Another trans-Tasman battle is brewing – and this time it’s a clash of the colour charts.

New Zealand architects, designers, specifiers and students have the chance to compete against Australasia’s most imaginative colour schemes in spatial design, with entries for the 2013 Dulux Colour Awards now open

And this year, prominent New Zealand fashion designer and queen of colour, Denise L’Estrange-Corbet of fashion house WORLD will be joining three high profile Australian judges in deciding the best colour applications for 2013.

Now in its 27^th year, the 2013 Dulux Colour Awards celebrates how architects and interior designs can apply colour to transform the three dimensional spaces they create.

Also judging on the panel are three of Australia’s leading design professionals; Debbie Ryan, interior designer and owner of architectural practice, McBride Charles Ryan; Dana Tomic Hughes, business owner and editor of popular design blog, Yellow trace; and well-known Melbourne street artist and Director of Blender Studios, Adrian Doyle.

Louise McKenzie-Smith, Dulux New Zealand colour expert,is also on the first round judging panel, and said the 2013 Dulux Colour Awards judging panel collectively has an impressive wealth of knowledge and experience in colour, fashion, design and architecture.

“Judged by experts and measured against the best in Australasia, the Dulux Colour Awards is a great opportunity for New Zealand professionals to showcase their flair for colour scheming. For 2013, we’re encouraging New Zealand architects, designers and students to expand their boundaries and find new ways to combine colours to bring spaces to life,” said Louise McKenzie-Smith.

In addition to the coveted Grand Prix, the categories in the 2013 Dulux Colour Awards are:

• Commercial Interior
• Single Residential Interior
• Single Residential Exterior
• Multi Residential Interior
• Multi Residential Exterior
• Student

Each category winner will receive AU$1,000 in prize money and a trophy. All entries, except for the student category, will also stand the chance of taking out the Grand Prix title. The Grand Prix winner with receive AU$1,500, a trophy and a trip to a feted design event.

The Dulux Colour Awards student winner will have the opportunity to develop a limited edition range of paint colours as part of the Designer for Dulux collection.

And to be sure there are plenty of New Zealand faces present at the prestigious awards ceremony in Melbourne, Dulux is contributing $500 towards travel and accommodation costs for each professional category finalist who’d like to attend.

The 2012 Dulux Colour Awards Grand Prix winner was The Royal Children’s Hospital, was designed by Billard Leece Partnership & Bates Smart, Melbourne, which used colour as a key part of the design process and as a way-finding mechanism.

Representing the New Zealand fold, Auckland based designer Helen Wilcock of design.spec received a Commendation for her colour scheme for “The Church” - an historic converted kauri church situated in the trendy Auckland suburb of Grey Lynn.

Entries for all seven categories are open now until 8 February 2013. Information on the 2013 Dulux Colour Awards and details on how to enter can be found at www.dulux.co.nz/colourawards

The 2013 Dulux Colour Awards winners will be announced at a gala function in March 2013.