Twenty-seven consecutive years and showing no signs of slowing, taking in World Buildings of the Year, Olympic venues, international embassies near the White House, and a condemned 19th-century boot factory reborn, the Australian Timber Design Awards has opened entries for its 2026 program, with early bird pricing closing at 7 pm on May 29.
“These awards are the industry’s way of championing its best work. Behind every winning project is a supply chain story that begins in the forest and runs through sawmills, engineers, and builders,” according to Kylan Low, the organiser of this year’s awards.
The awards’ 27-year roll call captures the full range of what Australian timber design can achieve. The 2025 prize went to Archer Office’s adaptive reuse of a condemned 1892 boot factory in Bondi Junction, a project that has since won further national and international awards.
Before that, Bates Smart’s Australian Embassy in Washington DC took the 2024 prize; ARM Architecture won 2023 for the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall Renewal; and the Tzannes-designed International House at Barangaroo — the 2017 recipient — was named World Building of the Year at the World Architecture Festival in Amsterdam. Every one of those projects began with an entry form.
The 2026 program is open to projects of any scale — residential, commercial or public — that feature timber structures or finishes. Whether a bespoke family home, a community pavilion or a commercial fit-out, the awards exist to document every link in the supply chain behind outstanding timber design.
“The Australian Timber Design Awards showcase how timber is reshaping the way we design, build and think about our communities. As the material of choice for a lower-carbon future, these awards highlight projects that bring together performance, beauty and sustainability in unique and innovative ways,” said Sarah Downey, Head of Marketing and Communications for Forest and Wood Products Australia.
The awards are organised by the Timber Development Association in partnership with Forest and Wood Products Australia and WoodSolutions. Early bird pricing closes at 7 pm on May 29, 2026. The final deadline for entries is June 30, 2026.
