The MAKE Award 2025 has named designer and metalsmith Cinnamon Lee as the winner of the $35,000 First Prize for NOCTUA. The work is a striking fusion of jewellery and lighting that pairs the permanence of metal with the fleeting quality of light.
MAKE Award 2025
Presented every two years by the Australian Design Centre (ADC), the national prize celebrates innovation, technical skill and excellence in contemporary craft and design. The exhibition features 36 finalists whose work spans disciplines, materials and creative approaches.
Inspired by international programs such as the Burke Prize (Museum of Arts and Design, New York) and the LOEWE Foundation Craft Prize, the MAKE Award is supported by a private philanthropic donation. It reflects ADC’s long-standing commitment to recognising Australian makers on a global stage.
First Prize, $35,000: Cinnamon Lee, NOCTUA
NOCTU crosses the boundaries between jewellery, sculpture and light. Drawing on the now-endangered Australian Bogong moth, Lee combines refined metalwork with a luminous transformation.
The result is both poetic and precise. NOCTUA operates as a lamp, sculpture and wearable art, while reflecting Lee’s ongoing research into materials and light.
“Pairing the permanence of metal with the ephemerality of light, this object is at once lamp, sculpture, jewellery and theatre.”
Make Jury
Second Prize, $10,000: Jack Rollins, SOFA1
South Australian designer–maker Jack Rollins created SOFA1 using 3,744 golf balls and tensioned cord. He explored geometric forms that were altered and reshaped to create a functional object.
The work continues his ongoing GolfWeave series. Through this approach, Rollins applies triaxial weaving principles to furniture-scale design, examining structure, reuse and tension. Earlier works from this series were exhibited internationally at Gallery Rossana Orlandi, Milan.
Highly Commended: Roseanne Bartley’s ‘A Poetry of Rings: The Mulga Alphabet’
Artist-jeweller Roseanne Bartley worked in wood for the first time, carving rings by hand from Mulga (Acacia aneura). The timber holds deep cultural and ecological meaning.
This project expands Bartley’s material practice while honouring sustainable craft traditions. It reflects the MAKE Award’s goal of supporting innovation grounded in culture and skill.
MAKE Award 2025 Finalists Exhibition
📍10 October to 19 November
📍Australian Design Centre, 101–115 William Street, Dalinghurst, Sydney (Free Entry)
Visitors can explore the MAKE Award 2025 Finalists Exhibition, which showcases diverse approaches to material, technique and concept. The exhibition highlights how Australian makers are reshaping traditional craft through experimentation and sustainability.
Exhibition highlights include a wire-mesh dining chair by Clarence Prize recipient Ash Allen and a vessel made from upcycled wood shavings by Jam Factory alumnus Bolaji Teniola..
About the MAKE Award
Established by the Australian Design Centre in 2023, the MAKE Award: Biennial Prize for Innovation in Australian Craft and Design recognises experimentation, technical excellence and material intelligence in contemporary making.
The inaugural 2023 award honoured ceramicist Vipoo Srivilasa as winner, glass artist Jessica Murtagh as runner-up and textile artist Liz Williamson with a High Commendation.
The 2025 program continues this legacy by spotlighting exceptional makers who expand the boundaries of Australian craft and design.
About Australian Design Centre
Founded in 1964, the Australian Design Centre (ADC) has been a national leader in contemporary craft and design for more than six decades.
ADC connects makers and audiences through exhibitions, events, publications and education programs. Led by CEO Lisa Cahill, the organisation promotes original work, sustainable practice, and design excellence across Australia.
Visit and Learn More
View all finalists: makeaward.au/finalists_2025
