The Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) National Landscape Architecture Awards are a celebration of the leading projects shaping green, open and public spaces across Australia. The annual awards program acknowledges the growing impact of landscape architecture on the spaces we inhabit, and recognises projects that stand out for their innovative approaches, that push the boundaries, or are considered to be of national significance.

The AILA Landscape Architecture Awards program has two stages: the first is a Chapter program and the second is the National program. In 2019. QLD, WA, SA, NSW, VIC & TAS will be presenting an Awards program, with the winners at Chapter level proceeding to the National Awards. The National Landscape Architecture Awards event was held on Thursday 10 October as part of the 2019 International Festival of Landscape Architecture in Melbourne

View the 2019 National Award winners and entrants.  View the full citations under each winner profile. 

View 2018 National Winners here

Category 1: CIVIC LANDSCAPE

Projects in this category are constructed urban landscape projects that are public in nature and capture and contribute to the culture and amenity of the urban environment.

Category 2: PARKS and OPEN SPACE

Projects in this category are constructed public parks and open space, or strategic open space projects that balance the demand for recreation, culture and the environment.

Category 3: PLAY SPACES

Projects in this category are constructed play spaces or strategies which promote the notion of active play and embraces the temporal elements of the active play space.

Category 4: INFRASTRUCTURE

Projects in this category are constructed landscape infrastructure projects, landscape strategies or works associated with civil infrastructure that demonstrates the successful integration of landscape values and which contracture to a future sustainability.

Category 5: CULTURAL HERITAGE

Projects in this category are constructed projects or strategies that demonstrate the restoration, conservation, enhancement, maintenance, or adaptive reuse of culturally significant sites.

Category 6: LAND MANAGEMENT

Projects in this category are constructed projects or strategies for the restoration, conservation or management of significant landscapes that demonstrate a tangible physical outcome. The project may recognise and reconcile the natural and cultural values of communities and the landscape in which they are placed.

Category 7: TOURISM

Projects in this category are constructed or strategic projects that demonstrate excellence in landscape design and demonstrate a tangible contribution to tourism, either nationally or in the local region that significantly enhances the profile of the area.

Category 8: URBAN DESIGN

Projects in this category are constructed or strategic projects that demonstrate how the design, construction management and built outcome contributes to the wellbeing of the urban setting through the improvement of social interaction, economic activity, liveability, accessibility and safety.

Category 9: LANDSCAPE PLANNING

Projects in this category are constructed or strategic projects and include strategic design and guiding policy documents and visual assessments for urban development, residential and planned communities, local community and rural or regional planning.

Category 10: RESEARCH, POLICY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Projects in this category include published works in research and or practice that extend the knowledge base and advocacy of landscape architecture.

Category 11: COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION

Projects in this category included constructed projects or strategies delivered either:
a) As a pro bono service (or significantly reduced fee) to the community
OR
b) Projects that have positively impacted a disadvantaged individual or group of users who wouldn’t normally have access to design expertise.

Entrants should be able to clearly demonstrate the benefit provided by the project to the communities, cultural groups and/or neighbourhoods in which they are located in or serve (e.g. through client letters of support explicitly referring to benefits gained). Projects will demonstrate sound principles or values of landscape architecture, and must be sufficiently focused around the role of the landscape architect as opposed to contributing to a wider community development.

Category 12: SMALL PROJECTS

Projects in this category include those considered to be 'small' in terms of size or budget. Projects are recognised that have been constrained by size or budget restrictions, but have achieved a level of invention and creativity beyond these constraints.

Category 13: GARDENS

Projects in this category include constructed private and public gardens that contribute to the role and understanding of the garden in contemporary society and culture.

Category 14: INTERNATIONAL

Projects in this category include constructed or strategic projects that demonstrate a contribution to landscape architecture internationally.

Peta-Maree Ashford FAILA

Peta-Maree is a Director, Owner and Principal Landscape Architect of Emerge Associates, a private practice in WA.

Peta-Maree has spearheaded the successful design and implementation of numerous urban, regional and greenfield projects. Her passion, innovation and attention to detail, combined with her understanding of the technical aspects and practicalities of landscape construction, attest to her expertise.For the past four years, Peta-Maree has judged the state and national Parks and Leisure Australia Awards. She was previously shortlisted for the Inaugural UDIA Women in Leadership Award and acknowledged with an AILA Fellowship.

As the current Vice President on the AILA Board and active participant in three AILA committees, Peta-Maree is a passionate industry leader, making her an exceptional fit for the role of Jury Chair for the National Awards.

Ben Willsmore AILA

Ben has been working at the City of Unley as Manager of City Design for the last year and a half, after 2.5 years of leading Landscape Architecture and Urban Design at the City of Norwood, Payneham and St Peters. Ben also has over 15 years’ experience in private practice and was previously a Senior Associate Landscape Architect at HASSELL. In conjunction with his ‘day-job’, he has carried out the role of President for the South Australian chapter of the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA) since July 2015. Ben is enthusiastic and passionate about the future of Adelaide, valuing the role of design to bring people together, to share ideas, raise expectations and realise greater outcomes.

Candy Rosmarin AILA

Candy is A qualified architect and a Registered Landscape Architect. Candy is on the AILA Queensland Executive. Candy works at Logan City Council responsible for the design of parks and road landscaping projects. Over the past two years Logan City Council has won State Landscape Architecture Awards for Slacks Tracks, Wembley Link and Tully Memorial Park Flood Markers and Candy is an integral member of the team.

Bridget Keane AILA

Bridget Keane is a Landscape Architect and Lecturer in Landscape Architecture at RMIT University.  She graduated from the University of Melbourne with a B.Sc and from RMIT with B. Design (Landscape Architecture) (Hons) and completed a practice based PhD at RMIT.  Through design, publication and exhibition her work speculates on alternate futures in response to issues of climate change, ecologies of waste and the effects of extractive industries. Understanding landscape as an expanded ecology – one that incorporates a spectrum of material, economic, social and political processes.

Ezra Jacobs

Ezra is a Nyoongar, English and Irish man from Fremantle WA. He is an environmental engineer who specialised in terrestrial water resources and environmental and social sustainability. He is passionate about, and actively involved in various initiatives that support, preserve and enhance the social, environmental and economic connections between Aboriginal people and their country. Ezra is currently working as an Aboriginal Heritage Officer for the Rottnest Island Authority and is involved in a process to acknowledge Rottnest Island/Wadjemup’s history as a place of incarceration for Aboriginal men and boys from across Western Australia between 1838-1931. In 2017 Ezra attended the National Constitutional Convention in Uluru as a WA youth delegate and continues to support the campaign to endorse the Uluru Statement From The Heart.

Roderick Simpson AILA

Rod is the inaugural Environment Commissioner of the Greater Sydney Commission. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Faculty opt Design Architecture and Building at the University of technology and prior to that he was Associate Professor and director of the Urban Design and Urbanism programs at the University of Sydney until 2016. His work has focused on sustainability since the early 1990s and more recently resilience.

He led the urban design for the City of Sydney Sustainable Sydney 2030 strategy with the SGS consortium.He was instrumental in the development of BASIX and PRECINX modelling tools that measure and estimate carbon, water and transport performance at building and urban precinct scales respectively. He is a member of various housing, transport and architectural design review panels including the Landcom Design Advisory Panel.

Rod is a registered architect and Corporate Member of the Australian Institute of Architects, Australian Institute of Landscape Architects and the Planning Institute of Australia and a Trustee of Sydney Living Museums.

To view all the past National Awards winners, please click here.