Dulux Colour Awards 2026

40th Dulux Colour Awards celebrates a milestone occasion

The winners of the 40th Dulux Colour Awards have been revealed, marking a significant milestone in the program’s history. Celebrating four decades of outstanding colour use in the built environment, this landmark year also saw a record number of entries from across Australia and New Zealand. ​

“Our long-running Dulux Colour Awards are regarded as a design industry vanguard, unique for their recognition of colour as an integral design tool,” says Dulux Colour and Design Manager Lauren Treloar. “For forty years, we have highlighted the potential of colour to transform architecture and design and applauded those who most masterfully employ it to enhance our user experience.”

This year’s Grand Prix winners highlight the ongoing evolution of the awards program. Vastly different, their strategies embody opposing concepts – one minimal, one maximal – thus highlighting the versatility of colour as an architectural device. From a category that was only introduced two years ago, the Australian Grand Prix winner also took out the award for Temporary or Installation Design. The chromatic restraint of Glimmer, a survey exhibition of work by ceramicist Linda Draper, designed by Sydney duo Youssofzay Hart, drew upon subtle tonal hints in the artist’s work to derive its restrained palette. A prime example of colour mastery, it strikes a thoughtful balance between offsetting the sculptural works and maintaining its own presence. Together with its topographic installation of modular display elements, it eschews the stereotypical black box/white plinth exhibition norms in favour of a conceptual strategy with relevance across multiple genres.

Contrastingly, the complex palette of New Zealand Grand Prix winner, Waka Huia, designed by Pac Studio, sees an array of bold hues co-exist in a kaleidoscopic interior, which beautifully embodies the clients’ personal history within a harbourside home, resplendent with art, original architectural details and precious memories. It is the breathtaking result of the architects’ deep understanding of colour theory, brought to lifethrough the conviction and collaboration required to create a richly saturated scheme.