Victoria’s largest sustainability awards program for schools, the ResourceSmart Schools Awards, has unveiled its 2026 winners, recognising projects that are restoring wetlands, boosting biodiversity, reducing waste and embedding sustainability across the curriculum, plus more.
The awards have celebrated the achievements of students, teachers and school communities taking action to protect the environment and driving change in their schools and beyond.
Among the standout projects recognised at the state-wide awards were a leading wetland management program contributing to biodiversity research, innovative bin systems to improve recycling behaviours, and the adaptive reuse of buildings to cut carbon emissions.
RedGum – the Waldorf School of Central Victoria, was named ResourceSmart School of the Year for its outstanding whole-school approach to sustainability. The school impressed judges with its wetland management work, strong community partnerships and programs extending beyond the school gates, including e-waste initiatives and mentoring other schools.
The Campus Infrastructure and Operations School of the Year award went to the Melbourne Indigenous Transition School, recognised for repurposing buildings, installing solar and water-saving systems, and enhancing biodiversity outcomes across its campus.
Lilydale Heights College was a multiple award winner, taking home the Student Action Team of the Year (Secondary) and the CDS Vic Excellence Award (Secondary). Judges praised the college’s data-driven approach to container deposit collection, innovative bin systems and strong student-led sustainability initiatives supporting wildlife conservation and community engagement.
Pleasant Street Primary School won the CDS Vic Excellence Award (Primary) for its strong student-led initiatives and partnerships driving waste reduction across the school community.
Sustainability leadership in the classroom was also recognised, with Box Hill High School winning Curriculum Leadership School of the Year (Secondary) and Wandin North Primary School taking out the primary category for embedding sustainability across learning and engaging students through real-world experiences.
Individual and community contributions were also celebrated. St Macartan’s Parish Primary School was recognised for School Volunteer of the Year, while Wendouree Primary School and St Monica’s College took out Teacher of the Year awards for primary and secondary respectively.
In the Student Action Team of the Year categories, students at Tecoma Primary School were celebrated for their success in establishing Indigenous gardens and strong community partnerships, while Lilydale Heights College was recognised for leading recycling, biodiversity and Caring for Country initiatives.
There were 29 primary and secondary school finalists across 12 categories at this year’s awards event, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and hosted by TV personality Dirt Girl.
This year, Sustainability Victoria marked 17 years of the ResourceSmart Schools Awards with the theme Our Sustainability Community celebrating the students, teachers and communities sharing knowledge and passion to create a more sustainable future.
Sustainability Victoria CEO Mr Matt Genever said the winners demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment.
“These remarkable schools have shown the impact we can have when we collaborate on a common goal. I congratulate all the winners and finalists for working together to build the future we need,” he said.
Mr Genever said these awards showcased the powerful role schools play in shaping a more sustainable future.
“It’s inspiring to see students leading the charge on sustainability, supported by teachers and communities who are empowering them to take action and think differently about the future,” he said.
ResourceSmart Schools is a free Victorian Government program delivering sustainability education to help Victorian schools minimise waste, save energy and water, promote biodiversity and act on climate change.
Since 2008, ResourceSmart Schools has reached over 1,600 Victorian schools. Together, they have planted more than 5.1 million trees, saved over $68 million through energy, waste and water savings, diverted 170,000 cubic metres of waste from landfill and avoided over 110,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
The 2026 ResourceSmart Schools Awards had the generous support of sponsors: CDS Vic, Bank First, Department of Education, RMIT and Premier Waste.
For more information about the winners and finalists, visit here.
