AUT finalists at Best Awards 2023
 
 Seventy-three AUT student projects reached the final stage of the prestigious Best Awards 2023.
The students’ work is shortlisted across Student Graphic, Graphic Editorial & Books, Student Moving Image, Student & Academic Product, Student Public Good, Student & Academic Spatial, Student Digital and Toitanga design categories.
In 2022, students and staff from AUT’s School of Art and Design won 29 Best Awards, including 6 Gold, 5 Silver and 12 Bronze pins. Two additional silver pins went to AUT School of Future Environments students and staff.
Established in the 1970s, the Best Awards are the Design Institute of New Zealand’s annual showcase of excellence and are open to all.
The 2023 winners will be announced at a ceremony in Auckland on 6 October.
See below for a full list of AUT student finalists, by category:
Categories and finalists
- Reid McLeay – CarbonRank
 Lecturers: Keryn Christiansen, Gerbrand Van Melle
- Wendy Wang – Synbike 
 Lecturers: Keryn Christiansen, Gerbrand Van Melle
- Kate Tran – Engverse
 Lecturers: Keryn Christiansen, Gerbrand Van Melle
- Tong Hiranat -Thumbs up
 Lecturers: Keryn Christiansen, Gerbrand Van Melle
- John Tan – Discovering the Self
 Lecturers: Rachel Carley, Jyoti Kalyanji
- Eli Vaughan - Lover of
 Lecturers: George Hajian, Karol Wilczynska
- Connor Goldie – Emergence
 Lecturers: Katie Kerr, George Hajian
- Janette Ng - The ‘Doing Well’ Guidebook
 Lecturers: Stephen Reay, Daniel Sutton
- Anya Cropper - The Beauty of Imperfection
 Lecturers: Katie Kerr, George Hajian
- Harriet Campbell - Whakatū Wāhine
 Lecturers: Katie Kerr, George Hajian
- Sammy Good – Kicking Against the Pricks: A Tribute to Sharon Alston
 Lecturers: George Hajian, Karol Wilczynska
- Shahade Bradley - Tapok: Graphic design as a bridge between a person and their cultural identity
 Lecturers: Katie Kerr, George Hajian
- Janine Carlos - Umali Kayo
 Lecturers: Tatiana Tavares, Natalie Robertson
- Cherise Cheung -Using nostalgic illustration (懷舊藝術) and poetry to stimulate a sense of cultural connection.
 Lecturers: Welby Ings, Marcos Mortensen Steagall
- Olivia Erskine - They/Them
 Lecturers: Tatiana Tavares, Natalie Robertson
- Grace Freeman – Reel
 Lecturers: Katie Kerr, George Hajian
- Jordan Tane - Ka mua, ka muri: Looking back in order to move forward
 Lecturers: George Hajian, Karol Wilczynska, Stephen Reay, Cassie Khoo, Ivana Nakarada-Kordic, Denise Wilson
- Sophie Ardern – Awaken
 Lecturers: Marcos Mortensen Steagall, Fiona Grieve
- Aakifa Chida - Will You Notice? Will You Change?
 Lecturers: David Coventon, George Hajian
- Jacob Davies- Finding Control
 Lecturers: George Hajian, Tatiana Tavares, Becky Ford
- Lesley Ung - Dénouement: A Subjective Reflection on Death, Loss and Grief through Animation Practice
 Lecturers: Andrew Denton, Guy Collier
- Ha Anh Vu - A very floaty Tết
 Lecturer: Miriam Harris
- Malachi McKay, Jingxi Yang – Kenka
 Lecturer: Hossein Najafi
- Varvara Solovyeva - USO (Unidentified Swimming Object)
 Lecturer: Jason Kennedy
- Jannisa Seck, Hansika Tiyyagura – Labels
 Lecturer: Jason Kennedy
- Imogen McIntyre - Hugg - Sensory Hat
 Lecturers: Luke Feast, Kei Hoshi
- Caleb Breen -Seedy
 Lecturers: Jyoti Kalyanji, Daniel Collings
- Avalon Martin - Retreat — A More Comfortable Toileting Option for Ostomy User
 Lecturer: Stephen Reay
- Aimee Oliver – Landfall
 Lecturer: Lisa Munnelly
- Kayla Newman- Small Steps
 Lecturers: Luke Feast, Kei Hoshi
- Savannah Boulle -Sea Sippers
 Lecturer: Anke Nienhuis
- Jennifer Susanto Marian Casuga Titapa Ritthichot – Verbeta
 Lecturers: Charlotte Sorensen, Emma Thyni
- Sarah Shepherd - Strong Wool Speaks
 Lecturers: Jyoti Kalyanji, Sue Gallagher
- Vajk Peter – Solium
 Lecturer: Stephen Reay
- Sarah Pearson - A Cushion to Comfort
 Lecturers: Stephen Reay, Daniel Sutton
- Jennifer Susanto – Cozygo
 Lecturers: Jyoti Kalyanji, Daniel Collings
- Abbey Barlow - AB3D
 Lecturers: Katie Kerr, George Hajian
- Paul Brink – Revelio
 Lecturer: Stephen Reay
- Paige Ihaka – MiniMix
 Lecturer: Anke Nienhuis
- Giulia Harper – Cubby
 Lecturer: Stephen Reay
- Deanna Griffin - 'Co' — communication and learning system for children's bath time routines
 Lecturer: Stephen Reay
- Mark Rous- SADDLE
 Lecturers: Jyoti Kalyanji, Daniel Collings
- Eden Doull - Impact Airbag
 Lecturers: Luke Feast, Kei Hoshi
- Yunjae Kim- Step-N-Sit
 Lecturer: Anke Nienhuis
- Haydn Nixon - Knock Knock
 Lecturers: Luke Feast, Kei Hoshi
- Hollie Riddell- Grounded – A Sole For Nature
 Lecturers: Stephen Reay, Anke Nienhuis
- Jackson Moore - Motion
 Lecturers: Luke Feast, Kei Hoshi
- Holly Craig – Insideher
 Lecturers: George Hajian, Tatiana Tavares
- Sophie Lewis - Less than 5mm
 Lecturers: Marcos Mortensen Steagall, Fiona Grieve
- Grace Costello - Inclusive Intelligence
 Lecturers: George Hajian, Tatiana Tavares, Becky Ford
- Pilar Cruz - The Second Shift
 Lecturers: Tatiana Tavares, George Hajian
- Bom Verkade – COZY
 Lecturers: George Hajian, Tatiana Tavares, Fleur Williams
- Tara Falconer – Grounding
 Lecturers: Marcos Mortensen Steagall, Fiona Grieve
- Zak Thomson -Paper: re-use, re-form, re-create
 Lecturers: George Hajian, Karol Wilczynska
- Jordan Tane - Ka mua, ka muri: Looking back in order to move forward
 Lecturers: George Hajian, Karol Wilczynska, Stephen Reay, Cassie Khoo, Ivana Nakarada-Kordic, Denise Wilson
- Bede Bennett -Votedrop
 Lecturers: Katie Kerr, George Hajian
- Jessica Kwong, Ashleigh Sun, Michelle Sheng, Sonia Zhang, Jacky Jones, Anya Hill, Emily Liu
 Making medication information accessible
 Lecturers: Cassie Khoo, Stephen Reay, Ivana Nakarada-Kordic
- Jessica Pressnell - It Ain’t Ova
 Lecturer: Meighan Ellis
- Hodaya Yarden - Jew.ellery
 Lecturers: Carl Douglas, Yana Dombrowsky-M'Baye
- Taylor Downard - Sticky Correspondence: An animist design encounter
 Lecturers: Sue Gallagher, Sue Jowsey
- Jessica Zhang – Combing
 Lecturers: Dr Rafik Patel, Polina Gorr
- Alessandra Mayo - The Capsule Home
 Lecturers: Rachel Carley, Archana Bhurke, Luke Bretnall
- Jessica Juno - Transforming Terrains
 Lecturers: Nooroa Tapuni, Susan Hedges
- Grace Fraser - Unseen Forces: Jewellery Studio
 Lecturers: Carl Douglas, Yana Dombrowsky-M'Baye
- Bella McMahon -Urban Apertures
 Lecturer: Sue Gallagher
- Daniel Eaton - Turning Toward
 Lecturers: Sue Gallagher, Emily O'Hara
- Silvia Kostandini - A Rock with Lots of Holes: Volcanic Imaginaries of Tāmaki Makaurau
 Lecturers: Carl Douglas, Sue Gallagher
- Alice Wang -Through the Glass
 Lecturer: Sue Gallagher
- Madelaine Julia Janiga-Warren - Motu Match
 Lecturers: Tatiana Tavares, George Hajian, Becky Ford
- Jordan Tane - Ka mua, ka muri: Looking back in order to move forward
 Lecturers: George Hajian, Karol Wilczynska, Stephen Reay, Cassie Khoo, Ivana Nakarada-Kordic, Denise Wilson
- Maria Philp - Mother Tongue
 Lecturers: Katie Kerr, George Hajian
- Leroy Tito - Into the dark
 Lecturers: Tatiana Tavares, Natalie Robertson
- Bryre Dowling - Aro & Ha: Turn to face, share breath.
 Lecturers: Marcos Mortensen Steagall, Fiona Grieve, Denise Wilson, Steve Reay, Cassie Khoo, Ivana Nakarada-Kordic