Tapestry Design Prize History

The Tapestry Design Prize celebrates the intersection of architecture and tapestry design and fosters creative collaborations between architects and tapestry weavers. In 2025 the Tapestry Design Prize evolves to include interior designers for the first time. With past design sites at MONA, the National Gallery of Australia, and Bundanon Art Museum, the prize highlights the enduring connection between textiles and built environments. Globally recognised for contemporary tapestry, the Australian Tapestry Workshop sees the prize as a catalyst for pushing the boundaries of design, materiality, and spatial dialogue.

Two Tapestry Design Prize winners have been woven by the Australian Tapestry Workshop:  22 Temenggong Road, Twilight designed by Justin Hill, woven in 2018 and Perspectives on a Flat Surface designed by John Wardle Architects, commissioned by Judith Neilson AM, woven 2016, NGV Collection.

The Australian Tapestry Workshop

The Australian Tapestry Workshop (ATW) is an international leader in contemporary tapestry, collaborating with a diverse range of international and Australian artists to produce exceptional handwoven works of art. The ATW is unique to Australia, and one of only a few workshops in the world dedicated to hand-weaving contemporary tapestries in collaboration with living artists.

ATW tapestries are displayed in prominent collections across Australia and internationally. In Australia, you can find them at major institutions like the National Gallery of Australia, Sydney Opera House, and Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, as well as significant government buildings such as Parliament House and the Australian War Memorial (Canberra). Globally, our tapestries can be found at the Sir John Monash Centre Villers-Bretonneux (France), Esplanade Theatres on the Bay (Singapore), Aotea Centre (Auckland), and nine Australian embassies.

Visit the ATW Website to learn more.

Justin Hill’s Tapestry Design Prize for Architects 2016 winning entry ‘22 Temenggong Road, Twilight’ woven by the Australian Tapestry Workshop in 2018. Woven by Sue Batten, Chris Cochius, Karlie Hawking, Pamela Joyce, Leith Maguire, Sophie Morris, Cheryl Thornton, 2.35 x 3.54 m, wool, cotton. Photograph: Jeremy Weihrauch.