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Top Designs

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the unceded land on which we work and present the VCE Season of Excellence; the Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Bunurong peoples of the Eastern Kulin Nation. We acknowledge all traditional and ongoing custodians of the lands across Victoria, where students have investigated new creative possibilities and developed their bold artistic works.

What is Top Designs?

Top Designs is an annual exhibition at Melbourne Museum presenting work created by students who completed VCE Media, Product Design and Technology, Systems Engineering, Theatre Studies and Visual Communication Design, as well as a range of VCE VET studies including Creative and Digital Media, Engineering Studies, Furnishing, Integrated Technologies and Music (Sound Production).

Top Designs 2024 will take place at Melbourne Museum from Saturday 23 March to Sunday 14 July.

92 works by 87 students have been selected for this year's exhibition. Lists of exhibitors and shortlisted students are available below.

Top Designs 2024 Exhibitor List

Top Designs 2024 Shortlisted Students

Meet the Exhibitors

Meet the Exhibitors transcript

Access

Access Guide

The Top Designs Access Guide provides convenient information about accessing Top Designs 2024 at Melbourne Museum and is available for download to prepare for your visit in advance.

Top Designs 2024 Access guide

Top Designs 2024 Access guide

For further information about Top Designs 2024 access go to Accessibility resources

For further information about Melbourne Museum access go to Access at Melbourne Museum

Wheelchair access

Wheelchair IconTop Designs is fully wheelchair accessible. Accessible lifts are located in a number of places across Melbourne Museum.

The nearest accessible lifts to the Top Designs exhibition are located:

  • Between the Melbourne Museum Shop and Café to upper and lower levels of Melbourne Museum
  • Triceratops: Fate of the Dinosaurs exhibition

Service animals

Service animals are welcome at the Melbourne Museum.

Captions and Transcripts

All Top Designs visual media content, including films, animations and student interviews, have open captions. Transcripts are available by email request at: seasonofexcellence@education.vic.gov.au

Feedback

Access is an open and ongoing conversation. We welcome feedback about your experience of Top Designs via email seasonofexcellence@education.vic.gov.au or call (03) 8688 7703.

Top Designs 2024 Audio Described

24 works from the exhibition are audio described. Listen to all audio described works on the Museums Victoria website.

Selection process

The VCE Season of Excellence team at the VCAA organises and facilitates panels of teachers from metropolitan and regional government, Catholic and independent schools to review and shortlist Top Designs applications.

The State Reviewer for each study oversees each panel, ensuring work is considered fairly and represents best practice according to curriculum.

Each application is de-identified before being presented to the panel. The VCE Season of Excellence team and other VCAA staff members have no input into which works are shortlisted.

Once all applications have been reviewed and shortlisted, the selection panel meets to decide on the final selection.

Guidelines for selected works

Works must be suitable for public exhibition. The following guidelines are considered by the panel during the selection process to ensure that works are fit for display:

  • Works are of a size and weight that is considered safe for handling and transport
  • Works are undamaged and made from materials that are able to withstand the duration of the exhibition
  • Powered works are safe and have been tested and tagged
  • Works have documented and correct copyright clearance for display in the Melbourne Museum for the duration of Top Designs
  • Works and all folio content meet community standards

All studies

Works selected must:

  • achieve an A+ or A on the School-assessed Task (moderated score)
  • be appropriate for public exhibition (refer to guidelines above)
  • provide evidence of copyright clearance and/or citation for all non-original material used
  • be accompanied by an Authentication Record Form (VCE studies), signed by the student and their teacher

For information on study-specific criteria:

VCE Media

    Works are selected that:

    • are accompanied by a research portfolio, production experiments and media production design
    • demonstrate an understanding of all stages of the Media Production Process through development, pre-production, production, post-production and distribution
    • demonstrate critical and creative thinking throughout the Media Production Process
    • demonstrate technical excellence in the use of Media technologies to realise the production design.

    In regard to short films and multimedia, works are selected:

    • to demonstrate a range of genres. For example: documentaries, fictional narratives, animations, interactive products, audio products, music videos and hybridised media products.

    In regard to photography and print-layout, works are selected:

    • that demonstrate a range of genres. For example: fictional narratives, and documentaries, magazines, picture books, photo books, graphic novels and online presentations
    • that demonstrate innovative approaches to the presentation of the Media product with an understanding of the Media technologies available to the student, and that follow the intentions of the Production Design.

VCE Product Design and Technology

Works are selected that:

  • are accompanied by an exemplary folio
  • demonstrate research and thorough development of ideas
  • incorporate a range of materials and creative uses of those materials
  • demonstrate safe workshop practices
  • demonstrate an understanding of design thinking

VCE Systems Engineering

Works are selected that:

  • are accompanied by an exemplary folio
  • demonstrate research and thorough development of ideas
  • incorporate a range of materials and creative uses of those materials
  • demonstrate safe workshop practices
  • demonstrate an understanding of the system engineering process

VCE Theatre Studies Design

Works are selected that:

  • demonstrate individual and creative qualities
  • address the assessment criteria in innovative, individual ways
  • demonstrate research and thorough development of ideas
  • demonstrate significant imagination and flair
  • demonstrate deep and insightful understanding of the monologue, its associated scene and the play as a whole

VCE Visual Communication Design

Works are selected that:

  • are accompanied by an exemplary folio
  • demonstrate a diverse range of concepts and ideas
  • demonstrate exemplary skills in manual and digital production
  • demonstrate an understanding of design thinking
  • demonstrate significant imagination and flair

VCE VET Creative and Digital Media

Works are selected that:

  • demonstrate high quality technical skills in the process used for the production of the work
  • show that user experience has been well considered
  • demonstrate individual and creative qualities
  • demonstrate a range of formats and content for example: websites, portfolios, games, animations

VCE VET Engineering Studies

Works are selected that:

  • demonstrate high quality technical skills in the process used for the production of the work
  • show that student understanding of the materials selected has been well considered
  • demonstrate individual and creative qualities
  • demonstrate a clear understanding of engineering processes for the production of items according to the project brief

VCE VET Furnishing

Works are selected that:

  • demonstrate high quality technical skills in the process used for the production of the work
  • show that student understanding of the materials selected has been well considered
  • demonstrate individual and creative qualities
  • demonstrate a clear understanding of furniture making processes for the production of items according to the project brief

VCE VET Integrated Technologies

Works are selected that:

  • demonstrate high quality technical skills in the process used for the production of the work
  • show that user experience has been well considered
  • demonstrate individual and creative qualities
  • demonstrate a range of formats and content for example: automated systems, robotic systems, smart technologies, security systems, design and develop electronic equipment

VCE VET Music (Sound Production)

  • demonstrate high quality technical skills in the process used for the production of the work
  • demonstrate professionalism in the planning and realisation (project management) of the work
  • demonstrate novel and/or creative application of a range of current techniques and skills
  • show a level of creative maturity and artistry

Educational Resources

Exemplar Folio Pages

A selection of folio pages annotated by the State Reviewer for each study are available upon request via this online form.

Top Designs 2023

Top Designs 2023 opened on Friday 24 March 2023 at Melbourne Museum and closed on Sunday 9 July 2023.

You can take a virtual tour and view the works on the Melbourne Museum website.

The following films explore the work of VCE and VCE VET students featured in Top Designs 2023.

Grace Lucas
Northcote High School, Northcote
Wurundjeri Country
Blaze Guard
VCE Product Design and Technology, Textiles

Grace Lucas transcript

James Crockett
Swinburne University of Technology, Wantirna
Luther College, Croydon
Wurundjeri Country
Three Axis Robotic Arm
VCE VET Engineering Studies

James Crockett transcript

Siena Tieri
Genazzano F.C.J. College, Kew
Wurundjeri Country
Ganbu Barin
VCE Visual Communication Design

Siena Tieri transcript

VCE Theatre Studies

The following film explores the work of VCE Theatre Studies students featured in Top Designs 2023