Bumper crop of OP finalists for Best Awards

Otago Polytechnic is celebrating a strong field of finalists for the 2025 Best Design Awards.

The Best Design Awards is an annual showcase of excellence, recognising New Zealand's best in Graphic, Digital, Animation, Film, Product & Spatial Design. Winners will be announced at an Awards Dinner in Auckland on 10 October.

Run by The Designers Institute of New Zealand, the awards are aimed at Empowering the Arts (Whakamana Te Toi) and cover a wide range of fields including graphic, spatial, industrial design, digital, animation and film.  There are also three special awards - Value of Design, Social Good and Toitanga (indigenous award).

19 projects across Otago Polytechnic have been named as finalists, which is an incredible achievement for our students with strong representation on the national/international stage.

ARCHITECTURE

Otago Polytechnic School of Architecture is celebrating outstanding student success at this year’s Best Awards. Seven of our student projects have been selected as finalists – making up a remarkable one-quarter of all shortlisted projects in this category.

Finalists for Student & Academic Spatial award:

• Georgia Pope – Te Nohoaka o Tukiauau: Where Identity Stands
  
  
• Sarah Scott – Down to Earth
  
  
• Omea Hall & Eden Rose-Yon – The People’s Pantry
  
  
• Eden Rose-Yon – Yealands Estate Cellar Door
  
  
• James Franklin – These Moments Are All We Get to Call Life
  
  
• Nicolas Sharp – Blurring Boundaries
  
  
• Rebecca Campbell – Tauraka
  
  

COMMUNICATION DESIGN

Finalist for Student & Academic Toitanga award:

• Otago Polytechnic School of Design (3rd Year cohort) - Waka Whetū exhibition
  
  

Finalists for Student & Academic Graphics award:

• Luka Jakich Cook - Cook Brothers Beer Labels
  
  
• Frankie Robertson - Company of Strangers campaign
  
  
• Riley Smith - Southern Faces: An introduction to rock climbing in Ōtepoti Dunedin
  
  

Finalist for Small Brand Identity award:

• True Limited (includes student Oska Gosling as part of a team during his internship) - Longform
  
  

PRODUCT DESIGN

Finalists for Student & Academic Product award:

• Zachariah Harrison - Wobly  (Public Cycling Bollard)
  
  
• William Shinobi Scheffer - Eaves Drop  (Bird and pest monitor)
  
  
• Samuel Clark - O-Buoy  (Coastal Rescue Float)
  
  
• Liam Black - Stack Trap  (Pest Trap)
  
  
• Janiqua - Whenua ki te whenua  (Placenta burial kit)   (and Student & Academic Toitanga award Finalist)
  
  
• Caitlin Easson - haerd  (Hemp Sound insulation panels)

FASHION DESIGN

Finalist for Student Social Good award:

• Tegan Vickery (Fashion) in collaboration with Mia Parsons (Communications) - More than just a Fashion Show