Artist Troy Emery and Cox Architecture have been awarded first prize in the 2025 Tapestry Design Prize (TDP), a prestigious competition presented by the Australian Tapestry Workshop (ATW). This year's prize focused on one of Australia's most significant modern homes – Boyd House II on Walsh Street, designed by renowned architect Robin Boyd.
Since its establishment in 2015, the TDP has celebrated the intersection of architecture, design, and contemporary textile art, creating a unique space where creative disciplines merge to reimagine how tapestry can transform built environments. This year's competition invited designers and architects to respond creatively to the intimate domestic spaces of Boyd's Walsh Street residence.
From over 150 applications received, five finalists were carefully selected, with each interpreting a different room within the historic house. Their innovative proposals were then handwoven by ATW's master weavers, who skillfully translated digital sketches and architectural concepts into rich, tactile surfaces using wool and cotton materials.
The resulting exhibition featured five distinct tapestries that required a total of 1,487 hours of weaving and utilized over 39 kilometers of yarn. These remarkable works were unveiled during a special three-day exhibition at Walsh Street from November 14-16, 2025.
Troy Emery and Cox Architecture's winning tapestry, titled "Longing (Camilla)," presents a two-dimensional interpretation of Emery's 2024 sculpture "Lupa," which features an amorphous animal-like companion. Within the domestic setting of Walsh Street, Camilla pays homage to Boyd's family life, specifically referencing their pet cat of the same name. The tapestry's design includes excess tendrils of yarn that drip down from the woven surface toward the floor, stretching the animal figure's silhouette and evoking deep emotions and memories.
The piece was masterfully created by weaver Saffron Gordon, whose skilled craftsmanship brought the artistic vision to life. The jury, consisting of Kennedy Nolan principal Patrick Kennedy, Nexus Designs director Sally Evans, and Interiors Australia editor Cassie Hansen, praised the work for its "authentic innovation and deep resonance with Robin Boyd's Walsh Street house."
In their official statement, the jury explained that the piece "reimagines the potential of tapestry as an art form: its materiality, tactility and artistic nature. The result is a piece that could only exist as tapestry, not painting or print." They noted how thoughtfully the work was positioned within Walsh Street's living room, with its location, scale, and textures harmonizing perfectly with its architectural context while engaging with the materials and tones of Boyd's original design.
The jury further emphasized that the work evokes "the domestic intimacy of the site" by drawing inspiration from the home's former resident cat, Camilla. They described the tapestry as "distinctive, conceptually rich and masterfully realized," representing "a significant and contemporary evolution of the medium."
The winning team received a prize of $5,000, while all finalists received $1,000 each. Additionally, a People's Choice Award will be decided by public vote. The complete list of 2025 finalists included Jack MacRae with Wilson Architects, Troy Emery and Cox Architecture, Narweet Professor Carolyn Briggs AM and Greenshoot, Yvette Coppersmith and Anouska Milstein of A.mi, and Mouriya Senthilkumar and Ian Tsui.
