Last week’s National Architecture Awards, hosted by the Australian Institute of Architects, were a generous reminder of what our profession can be when it leads with care, courage, and imagination.

Jane Cassidy opened with the idea that the built environment reflects who we are and who we aspire to be — a powerful reminder that great architecture is not static; it grows richer with time.

Across the night, many voices echoed similar sentiments. Governor General Sam Mostyn called for stewardship over spectacle, describing empathy as central to design and asking us to remain modern, optimistic, and visible. Kavita Gonsalves challenged us to “stay with the trouble” — to name it, grieve collectively, and continue the quiet, radical work of imagining something different.

The awarded projects reflected these values in their own ways: from the Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre by Lyons, which redefines care through design, to Block Modular’s Three Sisters housing project, showing new ways we might live and coexist with each other and nature.

Ninotschka Titchkosky spoke beautifully about a profession that’s shifting the dial — embracing place, connection to Country, generosity, and the protection and reinvention of what already exists.

I was honoured to receive the National Emerging Architect Prize. It is the first time the award has been presented to an architect not working in traditional practice. More than anything, it felt like an invitation to carry on with my work and to keep contributing to this collective effort to design with care, to listen deeply, and to imagine better futures together.