The winners of the 2025 Victorian Premier's Design Awards have been officially announced, celebrating excellence, creativity, and innovation throughout the state's vibrant design community. The prestigious awards recognized outstanding achievements across seven distinct categories, along with a dedicated student design award, highlighting the diverse talent and technical expertise that defines Victoria as Australia's design capital.

The top honor in the Architectural Design category was awarded to the Woodleigh Futures Studio, an innovative zero-waste building developed through a collaborative effort between McIldowie Partners, Joost Bakker, and Woodleigh School. This groundbreaking project represents a significant achievement in sustainable architecture and was created for an independent school located on the Mornington Peninsula. The Northern Memorial Park Depot, a collaborative project by Searle x Waldron Architecture, The Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, Oculus, OPS Engineers, Buro North, and Lucid, received high commendation in the same category, demonstrating exceptional design quality and innovation.

The Architectural Design category featured an impressive array of finalists, showcasing the breadth and quality of Victoria's architectural landscape. Notable projects included Assemble at 15 Thompson Street in Kensington, the Auburn High School Senior Centre by Hayball in partnership with Assemble, Hacer Group, Oculus, and Atelier Ten, and Canopi Valley Lake by Wowowa Architecture. Additional finalists encompassed diverse projects such as the Niddrie Quarry Housing development by Bird de la Coeur Architects, CDA Design Group, RedC, and MAB, and ECHO.1 by C Street Projects, Neil Architecture, Speckel, Detail Green, Ascot Consulting Engineers, and Structplan.

Cultural and educational facilities were prominently represented among the finalists, including the Eva and Marc Besen Centre by Kerstin Thompson Architects and Tarrawarra Museum of Art, the Gargarro Botanic Garden project by TCL, Gargarro Botanic Garden, and Brandrick Architects, and the Kangan Institute Health and Community Centre of Excellence by Architectus and Bendigo Kangan Institute. The Melbourne Place project by Kennedy Nolan Architects, Longriver, Tracy Atherton, and ADCO Constructions, along with the Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence by ARM Architecture and multiple partners, further demonstrated the category's diverse scope.

Infrastructure and community-focused projects also earned recognition, including Pakenham Station by Genton and the North Western Programme Alliance, the Pascoe Vale Primary School Gymnasium and Performance Centre by Kosloff Architecture and GLAS Landscape Architects, and the innovative Quiet Studio by Studiobird, Autex Acoustics, and Universal Practice. Educational facilities were well-represented with Templeton Primary School by Kosloff Architecture and GLAS Landscape Architects, while community infrastructure was highlighted by the Truganina Community Centre, a collaborative effort involving Wyndham City Council, Jasmax, CICG, Outlines, Lisa Waup, and Lucid Consulting.

In the Design Strategy category, the "Plan for Victoria" initiative emerged as the winner, representing a youth-led transport and planning design project developed by Y Lab in partnership with the Department of Transport and Planning. This innovative program demonstrates how design thinking can be applied to address complex urban planning challenges while engaging young voices in shaping the future of Victoria's transportation infrastructure.

Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks emphasized the significance of these awards, stating, "These awards showcase the creativity, ingenuity and technical expertise that make our state Australia's design capital, and demonstrate how design can drive business growth and social change." His comments highlight the broader economic and social impact of design excellence in Victoria.

The Victorian Premier's Design Awards are professionally managed by Good Design Australia on behalf of the Victorian government, ensuring high standards and comprehensive evaluation processes. The complete list of winners and detailed information about all recognized projects is available online, providing the public with access to inspiring examples of design innovation and excellence across the state.