Queensland College of Art (QCA) Fine Art graduate Angela Fok won first prize for Jewellery Design in the Design Institute of Australia (DIA) Queensland Graduate of the Year Awards (GOTYA), with two further students receiving high commendations and several others named finalists.

Fine Art graduate Rachel Matthews-Fredrick received a High Commendation in the Jewellery and Small Objects category and Product Design graduate Paul Bardini also received a High Commendation in his category.

The other QCA finalists include:

– Fine Art graduates specialising in Jewellery and Small Objects: Jen Eales and Rebecca White;
– Product Design graduates: Callum Burgess and Megan Rowe;
– Visual Communication Design graduates: Joel Matheson, Tamati Currie and Ebony Harrison; and
– Interior Environments graduates: Luke Davidson, Ally MacMillan and Emma Williams.

Winner, Angela Fok, will now compete in the DIA Australasian Graduate of the Year awards, with the winners of the national award to be announced later this month.

Angela says her works were inspired by a drive to create miniature form wax carvings.

“The most important thing to consider before making anything is the connection of the work to the audience,” Angela says.

Paul Bardini, whose submission was highly commended, says he seeks to produce design outcomes that are moral and ethical with a goal of creating better products and services.

“I view product design as an holistic problem-solving tool, using design thinking to create better products and services from concept to creation in order to initiate change and produce moral and ethical design outcomes.”

The GOTYA awards provide graduates with the opportunity to present their work and gain state-level recognition.

Highly commended graduate Rachel Matthews-Frederick says the awards gave her the chance to reflect on her work created at University.

“GOTYA allowed me to look back on my final year of study and see my progress from a different perspective. I was able to understand my practice better, as well as the direction I was headed,” Rachel says.

Jewellery and Small Objects convenor at the Queensland College of Art, Liz Shaw says the awards are a great opportunity for students to showcase their talents outside of a University context.

“GOTYA is an important way of acknowledging and celebrating the top design graduates in the state,” she says.

“The recognition from industry confirms works completed as a student hold significance outside of the University learning environment. For the graduates this is a wonderful confidence boost and it’s also very inspiring for current students.”

QCA Product Design convenor, Beck Davis, says the GOTYA awards also provide an opportunity for students to illustrate their personal design acumen and to receive feedback from industry.

“To have their work evaluated by professionals outside the academe is critical for emerging designers, particularly for those that seek to challenge traditional design practices, raising moral and ethical questions through the work they produce.”

Find out more about Fine Art at the Queensland College of Art.

Find out more about Design at the Queensland College of Art.

View all of the award winners from the DIA Queensland Graduate of the Year Awards.