpeg/jpg/pdf
Finally, you consent to all submitted images being used for the Awards Magazine, the Awards Presentation Night event, this website and any publicity that results from the Awards.
Awards Participation Fees
The online registration stage allows you to provide basic registrant information. After which you will be able to start the Submission process for your project and to pay the Entry Fee. We recommend that this is done sooner rather than later to the competition close date as the online submission questionnaires are quite lengthy and detailed.
Standard Entry
$250
Submission(s) Package
Initial registration for the competition is free. You will then be able to prepare for the Submission of your project and pay the processing fee. The Standard Entry fee is $250 (including GST). No discount for other entry fees.
A Standard Entry includes:
- MANDATORY ENTRY INTO ONE (1) TIMBER DESIGN CLASS CATEGORY
- OPTION TO ENTER ANY MERITS CLASS CATEGORIES FOR FREE (New Submission needed but NO FEES applied)
- OPTION TO ENTER ANY TIMBER PRODUCTS CLASS CATEGORIES FOR FREE (New Submission needed but NO FEES applied)
- 10 MANDATORY CATEGORIES TO CHOOSE FROM
- 22 OPTIONAL CATEGORIES TO CHOOSE FROM
More information on the Awards competition entry categories can be found here.
Big Entry
$350
Submissions Package
Initial registration for the competition is free. You will then be able to prepare for the Submissions of your project and pay the processing fees. The Big Entry total fee is $350 (including GST). This affords a $140 discount on the usual entry fees.
A Big Entry includes:
- MANDATORY ENTRY INTO TWO (2) TIMBER DESIGN CLASS CATEGORIES
- PLUS OPTION TO ENTER ANY MERITS CLASS CATEGORIES FOR FREE (New Submission(s) needed but NO FEES applied)
- PLUS OPTION TO ENTER ANY TIMBER PRODUCTS CLASS CATEGORIES FOR FREE (New Submission(s) needed but NO FEES applied)
- 22 OPTIONAL CATEGORIES TO CHOOSE FROM
More information on the Awards competition entry categories can be found here.
Super Entry
$450
Submissions Package
Initial registration for the competition is free. You will then be able to prepare for the Submissions of your project and pay the processing fees. The Super Entry total fee is $450 (including GST). This affords a $300 discount on the usual entry fees.
A Super Entry includes:
- MANDATORY ENTRY INTO THREE (3) TIMBER DESIGN CLASS CATEGORIES
- PLUS OPTION TO ENTER ANY MERITS CLASS CATEGORIES FOR FREE (New Submission(s) needed but NO FEES applied)
- PLUS OPTION TO ENTER ANY TIMBER PRODUCTS CLASS CATEGORIES FOR FREE (New Submission(s) needed but NO FEES applied)
- 22 OPTIONAL CATEGORIES TO CHOOSE FROM
More information on the Awards competition entry categories can be found here.
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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