The winners of Australia’s peak international design awards were announced on Friday 16th September at the 2022 Australian Good Design Awards. The Good Design Awards are the highest honour for design and innovation in the country and reward projects across 11 design disciplines covering more than 30 categories and sub-categories.

Grampians Peaks Trail (Gariwerd) - Stage 2 by McGregor Coxall and Noxon Giffen received a prestigious 'Best in Class' Good Design Award (Place Design sub-category) and Gold Award (Architectural Design) in recognition for outstanding design and innovation.

Nick Griffin, Melbourne Co-Studio Leader and Associate Director, said:

“We’re thrilled to see Grampians (Gariwerd) Peaks Trail recognised with top honours amongst this year’s entries, a true testament to the hard work by all parties throughout the design and construct process. This immersive natural tourism experience is an outcome we at McGregor Coxall, Noxon Giffen, Parks Victoria, and the community are truly proud of.”

The Good Design Awards Jury commented: “The Grampians Peaks Trail has revolutionised the experience of our National Parks and enhanced the community's connection to the spectacular bushlands. It makes a gentle and respectful mark on the Gariwerd Aboriginal cultural landscape, with a series of considered and interconnecting elements that thread together to encourage people to dwell and appreciate being on Country. The additions are both intimate and impressive, cleverly arranged to balance group and individual use. Grampians Peaks demonstrates a timely expectation of a well-designed public amenity within our National Parks and plays a critical role in demonstrating the care needed for the environment through its gentle and considered response. The trail project successfully boosted public awareness for sustainability by touching the earth lightly and deepening the connection to Country.”

The Australian Good Design Awards is the country’s oldest and most prestigious international awards for design and innovation with a proud history dating back to 1958. Each year, the Awards celebrate the best new products and services on the Australian and international market, excellence in architectural design, engineering, fashion, digital and communication design, and reward new and emerging areas of design including design strategy, social impact design, design research and up-and-coming design talent in the next-gen category.

The 2022 Good Design Awards attracted high-quality design projects from Australia and around the world. These innovative projects were evaluated by more than 70 Australian and international Jurors, including designers, engineers, architects and thought leaders. Each entry was evaluated according to a strict set of design evaluation criteria which includes Good Design, Design Innovation and Design Impact.

Projects recognised with an Australian Good Design Award demonstrate excellence in professional design and highlight the impact a design-led approach has on business success and social and environmental outcomes.

Dr. Brandon Gien, CEO of Good Design Australia and Chair of the Australian Good Design Awards said: “To be recognised with an Australian Good Design Award is a significant achievement, given the incredibly high standard of projects submitted in this year’s Awards. The Good Design Award is a valuable independent endorsement of professional design quality. It tells the world this project not only represents design excellence, but it also surpasses the criteria for design innovation and design impact.”

“We know that good design, when used effectively, can improve our quality of life and make the world around us better, safer, more efficient and more beautiful. It is clear from this year’s winning projects that investment in professional design delivers real impact – be it at a commercial, environmental or societal level. As our world transitions to a less-carbon intensive future, a design-led approach to solving problems and delivering meaningful impact is going to become more critical, Dr. Gien went on to say.

“The Good Design Awards recognise and celebrate the transformative power of design thinking to find innovative, customer-centric solutions to local and global challenges and this year’s Award-winning projects reflect just that. My sincere congratulations to all the designers, engineers, architects and innovators recognised in this year’s Awards - you deserve to be celebrated at the highest level,” Dr. Gien concluded.