Winners announced for 2025 National Kitchen Garden Awards

Celebrations for Kitchen Garden Month culminated on Tuesday 16 September with the announcement of the 2025 National Kitchen Garden Awards winners at Kilkenny Primary School, Adelaide.

The winners reflect the creativity, sustainability and community spirit celebrated in The Sector’s earlier article, Nurturing young gardeners: Early childhood services shine in 2025 National Kitchen Garden Awards.

2025 early learning category winners

Sustainable Solutions

Presented by Costa Group
Winner: YMCA Children’s Centre (Gungahlin), ACT

At YMCA Children’s Centre, sustainability is embedded in daily learning through creative reuse and hands-on experiences. Educators have established a dedicated “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” space, and children are actively involved in composting food scraps, which enrich the veggie garden. A highlight of the program has been welcoming four chickens from the ACT Hatching Program, with their new coop ingeniously built from recycled materials – including an old cot. That same cot was also repurposed into raised garden beds, where children helped plant new seedlings.

The Art of Kitchen Gardening

Presented by MSP Compass
Winner: Lucknow Kindergarten, Victoria

At Lucknow Kindergarten, children responded to hungry birds in their sunflower patch by designing and building their own scarecrows. Every element of the creations was recycled, making sustainability part of the project. The children collaborated to bring two vibrant characters – Frankie and Timmy – to life, proudly watching them from their classroom window and checking on them during garden visits. The project not only protected the sunflowers but also added colour and fun to the outdoor space, sparking further creativity as children extended the theme through watercolour scarecrow artworks.

Beyond the School Gate

Presented by Novo Nordisk Cities for Better Health
Winner: Fairview Kindergarten, South Australia

Fairview Kindergarten has transformed its garden into a hub of community connection. With support from the local Men’s Shed, the children co-designed a vibrant Grow Free Cart, paired with a Little Library and Pantry, to share fresh produce, books and pantry items with their community. Each week, children tend their veggie patch and contribute their harvest, sparking conversations about kindness, health and sustainability. The initiative has inspired neighbours to give back too, with one elderly resident donating over 400 lemons and mandarins.

The National Kitchen Garden Awards continue to spotlight early learning environments where children’s health, wellbeing and environmental understanding are cultivated through meaningful hands-on projects.