ShareApplications open for 2025 Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator
Working closely with industry partners, Powerhouse will support the recipient to further develop their project or bring their successful project to market and boost its visibility.
Powerhouse is calling for early to mid-career Australian industrial designers to apply for the 2025 Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator, a $25,000, annual initiative that champions bold, sustainable industrial design.
“Carl Nielsen’s focus on thoughtful product design has paved the way for aspiring and practicing designers. We are grateful for his generous bequest, which will allow us to bring a designer’s vision to the next level,” says Powerhouse Chief Executive Lisa Havilah.
Backed by a generous bequest from the late Australian industrial designer and his wife Judy, the program supports one standout Australian project that puts sustainability at its core.
“Carl Nielsen was a giant in the industry when the industrial design profession was establishing itself in Australia,” says Nielsen Design Director Adam Laws.
“The challenges we currently face in industrial design are more global than local, but the need for promotion and support continues to be important. The Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator has been developed to continue his legacy of helping designers achieve their full potential.”
Award-winning Sydney-based Industrial Design eXchange (IDX) Founder Ed Ko will work directly with the chosen designer to craft an eight-month development program, which could include tailored industry mentorship, production support, research assistance or promotional help.
This year’s selection panel features Powerhouse Collection Curator Angelique Hutchison, Nielsen Design Director Adam Laws and IDX Founder Ed Ko.
“What Powerhouse and the Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator afforded wasn’t just cash to fund manufacturing of a design, it became an investment in exploring the fuzzy edges of industrial design as a contemporary practice. I’m proud to have partnered with Powerhouse to mentor Caity on her journey so far,” says 2025 Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator mentor Ed Ko.
“I’m genuinely excited to see how her practice continues to evolve. I look forward to working closely with this year’s recipient to develop a program that will enhance their design practice.”
The Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator reflects Powerhouse’s commitment to sustainability across its programs, exhibitions, education and Collection. In 2024, designer Caity Duffus was awarded for her project Mycelia House – a project bringing mushroom cultivation into Australian homes while reshaping fungi as a sustainable food source.
“This program has taught me about real-world timelines and the importance of patience and trust at every stage of the design process,” says 2024 Carl Nielsen Design Accelerator recipient Caity Duffus.
“This program has already had, and will continue to have, a lasting impact on my life and work, especially in these early stages of my journey.”
Applications will close 5pm, 20 June 2025. The recipient will be announced at the annual Sydney Design Week opening event in September 2025. Apply here.
Image: Supported by a generous bequest from Carl and Judy Nielsen, Powerhouse selects one project designed in Australia that demonstrates outstanding design in sustainability / supplied
