Dulux opens entries for the 40th Colour Awards

Written by

07 December 2025

 • 

1 min read

Sarah & Sebastian by Richards Stanisich the Dulux Colour Awards 2025 AU Grand Prix | Photography Lillie Thompson
Sarah & Sebastian by Richards Stanisich the Dulux Colour Awards 2025 AU Grand Prix | Photography Lillie Thompson
Marking four decades of design ambition, the Dulux Colour Awards return with entries now open for the 2026 program. As one of the region’s longest-running examinations of colour in the built environment, the awards recognise work where hue, materiality and form are considered as a coherent architectural idea.

Open to architects, interior designers and students across Australia and New Zealand, the program spans residential, commercial and installation categories. Eligible projects must be completed between 1 September 2024 and 31 December 2025.

This milestone year will be judged by a panel drawn from leading studios across Australia and New Zealand.

Simone Haag of Simone Haag; Buster Caldwell, Director of Auckland-based Wonder Group; Ben Peake, Principal at Carter Williamson Architects; Alix Smith, Principal at Hassell and Sarah-Jane Pyke, Principal of Arent&Pyke.

Collectively, they bring a nuanced understanding of colour as both an expressive and functional design tool. One that shapes atmosphere, influences movement and anchors the character of a space.

Finalists will be announced on 9 April 2026, ahead of the awards ceremony at the Sydney Opera House on 27 May, where the Australian and New Zealand Grand Prix titles will also be revealed.

For studios exploring colour as a driver of narrative and spatial experience, the awards present a timely opportunity for regional recognition.

Entries close 20 February 2026, enter here.