Kids growing change: Kitchen Garden Awards return for another year

The National Kitchen Garden Awards, organised by the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, are back for their third year! Celebrating the many ways gardens can enrich learning, community and home life, the awards recognise the creativity and dedication of early childhood services, primary schools and secondary schools growing, cooking and learning together across Australia.

From sharing garden-fresh breakfasts to building compost systems and growing bush tucker plants, young gardeners are discovering that a patch of soil can be one of the richest classrooms there is. Along the way, they’re learning about healthy food, sustainability, teamwork and the joy of nurturing something from seed to harvest.

Open to all primary schools, secondary schools and early childhood services nationwide, the awards provide an opportunity to share inspiring garden stories, celebrate achievements and learn from one another. And the benefits reach far beyond the students—these gardens help bring communities together, build practical skills and inspire greener futures.

How to enter

Is your school or early childhood service passionate about gardening and sustainability? If you have a kitchen garden, the National Kitchen Garden Awards are now open, welcoming all primary schools, secondary schools and early childhood services nationwide. You don’t need to be part of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program to apply – just a garden, a group of young growers, and a story worth sharing.

The next question to answer is: what story does your kitchen garden and all the activities around it tell about your school or childhood service? There are nine categories to enter – which do you fit into?

Beyond the Gate
Presented by ABC Gardening Australia

Show us some great examples of how your kitchen or garden has impacted families and community members around your school or early childhood service. Have your students taken produce to a local market? Have you partnered with a local business or brought in wonderful volunteers? 

First Nations Foods
Presented by Gardening on Country 

Show us how you’re incorporating First Nations knowledge into your kitchen garden learning. Do you grow Australian native ingredients to celebrate culture? Have you connected with First Nations communities to enrich children’s understanding of Country?

Kitchen Garden Trailblazer
Presented by the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation

Recognising an outstanding kitchen garden educator, volunteer or staff member who has shown creativity, dedication and leadership in inspiring children to grow and cook. We want to hear about who has created lasting impact within their school or early childhood service.

Recipe of the Imagination
Presented by Herbie’s Spices

We want to see your most delicious recipes using fresh, seasonal produce from your kitchen garden, whether it’s a twist on a classic or something completely new. Show us how you’re inspiring young cooks to explore cultures, taste new flavours, and experiment with herbs, spices and ingredients. 

Showcasing STEM
Presented by Seasol

Grab your clipboard and get curious! If your kitchen garden is a living lab where children explore real-world science, technology, engineering and maths, we want to hear from you. Show us how you’re testing, tinkering and learning by doing. Do you measure and design garden beds, calculate seasonal yields, track plant growth, or experiment with fermentation in the kitchen?

Sustainable Solutions
Presented by Costa Group

Share some of the ways you’ve learned about sustainability, climate change and preventive practices in the kitchen or garden. Show us how you’ve initiated sustainable solutions.  Are you composting, recycling, reusing, or reducing? Have you minimised food waste with pro pickling and preserving?

The Next Crop
Presented by JAZZ Apples

Celebrate the next crop of budding chefs, green thumbs or student-run clubs. This award recognises young leaders who are showing passion or innovation in the kitchen or garden. Tell us about a kitchen garden enthusiast or team. Perhaps they’re the first to volunteer for watering duties, experiment with creative flavour pairings, or bring clever ideas to garden design

The Art of Kitchen Gardening
Presented by MSP Compass

The sights, smells, textures and stories of the kitchen garden are full of inspiration. Show us how you’re using nature and food to inspire creativity, self-expression and artistic exploration.  Have children created garden mosaics, nature-inspired sculptures, botanical prints, food photography or song?

Wellbeing Champions
Presented by ABC Organic Gardener Magazine

We know getting hands-on in the kitchen and garden is great for our mental health, fitness and wellbeing. Show us a kitchen or garden activity that has improved the wellbeing of children. Does your garden offer a space to reflect and connect? Do you gather around a table to share delicious, inclusive meals and conversation?    

What your school or early childhood service could win

The winners will receive a prize pack valued at close to $5,000, including:

• Two-year membership to the Kitchen Garden Program
• $1000 infrastructure grant
• Kitchen garden pack including:
  • A WaterUps garden bundle with an Oasis 1680 wicking bed two square planters, a flexi garden bed cover, and a reservoir level indicator
  • A Herbie’s Spices ingredient pack
  • A 20 kg crate of JAZZ Apples
  • A Gardening on Country bundle with four Womby hand trowels, four Casso hand trowels, four Bandi dibblers and a tote bag
  • Natural, organic garden solutions from Seasol
  • Worktones voucher
  • 12-month subscription to ABC Organic Gardener Magazine
  • A copy of Your Asian Veggie Patch by Connie Cao
  • A signed copy of Fresh by Stephanie Alexander
  • A TigerCorp timber watering can trophy

The awards close on Friday 7 August 2026 at midnight. All the details for entering are at the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation website.