Design graduates win gold, silver and bronze at national Best Awards
In Brief:
- BDCA graduate Hein Kant Lin (Liam)’s RERE birdwatching app won Gold and Silver at this year’s Best Design Awards, using playful design to inspire rangatahi ‘young people’ to connect with Aotearoa New Zealand’s native birds and conservation.
- The awards were held at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland on Friday 9 October 2026.
- Grace Twigley won Bronze in Graphics for her Romeo and Juliet publication, which reimagines Shakespeare’s storytelling through information graphics and publication design.
- Three Bachelor of Design and Contemporary Art graduates were recognised at the 2026 Best Design Awards, with Marina Fepuleai also named a finalist in the Toitanga category.
Liam’s RERE project won Gold in the Social Good category and Silver in the Digital category for its innovative approach in using a playful birdwatching mobile app experience to help rangatahi connect with conservation. It turns conservation into social currency, giving teenagers a reason to step outside, notice the birds around them, and share what they find.
Grace, who had two works selected for this year’s Awards, earned Bronze in the Graphics category for her Romeo and Juliet publication transforming Shakespeare’s storytelling into a compelling exploration of information graphics and publication design.
The judge’s commented that RERE was “a project with a strong visual language to engage teenagers with New Zealand native birds and encouraging birdwatching.”
“Winning two awards is a huge milestone for me. Being recognized on New Zealand’s most prestigious design platform validates the effort I’ve put in and gives me great confidence as I continue my design career,” Liam says.
Design lecturer Dr Cris de Groot with BDCA graduate Hein Khant Lin (Liam) at the Best Design Awards where Liam won gold and silver for his RERE project.
“My goal as a designer has always been to create work that makes a positive difference and helps people in practical ways.”
Liam says his project was an exploration of how design can solve real-world problems rather than just looking good.
“Receiving these awards reinforces my focus on human-centred, purpose-driven work and sets a clear standard for my future practice.
“Seeing this project recognized at such a high level makes all the long hours and iteration feel completely worthwhile. It’s an incredible feeling to know that the work resonated with the judges and the wider industry.”
Liam says he is deeply grateful for the guidance from Design lecturer Dr Cris De Groot, School of Creative Industries, and everyone who helped bring his project to life.
BDCA graduate Grace Twigley with her family
Organised and hosted by The Designers Institute of New Zealand, The Best Design Awards is an annual national showcase championing Design excellence in animation, digital, film, graphics, industrial design, spatial, as well as three special awards – Social Good, Toitanga (our indigenous award) and Value of Design.
Three of our ākonga ‘learners’ were finalists in this year’s Best Design Awards – the other being Marina Fepuleai whose work Inanahi was a finalist in the Toitanga category. All three graduated with their BDCA earlier this year.
Read our earlier story announcing the trio as finalists for Best Design Awards 2026.
