Rachel Razunguzwa
Rachel Razunguzwa
Digital Technology Category winner - Old Mate

Bright Awards
Design and Creative Technology Competition

Courtesy of Billy Blue College of Design at Torrens University Australia, the Bright Awards Design and Creative Technology competition highlights emerging talent across secondary schools in Australia.

Overview

The Bright Awards spotlight the fearless creative talent of Year 10, 11 and 12 students across Australia. Celebrating rising designers and tech rebels, this competition from Billy Blue College of Design puts future game-changers on the map. Whether you're just discovering your spark or ready to flaunt your skills, the Bright Awards give you the chance to get noticed by industry legends. And with cash prizes for students and schools, it's all about fuelling those creative dreams from the ground up.

Meet our 2025 winners

Be inspired by our 2025 Bright Award winners. Find out more about their submissions on our blog.

Bright Awards 2025

Entries for the 2025 Awards are now closed.

 

Learn about the Design Thinking Process

Check out these additional resources to help create your creative portfolio.

Designing the Future: Bright Awards Workshop

Design Thinking Worksheets

         Categories and prizes

What’s on offer? By entering the Bright Awards competition, you could win:

  • A Category Finalist spot, earning yourself $1,000 plus a complimentary Creative Cloud licence* from Adobe (valued at $1,055).
  • All Category Finalists are then put forward, where one could win the Pinnacle Award in Creativity & Innovation Excellence earning a 50% scholarship* to study design and creative technology, and $5,000 for your school.

The Bright Awards are not just about the fame and kudos – although that can be great - but are about taking that first step towards a career in design and creative technology.

We're looking for original ideas, demonstrated research and planning which results in a quality submission. We would love to see how your creative submission has been considered from a social, environmental or economic perspective too.

All category finalists will be in the draw for the Pinnacle Award in Creativity & Innovation Excellence.

Categories:

  • Architecture & Interiors
    Criteria

    We’re looking for work that represents you as a future Interior Designer or Architectural Technician. This could include interior or exterior spaces, furniture, artefacts, digital or physical environment concepts. Work completed as part of your Y10, 11 or 12 studies can be submitted.

    The Brief

    Create your vision of a space, or place. Where possible emphasize how your vision solves a societal challenge or environmental issue.
    Judges will look at the aesthetics of your design ideas (what it looks like visually), the research and development processes you've used, techniques used, your creativity, spatial awareness, an understanding of the elements and principles of design, and presentation applied.

    Entry Requirements

    Entries will be judged on the originality of the idea, how the idea addresses a social, environmental or economic issue, how you demonstrate preparation and planning in your work, and the overall quality of your submission.
    Suggested submission pieces may include concepts, sketches, illustrations, mood boards, models, pictures, videos, technical documents, plans or conceptual renders.

  • Digital Technology
    Criteria

    We’re looking for work that represents you as a future IT specialist, network designer, or software developer. Entries can be anything from the concept of a robot, a working robot or component of code, programming, or visualizations of a scenario and outcome. Work completed as part of your Y10, 11 or 12 studies can be submitted.

    The Brief

    Think cyber security, artificial intelligence, programming, machine learning, or any smart ICT solution that could solve a problem, create an experience, complete a task, or nerf an alien. Judges will look at your ideas, any research or documentation provided, any code, any applications, or any frameworks that represent your solution.

    Entry Requirements

    Entries will be judged on the originality of the idea, how the idea addresses a social, environmental, or economic issue, how you demonstrate preparation and planning in your work, and the overall quality of your submission.
    Suggested submission pieces can include concepts, documentation, diagrams, code files, or working code applications. If you want to make your submission assets private, you’ll need to send us the password to access.

  • Fashion Design, Marketing & Textiles
    Criteria

    We’re looking for work that represents you as a future fashion leader, a designer, entrepreneur, or marketer. This could include business concepts, garments, accessories, textiles, merchandising, digital or physical fashion. Work completed as part of your Y10, 11 or 12 studies can be submitted.

    The Brief

    Create your vision of a fashion collection, fabric, garment, design technique, business model, experience, brand, or campaign.
    Judges will look at the aesthetics of your design ideas (what it looks like visually), the research and development processes you've used, techniques used, your creativity, material awareness, audience awareness, an understanding of the elements and principles of design, and presentation applied.

    Entry Requirements

    Entries will be judged on the originality of the idea, how the idea could address a social, environmental or economic issue, how you demonstrate preparation and planning in your work, and the overall quality of your submission.
    Suggested submission pieces may include concepts, sketches, illustrations, mood boards, models, pictures, videos, technical documents, campaign ideas, range plans or conceptual renders.

  • Media Arts & Gaming
    Criteria

    This category is open to all aspects of digital media, interaction design, animation, and gaming. You may wish to design a media campaign, a website, an app, a game character, a game environment, a 2D or 3D animation, or even develop an entire game demo or film. Work completed as part of your Y10, 11 or 12 studies can be submitted.

    The Brief

    Create your vision of a game, a story, an animation, interaction, installation, or mixed media concept (E.g.: An app, website, or short form motion). Judges will look at both the aesthetics of your design ideas (what it looks like visually), the research and development processes you've used, techniques used, your creativity, user experience considerations, an understanding of the elements and principles of design, and presentation applied.

    Entry Requirements

    Entries will be judged on the originality of the idea, how the idea could address a social, environmental, or economic issue, how you demonstrate preparation and planning in your work, and the overall quality of your submission.
    Suggested submission pieces may include concepts, sketches, illustrations, 2D or 3D animations, storyboards, game rules, models, pictures, videos, technical documents, .mp4 files, YouTube links, Steam links, or conceptual renders.

  • Photography
    Criteria

    We’re looking for images that showcase your photography skills. Photographs can show anything: architecture, landscape, nature, portrait, still-life, street photography… you name it, we’ll accept it. Work completed as part of your Y10, 11 or 12 studies can be submitted.

    The Brief

    Create a series of images that showcases the type of photography career you wish to pursue.
    We’ll be judging your work based on your creativity, the composition of the shots or ideas, and the story or narrative behind them.

    Entry Requirements

    Entries will be judged on the originality of the shots, how your concept could address or showcase a social, environmental, or economic issue, how you demonstrate preparation and planning in your work, and the overall quality of your submission.
    Please supply at least 3 images, with a maximum of 5. Suggested support submission pieces may include concepts, sketches, mood boards, video, folio, and images.

  • Visual Arts
    Criteria

    This category is open to all aspects of graphic and communication design including motion graphics, print or digital design. You may wish to design a poster, an illustration, a logo, a magazine concept, a font or typeface, packaging concept, a merchandising idea, web design, or a marketing campaign idea. Work completed as part of your Y10, 11 or 12 studies can be submitted.

    The Brief

    Create a visual design concept or finished design.
    Judges will look at both the aesthetics of your design ideas (what it looks like visually), the research and development processes you've used, techniques used, your creativity, user experience considerations, an understanding of the elements and principles of design, and presentation applied.

    Entry Requirements

    Entries will be judged on the originality of the idea, how the idea could address a social, environmental, or economic issue, how you demonstrate preparation and planning in your work, and the overall quality of your submission.
    Suggested submission pieces may include concepts, sketches, illustrations, motion graphics, .mp4 files, finished artwork in print or digital form.

Showcase your creative talent
Enter now

Meet our judges

Professor Agnes Bosanquet headshot
Professor
Agnes Bosanquet
Interim Executive Dean, Design and Creative Technology
Agnes Bosanquet is an academic developer and higher education researcher. She has over 20 years of experience teaching in face-to-face, blended and online learning environments. Her collaborative research focusses on critical university studies and changing academic roles and identities.

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Melissa O'Brien | Author | Torrens University
Melissa O'Brien
Course Coordinator | Senior Learning Facilitator
Melissa is an interior architect, designer, decorator, stylist, researcher and educator, with 15 years’ experience across these fields. She is a director with Maxwell + Shirley, working primarily in residential architecture and interior design, and is also a senior academic in Interior Design and Decoration at Torrens University Australia.

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Dan Staines
Dr
Dan Staines
Senior Learning Facilitator (Course Coordinator)
Dr Dan Staines is a games scholar who has been making and writing about games for more than twenty years. Upon completing his PhD in 2016, Dan spent two years completing a post-doc at Concordia University in Montreal, where he worked with a small team of students to produce an interactive novel designed to provoke ethical discomfort. Since then, Dan has continued to focus on his teaching and research interests, which include designing games for ethical education, game design patterns, and meta-game retention/reward systems.

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Russell Ponting | Author | Torrens University
Russell Ponting
Program Director
Specialising in fashion marketing and branding, Russell has spent more than 20 years in the fashion industry, using his skills as a designer and educator to empower individuals and organisations to achieve results. Along the way, he has worked with companies such as Globe International and Pacific Brands, managing marketing for an array of youth fashion brands including Stussy, Superdry, Mossimo and Mooks. Russell is passionate about fashion brand development and strategically aligning product and brand to meet consumer need. He is keenly interested in the impact that technology and questions of ethical production and sustainable practice will have for emerging fashion designers as they enter and transform the industry.

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Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne
Dr
Rachel Lamarche-Beauchesne
Senior Lecturer
Rachel is a published academic and thought leader passionate about the fashion industry.   Having obtained her PhD in 2024, Rachel's research investigates the relationship between veganism and consumption, with a focus on the fashion industry. Her academic contributions include book chapters and papers in high-ranking journals such as Fashion Theory and Marketing Theory. On top of developing case studies for Bloomsbury Fashion Business Cases and presenting her research at prestigious international conferences, Rachel also regularly partakes in industry talks and panel moderations and frequently provides media commentary, contributing to outlets such as ELLE Quebec, ABC Melbourne, and ABC Tasmania, among others. 

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Tristan Bunn| Senior Learning Facilitator
Tristan Bunn
Senior Learning Facilitator
Tristan's career has seen him transition from graphic designer to interactive designer, then multimedia developer. He is actively involved in open-source projects that explore Python as a language for creative coding, holds degrees in design and IT, and has spent years working in digital agencies and tech startups before joining academia.

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Elicia Simon
Elicia Simon
Program Director
With 20 years of experience in the creative sector, Elicia has managed a variety of design organisations and design teams. Her experience spans print, digital, advertising, television and photography disciplines across design, production and leadership. Her industry perspective is informed from working with brands such as Versace, Subway and the Supercars franchise as well as agencies such as the QLD government. Elicia is an advocate for practice-based learning and loves guiding students through their journey to an exciting creative career. Her 10+ years of education experience has seen her specialise in online delivery methods and drive a best practice approach to remote learning for the Design and Creative Technology vertical.

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Dr Nandini Sidnal headshot
Dr
Nandini Sidnal
Program Director
Nandini holds a PhD in Artificial Intelligence, a Master's and Bachelor's in computer science and Engineering(CSE). She has more than 20 years of teaching experience ( Australia and Overseas) for postgraduate and undergraduate courses in CSE, Info systems, and Networking. She has held various leadership roles in education sector.She is an active reviewer for many technical journals and has around 40 publications. She has supervised four PhD scholars in Big Data Analytics, Edge Computing, Semantic and Cognitive Computing areas. She is adept in developing quality learning materials for the blended learning environment, delivering effective classroom and lab instructions through active learning methodology.

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Daniel Staebe
Daniel Staebe
Course Coordinator | Senior Learning Facilitator
With over 25 years of experience in Architecture and Interior Design, Daniel has worked with prestigious firms locally and internationally, including Denton Corker Marshall, Grose Bradley Architects, and as a Design Director at Allen Jack+Cottier. Daniel’s extensive portfolio covers residential, commercial, luxury, office, retail, hospitality, and educational projects across Australia. A passionate advocate for ecologically sustainable design, he was a GBCA Greenstar Accredited Professional from 2007 to 2012 and a GSA (Green Star Associate) to 2017. Daniel actively engages with industry colleagues nationally to ensure Billy Blue Built Environment students gain valuable exposure to internships and job opportunities, while staying current with the latest industry skills for a successful career post-graduation.

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Daniel Coelho
Daniel Coelho
Course Coordinator | Senior Learning Facilitator
Daniel is an experienced professional photographer with over 20 years in the industry. He's collaborated with top advertising agencies like DDB, BBDO, and Leo Burnett. Daniel has also worked with prominent clients such as NAB, Coles, Luxottica, Blackmores and Manly Council, among others. In 2013, he expanded his career into education by joining the Photo Imaging department to manage the national online program. He combines his expertise in photography with student-centred teaching methodologies to inspire and prepare the next generation of creative professionals.

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