“This November, the nation will grind to a halt as two forums of the utmost importance take place. The G20 is in Brisbane. The Australian Design Biennale is in Hobart.” [australiandesignbiennale.com]

The nation may not grind to a halt between November 13 and 16, but 43 finalists in Branding, 54 finalists in Graphic Design, 20 finalists in Digital Design…plus all the finalists in Books, Magazine & Newspapers, Spatial Design, Packaging and Design Crafts will be nervously waiting for the 2014 AGDA Design Awards ceremony, when one design group will also be surprised to win Design Effectiveness and another will win the inaugural Design for Good. All finalists here.

Some of the Branding finalists

AGDA’s 2014 Australian Design Biennale (ADB20) is produced by The Australian Graphic Design Association with Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). It is to take place over four days in Hobart and will applaud and show off award wining design, as well as hosting discussions at a Creative Forum curated by Museum of Old and New Art (MONA). Speakers include Dean Poole, creative director and co-founder of Auckland design studio, Alt Group, and Bob Brown, political activist and former leader of the Australian Greens.

The design industry’s best and brightest take their bows at the 2014 AGDA Design Awards ceremony on Saturday evening, November 15 at Peppermint Bay.

“I see AGDA as this amazing kind of platform to celebrate Australian design,” said the Design awards jury chair. Shane Greeves, global executive creative director at FutureBrand in London.

“The [Australian] work competes with the best in the world in my opinion,” noted awards judge Jonathan Ellery, artist, designer, and founder of Browns design studio in London.

Some of the Digital Design finalists

Also attending this year is special delegate, Yongfang Yu, the much awarded designer and art manager at Sommese design studio in Urumqi Xinjiang China.

The 2014 ABD begins on Thursday evening with delegates taking a ferry to MONA for the opening event and viewing at MONA.

On Friday, delegates will attend presentations by 15 leading thinkers across art, politics, design and literature.

Friday evening ends with a party at the Odeon Theatre.

On Saturday and Sunday, get to explore Hobart through planned activities, workshops, tours, and free entry to MONA.

How and what to book, here.