Meet the 2026 Bright Awards winners

Run by Billy Blue College of Design, the Bright Awards give high school students around Australia a platform to share their work, have it seen by design academics and industry judges and be recognised for their creative skills.

Billy Blue has run the design and creative media competition for more than a decade. Over the past five years alone, it has invested over $100,000 in students and schools across the country.

This year's winners span Architecture and Interiors, Gaming, Fashion Design, Marketing and Textiles, Creative Media, Photography and Visual Arts, with projects responding to issues including sustainability, fast fashion, housing and road safety.

Professor Agnes Bosanquet, Dean of School at Billy Blue College of Design, said the awards give young creatives an opportunity to put their ideas forward while they are still developing their skills and point of view.

The Bright Awards give us a glimpse of the next generation of designers, makers and storytellers. This year's winners have demonstrated technical skill and a strong awareness of issues impacting our world. Their work reminds us that creativity and critical thinking are the most powerful tools we have for imagining better futures.

Professor Agnes Bosanquet, Dean of School at Billy Blue College of Design

There's plenty at stake, too. Each category finalist receives $1,000 and an Adobe Creative Cloud licence. The Pinnacle Award winner receives $5,000 for their school, plus a 50% Design scholarship to study at Billy Blue if they're in Year 12.

Meet our 2026 Pinnacle Award winner

Year 12 Northern Beaches Secondary College, Balgowlah Boys Campus student Zachary Pawley took out the 2026 Pinnacle Award for his short film about e-bike awareness and safety, following a young boy on his way to school.

Agnes Bosanquet praised its narrative, visual storytelling and technical execution: “Zachary's short film addresses the important issue of e-bike safety for young people with a well-crafted narrative and strong visual storytelling. The project is underpinned by thoughtful research and development, resulting in a film that is both educational and compelling.”

Fellow judge Alwyn Hunt from Adobe called it “really engaging work with a great balance of storytelling, action and a serious message.”

Northern Beaches Secondary College, Balgowlah Boys Campus said it would put its $5,000 Pinnacle Award prize towards cameras and equipment for students.

Meet the 2026 category winners

Architecture and Interiors: Shanelle Lam

Year 12 Cammeraygal High School student Shanelle designed eco-friendly overwater structures in response to environmental degradation and the need for more sustainable architecture. Her concept considers energy, water recycling, waste, natural cooling and lighting, alongside seawalls and coral grids designed to support rehabilitation beneath the structures.

I was incredibly honoured to receive the Bright Award. After spending lots of time and effort towards this project, it was a wonderful validation of that hard work and all the incredible support I have received along the way.

 Gaming: Ryan Zhi

Year 10 Killara High School student Ryan created two detailed 3D environments in Blender: a vintage bakery and a retro-inspired bedroom. Ryan modelled the objects in each scene himself, using lighting, composition and small details to give each space its own atmosphere and story.

For my project, I aimed to create spaces that felt genuinely lived in, so I spent a lot of time on small details like modelling pastries and adjusting the lighting. This project pushed me to think like an environmental artist and made me consider the mood and storytelling of each scene.

 Fashion Design, Marketing and Textiles: Bridget Steer

Year 12 Catholic Education Diocese of Parramatta student Bridget responded to fast-fashion consumption with a four-piece collection designed to offer more ways to wear the same garments.

Her reversible jumpsuit and three skirts use magnetic waistband attachments to create different looks.

Judges Russell Ponting and Dr Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne described Bridget's work as “compelling”, highlighting its strong research and execution, extensive documentation and user testing.

Creative Media: Zachary Pawley

Zachary's Pinnacle Award-winning e-bike safety film also earned him the Creative Media category award.

Thank you so much again this has been an absolute pleasure and privilege to be able to take place and win this competition and i would like to say thankyou to everyone at Torrens for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

Judge Jacqui Casey said the film demonstrated “strong visual storytelling, with considered cinematography, camera angles and scene composition building an engaging narrative”, supported by research and development that informed its story and visual direction.

Photography: Ludmila Makunina

Year 12 Indooroopilly State High School student Ludmila turned her camera on abandoned buildings and Australia's housing crisis, using photography to examine the contrast between vacant spaces and homelessness.

I'm overjoyed that I won the photography category for the Bright Awards. Having little knowledge about the theory behind what constitutes ‘good photography’ has often made me discouraged to keep pursuing photography, but the results of this competition has shown me that simply enjoying the artistic process is what will get you further. While my photos are pretty interesting, I want to highlight how important it is to put the focus on the thousands of Australians experiencing homelessness right now.

Visual Arts: Alyssa Yang

Year 10 Abbotsleigh student Alyssa tackled food waste with WNKY, a design concept that gives imperfect produce its own playful characters. The idea extends across reusable bags, merchandise, a promotional campaign and an app featuring affordable recipes and an impact tracker.

Judge Elicia Simon said the work stood out for “the combination of purpose, creativity and personality”, with a cohesive design system spanning digital and physical experiences.

Highly Commended

The judges also recognised four Highly Commended entries that stood out across this year's awards:

Nicky Walkly, Westminster School SA — Architecture and Interiors
A regenerative design inspired by Australian flora, featuring flower-inspired structures that collect water to support the surrounding plants.

Savannah Munro — Fashion Design, Marketing and Textiles
Nouveau Pointe, a modular pointe shoe concept designed so worn components can be replaced rather than discarding the entire shoe.

Jay Doshi — Fashion Design, Marketing and Textiles
TrueNature Lure, a biodegradable fishing lure made using discarded prawn shells and renewable bamboo as an alternative to conventional plastic lures.

Olive Alley — Fashion Design, Marketing and Textiles
A multi-sensory teddy bear designed to provide comfort and developmental support for children in women's shelters.

Celebrating young creatives

The Bright Awards recognise the students putting their ideas forward and the schools supporting them to develop their creative skills.

Thank you to our Pinnacle Award judges Agnes Bosanquet and Alwyn Hunt, and category judges Daniel Staebe, Melissa O'Brien, Dr Dan Staines, Russell Ponting, Dr Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne, Jacqui Casey, Daniel Coelho and Elicia Simon for giving their time and expertise to this year's awards.

And congratulations to every student who entered and to the teachers who supported and mentored them along the way.

For Billy Blue, that's what the Bright Awards are about: giving young creatives a place to show what they can do — and recognising the ideas already taking shape in classrooms.