NGV call for applications to participate in Melbourne Design Week program.
Above: This year at Melbourne Design Week, Australian furniture designer and maker Jon Goulder was awarded the annual 2026 Melbourne Design Week Award presented by Mercedes-Benz Australia. The prestigious $10,000 accolade recognises Goulder and his studio’s contribution to the Australian design landscape over the past three decades. Photo: Eugene Hyland
Applications are now open for the 11th edition of Australia’s largest annual design festival, Melbourne Design Week, which will offer an exciting program of imaginative design events from 20–30 May 2027.
Since it launched ten years ago in 2017, Melbourne Design Week has transformed the Australian design landscape by creating a national platform for designers to share their work and ideas. Designers, studios and collectives are invited to submit their ideas for events, talks, exhibitions, workshops and more for the 2027 festival’s program, including the Melbourne Art Book Fair. Applications for Melbourne Design Week are open until 12pm 13 November 2026, and applications for Melbourne Art Book Fair are open until 12pm, 1 December 2026.
Melbourne Design Week is an annual 11-day festival for designers, researchers, industry and enthusiasts to come together and share bold ideas, show new work, and make industry connections. Guided by its annual theme, Design the World You Want, Melbourne Design Week has carved out a focus on Australian design leadership, experimentation, innovation and ideas that can contribute to the social, cultural, ecological, and economic future of Australia.
In 2027, Melbourne Design Week is seeking applications exploring how design can foster community, collaboration and care; Australian-designed and locally made work; and international collaborations and networks, particularly across the Indo-Pacific. Applications are also sought for projects that explore how the tools of design are changing – including design made with or about AI, robotics, digital fabrication or projects that challenge or respond to this shift. Submissions are also sought from projects that treat design as a partner to the living world, including through bio-design and biomaterials, regenerative practices, and work that supports biodiversity or repairs our relationship with nature.
As part of Melbourne Design Week at The Ian Potter Centre: NGV Australia, the NGV Design Store will present a curated retail pop-up showcasing the creativity and craftsmanship of contemporary Australian design. The NGV is inviting craftspeople, designer-makers and design-led brands to apply to be part of this special showcase. Selected products will offer visitors the chance to discover distinctive, beautifully made objects, gifts and homewares that capture the creativity of Australia’s design community. The pop-up will focus on original, high-quality products with recommended retail prices under $300.
Applications are also open for the 13th Melbourne Art Book Fair. Since launching in 2015, the Melbourne Art Book Fair has brought together publishers, writers and designers to showcase and launch some of the region’s best publications at venues across Melbourne and Victoria. The Melbourne Art Book Fair’s annual Stallholder Fair takes place at NGV International across the first weekend, 21–23 May 2027.
NGV Director Tony Ellwood AM said: ‘Over the past ten years, the Australian design community has helped to shape Melbourne Design Week into the country’s leading and largest design event. In 2027, we invite designers, architects, makers and thinkers to help us build on this incredible legacy with a whole new program of outstanding exhibitions and events that showcase the innovation and impact of the Australian design industry.’
Applications close 12pm, 13 November 2026. For further information about Melbourne Design Week 2027, see designweek.melbourne