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AGDA Awards for Design Excellence
AGDA prides itself on its fair and ethical judging system. Based on the Olympic model, it was inducted at the inaugural AGDA Awards in 1992. A selection of judges are first nominated by AGDA councillors, then shortlisted to nine professionals who represent the range of experiences, practices and ideologies of the design community, irrespective of geography or politics.
Divergence of opinion among the judges is accepted. Discussion about entries is not. Judges abstain from assessing their own work. Identification of designers is removed or masked out to maintain anonymity for all entries. Every entry after the first in/out vetting, is scored by each judge and its total averaged in percentage terms. These are AGDA's rules.
The anonymity of the entries and the silent voting system produces what is believed to be a fair system. In the words of a previous judge: There is no opportunity for persuasive members of the panel to influence others, nor for debate. In fact, the judges walk away without knowing who the winners are. It is equally important to the integrity of the AGDA Awards that the identity of the judges are released only after the judging is completed.
Pinnacles, Commendations, Finalists
A judges responsibility is to select work which extends the idea, the medium, the craft. "Design is about what can be achieved by what we know and what we're prepared to challenge. Pinnacles were awarded to designers who met these criteria" said the chairman of judges at the 1996 AGDA Awards.
There can only be one Pinnacle awarded in each of the major categories
The winning work is considered worthy by achieving a unanimously high score of 90% or above from the nine judges, and deserving of their 'I wish I'd done it!' The next three entries in each category are awarded Commendations, but they must attain a consistent score of 80% or above, and demonstrate an international standard of excellence. Finalist entries also hold their own in international company, scoring below the Commendations, but within the 80% demarcation.
Green Award, Judges Choice Awards, Innovation Award
Entries reaching finalist status or above are eligible for these special awards.
Green Award recognises the best example of resource management and environmental responsibility in terms of recyclability, biodegradability and minimisation.
Judges Choice Awards are a departure from the collective voting and allows for each judge to select his/her own 'best of show'.
Innovation Award recognises the entry which achieves the pinnacle of design innovation through the pioneering of ideas, medium or craft.
AGDA Paperpoint Hall of Fame
Richard Beck, Les Mason, Gordon Andrews, Max Forbes, Lance Stirling, George Kral, Eric Maguire, as Hall of Fame inductees, are acknowledged for their skill, dedication and perserverence in pioneering and establishing the design profession.
These recipients are recognised for their significant body of work and their incalculable contribution to raising design standards and advancing design practice. They are our heroes!
All Award recipients will be announced at the Gala Presentation and Dinner in Queensland, on Saturday 24 June, 2000.
See you there!
| Feedback by Andy Hoyne | Monday, 24 July 2000 |
"This needs some reviewing.
It's not possible that an Awards event can take place where no one wins a Pinnacle. I do not accept the notion that there was no work worthy of winning one of these awards. This is simply not the case.
In any judging scenario, you will almost never have 90-100% of the judges agree on what work represents the best our industry has to offer. It only takes two judges from the panel to go into this with the wrong mindset.
Let's not send out the wrong messages about the capability of our industry to our clients. We are good enough, our best work is easily that of an international standard, and if we can't even recognise that, how the hell do we expect to convince prospective clients."
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