National Kitchen Garden Awards 2024 winners, one year on

[Submissions for the National Kitchen Garden Awards 2025 are now open! Find out more about the awards and apply here.]

As we prepare to launch the National Kitchen Garden Awards 2025, we caught up with some of last year’s winners. One year on, they’ve made the most out of their prizes and membership to the Kitchen Garden Program!

Their gardens are greener, their compost richer, and their communities more connected.  

Corowa Public School: Flying the sustainability flag  

Tucked along the Murray River in rural New South Wales, Corowa Public School was awarded the 2024 Sustainable Solutions award. Students engage in a huge range of eco-friendly practices, from making their own soil and banana tea to managing worm bins and a comprehensive five-bin waste system.  

"The award was a wonderful boost to our school garden program,” says the school. “It gave students more opportunities to learn and work in the gardens on a more regular basis. We now have weekly timetabled sessions in the gardens and the school kitchen.”  

The $1000 infrastructure grant (which is returning for the 2025 National Kitchen Garden Awards) has allowed the school to start new cooking sessions, improve their soil practices, conduct propagation sessions, and successfully grow seeds in their greenhouse.  

And with the guidance of the Kitchen Garden Program team, staff feel more confident bringing food education into the classroom. “Students are engaged and excited to work in the school gardens and kitchen knowing they are members of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program,” adds the school.  

Happy Trails ELC: Growing wellbeing in the Top End  

Last year, the little ones from Happy Trail Early Learning Centre, in Australia’s tropical north, were deemed Wellbeing Champions. Children from six months to five years of age engage in mindful activities under their banana trees, from planting and harvesting to yoga sessions and story time.  

With their prize grant, the team stocked up on garden beds, watering cans, seeds, and kitchen tools. They're now transforming a classroom into a kitchen, so even the youngest learners can experience the magic of preparing food.  

“When we opened our doors three years ago, our vision was to create a kitchen and garden program that was consistent and achievable. This award has validated all our hard work and efforts, gaining recognition within the community,” says Annie Duggan, who is in charge of the centre’s Kitchen Garden Program.  

“The most rewarding part is being part of a shared journey – sharing our stories of progress and learning about the journey of others. Feeling supported and growing together through the Kitchen Garden Program’s hands-on approach.”  

Sunbury Primary School: Digging into new experiences  

The Grade 5/6 students from Sunbury Primary School, in suburban Melbourne, received the Level Up Your Veg award for growing a new crop: Jerusalem artichoke.  

Since their win, the school has bought compost buckets, mulch, seeds, seedlings, water timers, and kitchen equipment, including pasta machines. 

“The award gave us recognition of our Kitchen Garden Program in the wider school community. It celebrated the increased independence and abilities being developed in our kitchen. It also highlighted discussions around food education in schools and how we are providing those enriching experiences through our program,” says Natalie Abbott, the school’s Kitchen Garden Program coordinator.  

Namadgi School: STEM takes root  

Namadgi School students in Kambah, ACT, were awarded for Showcasing STEM as they turned their garden into a dynamic learning lab and gained hands-on experience with all aspects of STEM.  

“It was a proud moment that highlighted how our community integrates science, technology, engineering, and maths with real-world, meaningful learning,” says the school.  

With their infrastructure grant, they’ve started work on a new greenhouse, which will become an exciting space for hands-on learning, sustainable growing, and scientific experiments.   

Aspley Special School: A garden where everyone belongs  

Aspley Special School, a secondary school in Brisbane, won the Everyone's Welcome award for their kitchen garden, which is a beacon of inclusivity and innovation, from its wheelchair-accessible raised garden beds to sensory-rich plantings.  

Over the past year, the students have added worm farms and composters, which they feed daily with scraps from the kitchen.   

“The students we work with and their families all value the time we spend in nature, and we are growing our links in the wider community, so the students have a place to go with their support workers when they graduate from school,” explains the school.  

Submissions for the National Kitchen Garden Awards 2025 are open. There are nine award categories, some familiar and some brand-new. 

Read more about last year's winners:
Winners! National Kitchen Garden Awards 2024