Australia’s finest designers have done it again!

With the year that was, we weren’t sure what to expect with the 2021 KBDi Designer Awards program. With lockdowns, supply issues and a grant-fuelled building boom, we didn’t expect to beat our best year (2020), but boy – did we come close!

We’re very proud to say that we have a healthy competition in most states and a bundle of beautiful projects to prepare for our judges. We’re now busy batching and badging the entries for distribution to the panel and are itching to see which projects come out the other side.

In the meantime, here’s a summary of our top three Awards stats:

The State Race
Long-time members will know that Victoria has led the nation with the highest number of entries for many years. New South Wales made a serious play last year, tying for first spot, and in 2021 they’ve taken the lead, accounting for 37% of all submissions! Despite a year filled with challenges, our Victorian cohort still delivered, submitting 24% of all entries. And the Wildflower State must be flourishing – our Western Australia crew have taken third place this year with 19% of all entries.

The Category Clean Ups
In 2020, the Small Bathroom category was our biggest field. The challenge of small spaces continues this year, with 18% of entries slotting into the Small Kitchens zone. The always-popular Large Kitchens category was an equal tie, and Small Bathrooms came in at number three with 17%.

The New Faces
Almost one third of entrants (30%, to be precise) are new to the KBDi Designer Awards arena, and our First Time Entrant Award will be a must-watch.

Huge congratulations to each and every entrant for taking the plunge. Entering an Awards program can be time-consuming and almost overwhelming, but by putting yourself in the race, you’re already a winner.

We’ll be announcing finalists towards the end of July. Keep an eye on your inbox (make sure we’re in your trusted list), and follow us on Facebook and Instagram, too.

As we count down to the closing date (1 June 2021), we thought we’d share five of the questions we’ve fielded from entrants in the last few weeks.

#1 Can I enter a project that was completed last year?

We get that you may need to ‘dig back a little deeper’ to find a project that’s made it to 100% completion. Accordingly, we’ve extended the project completion dates as follows:

​All designs submitted must be for projects undertaken within the Commonwealth of Australian and completed between 1 December 2019 and 1 June 2021. 

(Of course, you can’t enter a project that you’ve already entered into our program – no double dipping or second chances here!)

#2 My plans are all hand-drawn. Does this mean I won’t stand a chance?

Ah, absolutely NOT. Your method of drafting is not being judged; it’s the clarity and consistency of your work that’s under the microscope. If your hand-drawn drawings accurately represent your design intent (i.e. the judges can see precisely what you were aiming to achieve), you’re most definitely in with a chance.

#3 I don’t have a flash 3D rendering program. Will I lose points for this?

Again, that’s a big, fat no. You’ll note that our judging criteria (found in the Entry Pack) includes the following:

Concept presentation (i.e. computer-generated 3-D view, hand-drawn sketch and/or mood boards with rendered elevations) successfully communicates design intent.

The highlighted section of this statement is what we’re looking for. Our judges want to see how you communicated your ideas to your client. Over the years, we’ve seen some fabulous computer-generated 3Ds, and some equally impressive hand-drawn perspectives. We’ve seen quirkily-styled sketches and carefully rendered elevations, and beautiful mood boards, too. If you’ve developed a style in presenting that wows your clients AND gets the information across, we would love to see it.

#4 Do I need professional photographs for my entry?

If a picture says a thousand words, a high-quality, professionally composed image says about five thousand. We always recommend that you invest in professional photography in order to get the most out of the marketing opportunities that arise from entries. While the quality of the images doesn’t account for points in the criteria, they do help set the scene for the judging panel. If you absolutely can’t bet your professional pics before the closing date, use the tips for self-photography that we shared here. We will need your high res images before promos, though, so contact our office for the photo deadline extension.

#5 What is the difference between a design brief and a statement

Yes, still this question – we get it all the time! And we’ve covered the answer here.

As always, if you’ve any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact our office (1300 253 223).