The NATSPEC Student Prize is open to students enrolled in Australian universities that provide an Accredited Architecture Masters course, and who meet all the eligibility requirements. Please see the eligibility requirements and other important information about the competition by clicking on the below link. The competition was developed with the assistance of the 2022 Steering Committee.
Up to three awards will be presented
The winner of the NATSPEC Student prize will receive $8,000.
Two commended entries will receive $1,500 each.
Registration Link for the 2025 NATSPEC Student Prize
Please click on the below button to register for the upcoming 2025 NATSPEC Student Prize. Once registered, a competition identification number will be emailed to you.
Due Date: midnight, Perth time, of Tuesday 2 December 2025
2024 Winners:
Winner
Shellshocked
Melissa Ivelja - The University of Melbourne
To download the A3 Poster click here
To download the full submission click here
The judges were unanimous in awarding this year’s prize to “Shellshocked” for their comprehensive investigation and exploration of an unexpected recovered material, oyster shells.
Recognizing the sustainable benefits of reusing this fishing industry by-product, the team impressed with their thorough technical investigation of the properties of oyster shells across a broad range of material applications, most of which were demonstrated in actual material prototypes as part of the submission.
The team combined their technical rigor with their highly creative range of applications for oyster shells, from the mundane such as gravel and concrete aggregate, to the elaborate and decorative such as Oyster Shell downpipes and colour graded oyster terrazzo that featured in their demonstration project, the Point Lonsdale Oyster Pavillion.
The jury felt this combination of imagination in application, and technical examination was exceptionally researched and well communicated.
Commendation
Circular Reuse of Disposable Vapes
Adele Mancini, Matthew Sabransky, Dominic Randall, Luke McKee – Deakin University
To download the A3 Poster click here
To download the full submission click here
The judges this year were delighted to award a commendation to this project for their clever identification of an unexpected resource, Disposable Vapes. As a potential building product, the recycling process and logic of the concept was skilfully represented, impressing with the logic of this contemporary waste issue and its translation into the built environment.
Demonstrating a keen eye for innovation and novelty, the judges felt this thought-provoking scheme sends an excellent message of “sustainability found in the most unlikely of places”, while also touching on the broad social dimensions and possibilities of this contemporary and topical material culture.
To view the past winners submissions click here.
2024 Judging Panel
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Anthony Burke |
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Kathlyn Loseby |
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Rebecca Moore |
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Tony Kemeny |
Resources
GEN 002 NATSPEC's use of standards
Discusses use of Australian and other standards in specification writing.
GEN 005 Specifications
Discusses the roles, forms and importance of specifications.
GEN 007 Making sure your specifications are up-to-date
Offers updating strategies relating to NATSPEC information.
GEN 009 Hold points and witness points
Defines hold points and witness points and explains their contractual implications in the context of both NATSPEC and AUS-SPEC worksections.
GEN 013 Specifying quality
Communicating the requirements for quality is the main technical function of the specification. This TECHnote outlines how NATSPEC is used to achieve quality in construction projects.
GEN 029 Design and specification guidance text in NATSPEC
Discusses how NATSPEC worksection Templates include guidance in the form of ‘hidden’ Guidance text to help specifiers select the most appropriate worksections and edit Template content to create a project specification.
More Resources:
Architects Accreditation Council of Australia’s ‘National Standard of Competency for Architects 2021