PRIZES

FIRST PRIZE: $5,000

PEOPLE’S CHOICE: $1,000

All five finalists receive a $1,000 artist fee

KEY DATES

ENTRIES OPEN: Monday 7 April 2025

ENTRIES CLOSE: Monday 19 May 2025, midnight AEST

FINALISTS ANNOUNCED: July 2025

WINNER ANNOUNCED: Thursday 13 November 2025, 6pm at Boyd House II/Walsh Street

JURY

Sally Evans FDIA, Director | Graphic Design + Product Development, Nexus Designs

Cassie Hansen, Editor InteriorsAU, Architecture Media & Ceramicist

Patrick Kennedy, Principal, Kennedy Nolan

ENQUIRIES

[email protected]
+61 3 9699 7885

INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS

A panel of ATW master weavers will select five finalists—one for each design site—based on the outlined criteria. Each finalist will receive an artist fee of $1,000 for the limited use of their design, which will be realised as a tapestry for exhibition and sale. The winner of the $5,000 prize will be chosen by an external jury, while the $1,000 People’s Choice Award will be awarded to the tapestry that receives the most votes during the exhibition at Walsh Street. 

The five finalist tapestries will be displayed in situ at Walsh Street and available for purchase. Designs must be created for one of the five specified design sites and adhere to the given dimensions. Applicants may submit multiple designs, with each requiring a separate application. Up to three images can be submitted per entry, including a full image of the design and a render of the tapestry design in-situ, provided as JPEGs (maximum 2MB each). 

We welcome applications from architects, and interior designers, either as individuals or as part of a team. Artists are also encouraged to apply when collaborating with one of the above professionals. This opportunity is open to those who live and work in Australia.

Your design should be created specifically for one of the five designated sites and sizes. We are looking for thoughtful and original designs responding to this site, so your submission must be new and not previously presented or shown.

CRITERIA

Entries will be judged on the following criteria:

  1. Artistic merit

  2. The responsiveness of the design to one of the five designated sites in Boyd House II/Walsh Street.

  3. The ability to create a design that engages with and celebrates the contribution a tapestry can make to an interior.

  4. A considered understanding of the site context, history, materiality and interior and exterior spaces.

  5. The appropriateness for the design to be woven at ATW and hung in its designated site in Boyd House II/Walsh Street. Further information about the weaving technique used at ATW here

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

  1. Short Bio (max 150 words):
    Provide a brief bio of yourself. If submitting as a group, include a bio for each collaborator who contributed to this entry.

  2. Tapestry Design Title

  3. Brief Description (max 200 words)

  4. Images (up to 3 high-resolution images):

    • Submit up to three high-quality images (300 dpi) of your tapestry design. For example, an overall view, a detail view and a render of the tapestry in-situ.

    • Each image should be in JPEG format and not exceed 2MB in size.

IMPORTANT NOTES

  • To be eligible, you must submit your entry via the online portal by 11:59 PM AEST on Monday, May 19, 2025.

  • You may submit multiple designs, but each one requires a separate application.

  • For your convenience, we recommend drafting your answers in a Word document and then copying and pasting them into the online form to avoid losing your work.

FAQ

I’m a student studying architecture / interior design, can I apply?

Unfortunately, the prize is for architects / interior designers who are currently practicing, so students are not eligible.

I’m a graduate or unregistered architect can I apply?

Yes, in this iteration of the prize, anyone who is a practicing or self-identified architect can apply, so you do not need to have gone through the registration process.

Is the prize open to international applicants?

Unfortunately, the Prize is only open to individuals who live and work in Australia. Finalists will collaborate closely with ATW weavers during the design refinement stage—an essential part of the process where the original artwork is adapted into tapestry form. A richer, more meaningful outcome is achieved through in-person engagement, including a visit to the design site.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY

TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS

ATW tapestries are crafted using the weft-faced Gobelin tapestry technique, woven with EU-certified Australian eco wool and cotton, which is custom dyed onsite. For more details about the weaving and dyeing process, entrants are encouraged to explore further here or visit ATW during opening hours.

Finalists will be required to provide their design on loan for the duration of the production period. This must be submitted as either a colour-correct, high-resolution hard-copy digital print or an original artwork. All artworks will remain the property of the finalists and will be returned at the end of production.

Finalists will be required to meet with the master weaver creating their tapestry, either in person or online, to discuss their design before production begins.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

All entrants must be 18 years or older at the time of submission. Employees and immediate family members of the Australian Tapestry Workshop, Architecture Media, Metal Manufacturers LTD, and the Robin Boyd Foundation (excluding volunteers), as well as competition judges, are not eligible to apply.

We encourage applications from people who identify as First Peoples, those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, individuals living in regional or remote areas, and people with disabilities. ATW is committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and supportive environment, if you have specific access requirements to complete your application, please reach out so we can assist you.

The submitted design must be original and not previously presented or displayed elsewhere. 

The five tapestries created from the selected designs will be woven by master weavers at the Australian Tapestry Workshop and will remain the property of the Australian Tapestry Workshop. 

Decisions made by both the judging panel and the ATW selection panel are final and cannot be appealed. 

The ATW reserves the right to deem any entry ineligible if it does not align with its interpretation of the Conditions of Entry and Judging Criteria. 

To be considered, applicants must submit their entry via the online portal by midnight on Monday, 19 May 2025.

PRIZE MONIES

All cash prizes will be awarded by direct bank transfer, to the company, partnership, or individual person listed as the Applicant/s on the Entry. The Australian Tapestry Workshop will not split payment of prize monies. The Australian Tapestry Workshop makes no representations or warranties in relation to winning applicants’ tax liability. The Winner is responsible for the payment of any applicable taxes on the prize, and for any and all other expenses that may be associated with receiving the prize. We encourage you seek independent advice.

RIGHTS GRANTED

Upon submission of an Entry the Applicant/s warrants and grants to the Australian Tapestry Workshop in connection to Tapestry Design Prize and generally:

  • The non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide and irrevocable right to reproduce, distribute, publish, exhibit, communicate or broadcast images of the design, as well as any other materials supplied by the Applicant/s in connection with their Entry, including but not limited to the Australian Tapestry Workshop, Tapestry Design Prize, Robin Boyd Foundation and ArchitectureAU websites and social media pages, as well as through third party media organisations and Prize sponsors;

  • The right to use the Applicant/s name, likeness, biography or other information in connection with the Entry for the purpose of promoting the Tapestry Design Prize and generally;

  • The right to photograph, record, and otherwise capture the image and likeness of the Applicant/s at the TDP 2025 Winners Announcement for the purpose of promoting the Tapestry Design Prize and generally.

  • The limited use of the design for creation of a new tapestry work for exhibition and sale.

The Applicant/s acknowledges and agrees that it is not entitled to any payments or fees in connection with the use of the Entry as above. Wherever Images and other materials supplied by the Applicant/s in connection with their Entry are published, to the extent that the Australian Tapestry Workshop can exert editorial control the Applicant/s will be acknowledged.

Copyright of submitted Entries remains the property of the Applicant/s.

All personal information collected by the ATW will be used solely for the purpose of the Tapestry Design Prize 2025.

WARRANTIES

Each Entry must be completed with true and accurate information. The Australian Tapestry Workshop may reject any Entry on the grounds of incomplete or inaccurate information.

The Australian Tapestry Workshop is not responsible for lost, late, or misdirected entries, for technical, hardware or software failures of any kind, for lost or unavailable network connections, or for failed, incomplete, garbled or delayed computer transmissions or any human error which may occur in the receipt or processing of the entries.

The Applicant/s indemnifies and agrees to keep indemnified the Australian Tapestry Workshop and its affiliated entities against any claims, actions, suits, proceedings, causes of action, costs, losses or demands made against the Australian Tapestry Workshop or an affiliated entity arising out of, directly or indirectly, any breach by the Applicant/s of any warranty, representation or agreement made by the Applicant/s in connection with its Entry or otherwise.

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