Unleashing creativity: showcasing Victoria's brightest minds in design and technology

21 February 2024

Melbourne Museum will showcase some of Victoria’s most outstanding VCE and VCE VET design and technology students when Top Designs returns for 2024.

In a continuing partnership with the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority, Melbourne Museum will display the creations of 87 exceptional exhibitors carefully selected from a pool of more than 1,000 applications by a team of specialist educators.

Visitors will witness the inventive ways in which the students employ design to contribute to a more progressive world, with many of this year’s creations proposing ethically-focused solutions to ongoing social and environmental challenges.

Examples include:

• Affordable Lightweight Multiarticulate Myoelectric Prosthetic Arm - a functional prosthetic arm, created by Christopher Batras, blending affordability with advanced functionality
• Less Is More - inspired by Katelyn Hon’s mother’s old homes in Hong Kong, this features a set of garments that take up minimal storage space and serve multiple purposes, using materials that are lightweight, durable, and versatile
• Fruits For Fauna - a sustainably designed cafe on Mount Buller, this work by Hannah Cook includes an education hub that aims to protect endangered wildlife and conserve the environment.

Alongside the exhibition, Top Designs 2024 features a series of educational forums and introductory discussions led by industry experts, both online and on-site, which offer valuable perspectives and inspiration for current VCE and VCE VET design and technology students.

‘Top Designs 2024 not only showcases the exceptional talents of some of Victoria's brightest students in design and technology, but also highlights the crucial role of education in fostering innovative thinking,’ Lynley Crosswell, CEO & Director of Museums Victoria said. ‘The collaboration with the VCAA underscores our commitment to nurturing the next generation of designers and our aim to instil a deep appreciation for the transformative power of good design and its positive impact on our world.’

‘Top Designs 2024 offers a brilliant opportunity to celebrate the achievements of exhibited students as they take their next steps, while also encouraging innovative thinking in the next students coming through. We thank Melbourne Museum for this continued collaboration.’ VCAA acting CEO Kylie White said. ‘It is important to highlight and praise some of the very best work coming out of our education system.’

Top Designs 2024 is proudly presented as part of the VCAA’s VCE Season of Excellence, an annual showcase celebrating creative and innovative work from Victorian secondary schools, which also includes Top Acts, Top Arts, Top Class, Top Screen and Top Talks.

For further information and to purchase tickets online visit the Melbourne Museum website here

Top Designs 2024
Open: Saturday 23 March 2024
Closes: Sunday 14 July 2024
Location: Melbourne Museum, 11 Nicholson Street Carlton 
Tickets: on sale at Melbourne Museum and online

Tickets included with Melbourne Museum entry. School booking costs apply – School visit information - Melbourne Museum (museumsvictoria.com.au)