It was an absolute honour to chair the jury for this year's National Architecture Awards. The privilege lay in the sharing of intense and memorable experiences with fellow jurors, in the intimate access to so many outstanding buildings and spaces, and in the engagement with such a diverse representation of excellent Australian architects. I think it's the latter point that is ultimately so exciting. We saw a lot of wonderful architecture and we came away with the certainty that more is to follow. To be presented with 166 award-winning projects from the states and territories was a daunting beginning. Our starting position was that our chapter-based colleagues had deliberated with care in giving their awards, and we took every contender seriously. We reluctantly narrowed the field to fifty-five awards, feeling both sure of our choices and certain that we were missing some really great work. I retain this feeling and acknowledge the tension that comes with the task of choosing the best from a field of the best. I also note the incremental increase in entries and visited projects that occurs each year - not just a sign of more architects doing more work, but a sign of more fabulous architecture being impossible to ignore.
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