An exhibition of the entries for the DESIGN THE WORLD YOU WANT International Student Ideas Competition. The exhibition will showcase the shortlisted designs from landscape architecture students around the globe to reimagine Melbourne’s iconic Victoria Harbour. The winners will be announced at the opening.

A panel discussion about the Harbour Esplanade site at Docklands, its history, context and possible futures. The panel include various leading landscape architects and academics from Melbourne.

The panel includes Claire Martin, Nelson Gomes, Matthew Mackay, and Heike Rahmann. Moderated by Damian Holmes

Tickets - Limited Number of Free Tickets for Students (ID Required) and General Admin;

Limit of one order per person or email address - any multiple orders will be cancelled in order to allow other people to attend.

After Limited Tickets exhausted - $20 General Admin; $10 Students;
Ticket sales support World Landscape Architecture, and a portion of sales goes to Humanitix.

Event Location: 3rd Floor, RMIT Building 100 - Melbourne Campus

This event is part of Melbourne Design Week 2026, an initiative of the Victorian Government through Creative Victoria.

DESIGN THE WORLD YOU WANT International Student Ideas Competition.

The competition site is on the traditional lands and waterways of the Kulin Nation, specifically the Woiwurrung (Wurundjeri) and Boonwurrung people. This Melbourne city area is overlapping the boundary of the territories of both these Traditional Owners groups.

As the ideas competition submissions should respond to the Melbourne Design Week theme of Design The World You Want. The basis of your design should reflect the following:

Design futures: Explore design as a restorative force: enabling biodiversity, healing communities, replenishing resources, and rebalancing human-nature relations.
Circularity: Reflect the current shift taking place from linear, extractive, non-renewable design production to circular, non-extractive, or bio-design.

Competition Jury
Nelson Gomes - Studio Lead – Melbourne, Arcadia Landscape Architecture (Melbourne, Australia)
Farinoosh Hadian Jazy – Landscape Project Consultant, LDA Design (London, UK)
James A. Lord – Founder and Owner of Surfacedesign, Inc (San Francisco, USA)
Claire Martin – Associate Director, Oculus (Melbourne, Australia)
Dr Alessio Russo, PhD – Associate Professor in Landscape Architecture, Queensland University of Technology (Brisbane, Australia)

More information at https://worldlandscapearchitect.com/dtwyw-competition/

Competition Organiser - World Landscape Architecture

Event funded by - World Landscape Architecture

Venue Supporter – RMIT University

Student Ideas Competition was financially supported by Arcadia Landscape Architecture, ASPECT Studios, Hassell, and Hansen Partnership.

Contact the host of Design The World You Want - Student Ideas Competition Exhibition - Melbourne Design Week