Secondary School design talent celebrated

Kaimahi from Otago Polytechnic’s School of Design were impressed with the quality of entries in this year’s Secondary Schools design showcase.

More than 50 projects were submitted by students across Otago for the 2025 Celebrate Design - Secondary Schools Exhibition, spanning the areas of product design, communication design, and fashion design.

The annual competition is run by Otago Polytechnic's School of Design and is aimed at shining a spotlight on the creative talent of the region’s young designers (year 12 and 13).

Entrants, parents, and teachers were invited to an informal ceremony in The Hub on Thursday night to meet with other young designers from the area and chat with staff from the polytechnic’s design programmes.

Four awards were presented in each of the three disciplines, including 3 x scholarships of $2,000 each towards study at Otago Polytechnic in 2026.

•    Communications Design scholarship – George Gamble (Kings High School)
•    Product Design scholarship – Meg Taylor (Otago Girls High School)
•    Fashion Design scholarship – Sadie Reid (Logan Park High School)

The young students (and their schools) were congratulated for their creativity and strong technical skills, with many of them considering future pathways with us in the design space.