Winners of the Swayn 2024 Student Competition revealed

The Swayn Gallery of Australian Design and the University of Canberra have jointly announced the winners of its Swayn 2024 Student Competition.

The late Canberra architect Alastair Swayn left his estate to fund Australian design research, including the Swayn Student Competition for design students at the University of Canberra.

The 2024 edition of the competition invited emerging design professionals to consider how - through their chosen field - they might contribute to the sustainability of and innovation in Australia's urban environment. Guided by a theme of Transformations, participants were tasked with creating new opportunities for "play" and "performance" on the shores of Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin to explore how design interventions can initiate transformation.

The jury comprised Annabelle Pegrum of The Swayn Gallery of Australian Design (jury chair); Ben Walker of Ben Walker Architects; Anna Chauvel of Place Laboratory; Professor Emeritus Bill Green of the University of Canberra; Rebecca Sorenson of the National Capital Authority; and Georgia Stynes of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Josiah Alderic was named the overall winner of the competition for a scheme titled The Natural and Unnatural. The jury commented that it was "particularly impressed by the philosophical underpinning of the proposition," which resulted in a "successful juxtaposition of the urban built condition of Lake Burley Griffin with a new natural landform and ecology that would grow and transform over time.

"The Natural and Unnatural has a conceptual base that the jury considered ensured its transferability to any edge around Lake Burley Griffin. More importantly it is a beautifully represented, well resolved scheme, demonstrating the power of the 'proposition' to inform the design process from idea to resolution."

In addition to the overall winner, six schemes were awarded across four categories - including The Abstraction, Interior Design, Industrial Design and Architecture - and four received commendations. The overall winner earned a $4,000 prize, while several $1,000 prizes were awarded to schemes that were considered exemplary in one of each category.

The results for the Swayn 2024 Student Competition are as follows:

Josiah Alderic - The Natural and Unnatural

Mayumi Mikaela Esteves, Chelsea McKinnon - Metamorphosis

Bo Li - The Link

Hugo Manka - Vertigo Park

Lily Bilston - Territory Games

Samual Heinsohn - Stepping Stones Theatre

Emily Larkin - Lumin Loops

Sarah Brown, Anna Rodwell, Pandanus West - The Spin

Jye Berry, Melanie Wai - Melodic Suspension of Time

Mikhala Beaumont - Flowing Forms

Danielle Williams - Garden City - Clockwork Play