Victorian Schools Garden Awards

Every student a gardener, every garden a classroom.

You are here: Home / News

2017 Award Results

By

Over 500 students and teachers from across the state gathered in the Royal Botanic Gardens to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Victorian Schools Garden Awards (VSGA).

Bonbeach Primary School, a small school of 300 students in Melbourne’s South East, was awarded the grand prize of the ‘Kevin Heinze Perpetual Award’ by Judith Graley, Parliamentary Secretary for Education, for its creative garden which houses a fantastic array of spaces.

Their garden which includes an imagination garden, food forests, frog bogs, giant worm farm, chicken coop and outdoor classrooms was voluntarily built over the past 4 years by parents, teachers, students and the wider community. The garden has been integrated into the student’s learning under the science curriculum, as well as playing host to the wider community for education and sustainability workshops.

In its 40th year, the Victorian Schools Garden Awards have a long history of bringing gardening skills and the joy of learning to school-aged children through their school gardens and this special anniversary was marked with a planting of Corymbia leichhardtii, a beautiful small gum tree, by Ms Graley and Bonbeach Primary students in the Guilfoyle Lawn of the Royal Botanic Gardens.

At this year’s ceremony $40,000 worth of vouchers and products were rewarded to 35 Victorian schools. The Most Engaging Garden for Learning Award was highly sought after, which proves that schools are seeing the many learning, health and well-being benefits of taking learning outdoors and into the gardens.

VSGA Chairman and Nursery and Garden Industry of Victoria CEO, Craig Taberner explains, “With the tremendous support of Victorian schools and program sponsors, the VSGA has stood the test of time, as we celebrate 40 years. Participation in the program remains as strong as ever, and it is fabulous to see the large number of Victorian schools that use outdoor spaces as part of their learning environment.”

The VSGA acknowledges and thanks all our partners, but in particular, the Victorian Government. Through the ongoing commitment of the Victorian Department of Education and Training, it is estimated that the Victorian Government has contributed in excess of one million dollars towards the program over the past two decades and assisted in growing many young gardeners.

 Click here for 2017 VSGA Award Results

2017 Award Entries Open

By

Applications are now open for the 2017 Victorian Schools Garden Awards program.

The Awards program recognises and rewards the achievements of students and school communities in their school gardens. It is run annually across both metropolitan and regional Victoria and schools from all sectors – Public, Catholic and Independent are invited to enter.

This year there is  $38,000 worth of prizes available to be won so we encourage any school with a garden program to enter.

To enter all you need to do is complete an online application with  your  school’s  details  and  attach your presentation or video.

In 2017, we have an exciting new category, the HMA Jouralism Award for Best Horticulture Article, where the successful article will be published in two horticultre magazines as well as receiving a $1000 voucher for their school garden.

Awards Categories this year are:

  • Most engaging Garden for Play 
  • Catholic Education Melbourne – Most Engaging Student Garden for Learning 
  • Maxicrop – Best Edible Garden 
  • Independent Schools Victoria – Greatest Demonstrated Improvement of School’s Green Space
  • Nursery & Garden Industry of Victoria – Best School Garden Exhibiting Biodiversity 
  • HMA Journalism Award for Best Horticulture Article
  • Turf Victoria Award – Turf package prize
  • Fleming’s Nurseries Award – Orchard prize
  • Australian Growing Solutions Award – Garden compost prize

For more information go to the Awards program .

2017 VSGA Grant Results

By

The VSGA committee have spent the past month reading and evaluating the 332 grant applications submitted by schools for the 9 categories of grants that were available.

It is not an easy task selecting the successful schools with so many applications presenting amazing garden project plans.

Of the 210 schools that entered, 41 schools will receive garden products or vouchers (to be redeemed at Nursery & Garden Industry of Victoria retail member stores) to implement their garden project.

To the unsuccessful schools, we thank you for the time and effort taken to enter an application and encourage you try again next year.

 2017 VSGA Grant Recipients

 

Record Number of Grant Applications Received

By

Grant applications closed on  Friday 28th April.   We had an outstanding response this year, receiving 332 applications from 210 schools from schools across the state.

Thank you to all the teachers/parents  who took the time to enter an application  for a school garden grant. It is wonderful to see so many schools wanting to implement garden projects into their school yards and provide their students the opportunity for hands on learning.

The VSGA committee now has the difficult task of evaluating the applications for all nine categories and select the successful schools.  The results will be published late May and vouchers posted to schools by end of May.

2017 Grants are now open!

By

An opportunity for all Victorian schools to apply for one or all nine grant categories is now available.

Applications opened on the 1st March and will close on 28th April 2017 at 5pm.

With $30,000 worth of vouchers or products to be won for your garden, enter your school now.

A new and improved grant application system is now in use, making online entry stress free.

For more information on the Grants program, please go to the Grant section on this website.

 

 

 

Contact us

Tania Karamitos
Program Co-ordinator
Victorian Schools Garden Awards
Phone: 03 9576 0599
Fax: 03 9576 0431
Email: vsga@ngiv.com.au