Reconciliation Australia has announced the winners of the 2025 Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Education Awards, celebrating schools and early learning services leading the way in embedding reconciliation across their communities.
Briar Road Public School, located on Dharawal Country in Airds, NSW, took out the schools category, recognised for creating an environment where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are thriving alongside Pacifica, Māori and non-Indigenous peers.
Awards judging panel chair and Reconciliation Australia Board Director Sharon Davis said Briar Road had built a strong sense of shared responsibility for reconciliation.
“Students, staff and families describe the school as a place where reconciliation is both expected and celebrated, and community ownership of the journey is evident,” Davis said.
“While it embeds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures, and perspectives in its work, it also ensures that non-Indigenous staff take on the heavy lifting of the ongoing work of reconciliation in education.”
Karuah Public School, on the Mid North Coast of NSW, received a high commendation for its truth-telling journey and the transformation of community relationships through “consistent dialogue, vulnerability and respect.”
In the early learning category, Evans Head-Woodburn Preschool on Bandjalang Country, Northern NSW, was honoured for its long-standing commitment to reconciliation.
“Guided by Bandjalang Elders and Traditional Owners, the team works hand in hand with families to make learning a space of respect, truth-telling and belonging,” the judges said. “Their service is more than inclusive – it is led by and with the local community, making reconciliation central to their identity and practice.”
Reconciliation Australia CEO Ms Karen Mundine congratulated all winners and finalists, noting the strength and depth of reconciliation work across the country.
“This year we saw stories of reconciliation in action − reconciliation that is not symbolic or seasonal but systemic and embedded into governance, the curriculum, staffing, culture and community relationships,” she said.
Other finalists recognised for their contributions included Bannister Creek Primary School (WA), Goodstart Shailer Park (QLD), and Tillys Play and Development Centre – Rutherford (NSW).
The awards were presented at the Museum of Australian Democracy in Canberra, following a national forum bringing together First Nations and non-First Nations educators to examine reconciliation in education.
Held biennially since 2017, the Narragunnawali Awards are the only national awards celebrating reconciliation in education. They are supported by Telstra, Teachers Health Group, and the BHP Foundation.
More than 14,000 Australian schools and early learning services are now engaged with the Narragunnawali program, which provides practical tools and resources to strengthen reconciliation in education.
A playlist of all six finalists’ films, produced by Wirrim Media, is available via Reconciliation Australia’s website.
