Good Design Week closed on Friday 9 October with the Australian Good Design Awards Ceremony at ICC Sydney. As the light faded over Darling Harbour, the NEOZ team gathered to celebrate the Cordless Lamp Lock, which had been recognised with a Good Design Award in the Product Design category for Furniture and Lighting.
Our table brought together the people behind the product and the business around it. Senior Industrial Designer James Perry and Design Manager Gabriel Tam developed the Cordless Lamp Lock concept. They were joined by CEO Jon Hemming, Head of Operations Mitch Kerr, Head of Global Sales Bim Blake, Global Sales Consultant Kim Thelander-Thomas and James’ partner Celine to celebrate this special occasion.
Darling Harbour at dusk from ICC Sydney. Photography by Adam Scarf.
The 2026 Australian Good Design Awards Ceremony
The awards have run since 1958 and are endorsed by the World Design Organisation. This year’s program covered more than 30 categories, so the room held an unusually broad cross-section of Australian design. Architects and engineers sat alongside product designers, digital studios and people working in policy and social impact. Most results had been released earlier in the week, which left the evening for the final honours: the Best in Discipline awards, the Sustainability Award and the Australian Good Design Award of the Year. A live band played on the main stage between presentations.
Allume Energy’s SolShare was named Award of the Year and also received the Sustainability Award. In Built Environment, Best in Discipline went to the City Square Ceremonial Gathering Space in Melbourne, which Greenshoot Consulting designed with Wurundjeri Elders.
The 2026 Australian Good Design Awards Ceremony at ICC Sydney. Photography by Adam Scarf.
Why the Cordless Lamp Lock Was Recognised
For us, the night also marked the end of a long design process. As cordless lamps moved onto terraces, bar tops and street-facing tables, hospitality clients kept asking how to keep them in place without adding visible hardware. The Lamp Lock answers that from beneath the lamp. A plate fixes to the table; the lamp locks onto it with a single press, and a dedicated key releases it.
The jury’s citation reads:
“The Jury recognises the Cordless Lamp Lock as a clever and discreet solution to a clearly defined problem within the global hospitality industry. The design adds a valuable level of security for venues while preserving the aesthetic and functional benefits of cordless lighting. The Jury was impressed by the minimal, low-profile integration that keeps the locking mechanism entirely concealed beneath the lamp base, ensuring the secured lamp remains visually indistinguishable from an unsecured one. This truly innovative approach addresses a teething problem without compromising the atmosphere or service efficiency that cordless lighting creates, making it a great universal accessory for the industry.”
Behind the scenes at the 2026 Australian Good Design Awards with the NEOZ team.
Five Australian Good Design Awards for NEOZ
The Cordless Lamp Lock is the fifth NEOZ design to be recognised with an Australian Good Design Award. The first was Lightrail in 1998, followed by the V3 cordless lamp system in 2001, Aura Illuminated with 2design in 2004 and the V4 cordless lamp system in 2006.
Taken together, the awards show how our work has developed. The earlier ones recognised lighting systems and the lamps themselves. The Lamp Lock was designed around what happens once a lamp reaches the venue: it is moved between tables during service and often left on a terrace no one is watching. That shift reflects how closely our design work now follows the realities of hospitality, and it is a direction we intend to keep exploring.
Our thanks to Good Design Australia and the jury, and congratulations to every team recognised this year.
