Trophies come in myriad forms. Perhaps the most famous of all is the little gold man; the biggest of all is probably the Stanley Cup, although I’m happy to be corrected on that. Then there are the trophies that aren’t, really, in my opinion, trophies at all: the yellow jersey, the green jacket, any number of boxing belts. They fall into the category of apparel, or at least, they should.

So, where does one start when looking to come up with an original trophy. One good place to start – particularly if your awards relate to the field of architecture and design – is at the door of an architectural model maker. Enter stage right the Architecture + Design Fabrication Workshop, conveniently located 200m from our front door, and its designer Minka, who, with razor-sharp clarity, was able to cut through a clutch of preconceived notions about what awards should look like to produce a design that will be cool, heavy and elegant – as you can tell from the concept images above.

Remember, there will be a number of bespoke trophies up for grabs at the inaugural awards – one supreme award winner, who will also receive substantial prize money, winners for each category, and an emerging practice winner, who will also take home a cash prize. Finalists will not leave empty handed, they will also receive trophies.

Entry and details at www.interiorawards.co.nz – a website custom-built to make entering the awards a cinch. The entry deadline is 20 April.