53 AUT winners at 2025 DINZ Best Awards
Yet another record has been set by AUT School of Art and Design staff and students, who have taken home 53 pins at the Design Institute of New Zealand’s 2025 Best Awards.
Announced at a ceremony on 10 October, this year’s haul includes 15 Gold, 24 Silver and 14 Bronze pins showcasing AUT staff and students’ creativity, innovation and dedication to their craft.
Head of School of Art and Design, Professor Mandy Smith says AUT’s performance at the Best Awards demonstrates the university’s continued prominence in the creative industries.
"This year AUT’s School of Art and Design had 81 finalists across Student Animation, Digital, Graphic, Product, Social Good, Spatial and Toitanga design categories.
“I’m immensely proud of all AUT students and staff involved in this year’s record-breaking effort.”
Established in the 1970s, the Best Awards are the Design Institute of New Zealand’s annual showcase of excellence and are open to all. In 2024, AUT School of Art and Design won 48 best Awards pins, and in 2023 AUT staff and students won 45.
Full list of winners
Gold
- Maia Szecket, Cuando Tenía Tus Años/When I Had Your Years (Graphic)
- Ruby Bird, Dubito Ergo Creo, Creo Ergo Dubito (Graphic)
- Ahnes Shim, Hanok that Breathes (숨쉬는 한옥) (Graphic)
- Matthew Waugh, The Brew Hive (Graphic)
- Izzy McBeth, The Playbook (Graphic)
- Kayla Williams, Tools for Type (Graphic)
- Kayla Williams, Labour Rights, Strikes, and the Enduring Fight (Graphic)
- Chris Anderson, HELIX (Product)
- Joseph Stone, Hydro Voyage (Product)
- Jordan Tane, Ko te mauri he mea tahuna i te moana (Social Good Award)
- Mia Freeman, Different Body (Social Good Award)
- Daniel John, Ashleigh Clark, Livia Hawkins, Hannah Keppel, Sascha Varnier, Growing Together (Spatial)
- Akane Shibata, Fathers, (Animation)
- Rhianon Stanford, 31 Jewellers, (Spatial)
- Kelys Witty, Te Ao o Arawa, (Toitanga)
Silver
- Joseph Zhang, Priceless (2024) (Animation)
- Harriet Neradt, All The Days You Owe Me (Graphic)
- Melody Tan, Cutting Through Time (Graphic)
- Temima Rigg, Flying Kiwi (Graphic)
- Georgia Campbell, For Future Jaffas (Graphic)
- Ben Forster, Little Queen Street (Graphic)
- Kannon Hen, Outside the Moving Window (Graphic)
- Sunny Chen, Ruishou in Forbidden City (Graphic)
- Caleb Gopal, The Sampled Self (Graphic)
- Mia Freeman, Different Body (Graphic)
- Ruby McEvoy, Te Aitanga Pepeke (Graphic)
- Jacob Smith, Clipit (Product)
- Giulia Harper, Cultivate (Product)
- Timo van Noppen, Drover (Product)
- Vajk Peter, Ember340 (Product)
- Hugo Tucker, Solace (Product)
- Timo van Noppen, Balance (Product)
- Harriet Neradt, All The Days You Owe Me (Social Good Award)
- Matthew Waugh, The Brew Hive (Social Good Award)
- Avalon Martin, Weight of the World (Social Good Award)
- Rhianon Stanford, Nina Fox, Jessy Edwards, Stephanie Blows, Nicole Welthagen, Hauhake Hive (Spatial)
- Sonia Bennett, Platform 39 (Spatial)
- Bryre Dowling, Aroha (Toitanga)
- Jordan Tane, Ko te mauri he mea tahuna i te moana (Toitanga)
Bronze
- Shani Walker, No More Vivaldi (2024) (Animation)
- Amber Zi Qing, He Shipping Container (2024) (Animation)
- Kevin Cao, stem (Digital)
- Frances Ryder, The Mysterious Dr Danneville (Digital)
- Macy Dyet, Bon Vivant (Graphic)
- Jordan Tane, Ko te mauri he mea tahuna i te moana (Graphic)
- Vivan Doan, Nam Type (Graphic)
- Richard Seaman, EverCloud (Product)
- Rico Choi, plant Me (Product)
- Paul Brink, Spotter (Product)
- Bryre Dowling, Aroha (Social Good Award)
- Grace Fraser, Bead Journey (Spatial)
- Niamh Beattie, HealUp (Product)
- Sofia Keats, Fifyfifty (Social Good Award)