Victorian Schools Garden Program

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You are here: Home / News

Another Year of Record Participation in VSGP Grants

19/06/2025 By Tania Karamitos

The Victorian Schools Garden Program (VSGP) is proud to announce that 2025 marks the third consecutive year of record-breaking participation in our annual grants. This year, we received an extraordinary 951 grant applications from 461 schools and kindergartens across Victoria, evidence of the enthusiasm for garden-based learning and outdoor education in our schools.

The VSGP Committee was thrilled by the quantity and high quality of so many of the submissions received. From edible gardens to habitat homes, to sensory spaces and sustainability hubs, schools demonstrated their deep commitment to using gardens as powerful, hands-on tools for learning, wellbeing, and community connection.

With such a large number of exceptional applications, the process of reviewing and scoring was both rewarding and challenging. Many fantastic submissions missed out on a grant by just a few points, resulting in a handful of merit grants being awarded to schools.

The VSGP sincerely appreciates the time, thought, and effort entrants invested in preparing submissions. Each year, the pool of applications grows more competitive, but also more inspiring.

2025 VSGP Grants Result

Entries for the 2025 Awards are now open! With over $46,000 in prizes available, it’s another great opportunity to gain recognition and support for your school garden.

This year, a new award application system has been implemented to streamline and simplify the entry process. The design element of previous entries has been removed, and entrants are now able to directly add answers and photos into the template, eliminating the creation of a presentation. For more details, visit the VSGP website.

Filed Under: News

Superhero Scarecrows Assemble at Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show

29/03/2025 By Tania Karamitos

This year’s Sustainable Scarecrow Competition attracted 50 entries from Victorian schools and kindergartens, showcasing superhero scarecrows made from repurposed, recycled, and reused materials.

Displayed along the Southern Drive of the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show, the Garden Superheroes theme encouraged participants to design scarecrows that embody heroic figures protecting gardens from pests and promoting plant health.

Nina Taylor, Parliamentary Secretary for Education, judged the finalists, with Sustainable Circe Shielding SKiPPS from St Kilda Park Primary School taking the top spot. This magical guardian, crafted from discarded objects like gumboots, netting, keys, pencils, and cake beaters, impressed with its imaginative use of materials.

Winning Entries

1st Place 

St Kilda Park Primary School

Sustainable ‘Circe’ Shielding SKiPPS

A mythological guardian crafted from discarded materials.

 

Photo of Nina Taylor, Parliamentary Secretary for Education and Craig Taberner, VSGP Chairman awarding winning scarecrow Circe. 

2nd Place

St Joseph’s Primary School, Sorrento

Texta Robo Bob

A robot made from recycled foam, glue sticks, and markers.

3rd Place

 

St Bridget’s Primary School, Gisborne

Brigitron

A futuristic protector blending tradition with sustainability.

People’s Choice 

St Augustine’s Primary School

Captain Defender

Photo of Emma Vulin Member of Parliament and Craig Taberner, VSGP Chairman with Captain Defender

The general public cast their votes at the show for their favorite superhero scarecrow, with Emma Vulin, Member of Parliament, awarding the People’s Choice ribbon to Captain Defender, the creation of St Augustine’s Primary School in Keilor.

The Sustainable Scarecrow Competition remains a powerful platform for educating both young and older minds about the value of sustainability and creative recycling in shaping a more eco-conscious world.

With thanks to our own garden heroes, the 2025 Sustainable Scarecrows competition was made possible with support from Proteaflora, Shapescaper and Coolabah Turf.

Filed Under: News, Uncategorized

School Garden Grants Available!

16/03/2025 By Tania Karamitos

The VSGP Grants Program encourages schools to start new gardens or repair existing gardens by providing funding through nursery vouchers or provision of products to use for school garden projects.

This year there is over $46,000 worth of vouchers and products to be distributed.

A new and improved grant application system has been implemented to streamline and simplify the entry process for users.

Applications are now open and close on Thursday 24 April 2024 at 5 pm.

Click here to see the Grant categories available this year.

Filed Under: News

2024 School Garden Champion

06/01/2025 By Tania Karamitos

This year, the Victorian Schools Garden Program introduced a School Garden Champion award for those unsung heroes of the school garden, the garden educator/volunteers who go above and beyond to make their school garden program thrive for the benefit of the students and school community.

To our surprise, we were thrilled to receive an impressive 24 nominees, but it made judging incredibly challenging as each nominee truly stood out, demonstrating exceptional dedication and going above and beyond in their role within their school garden.

List of 2024 School Garden Champion Award nominees: 

Bryan Hunter Athol Road Primary School
Chris Flynn Bayswater Secondary College
Jane Barnett Carrum Primary School
Yvonne Kerr Cheltenham East Primary School
Peter Falkner Cohuna St Mary’s Primary School
Desley Insall Collingwood College
Catherine Campbell East Bentleigh Primary School
Kristyn Preen Glen Waverley Secondary College
Kristyn Preen Glen Waverley Secondary College
Cameron Adgar Jackson School
Jane Honey Mount Macedon Primary School
Steve Gray Newborough East Primary School
Ann Skeete Our Lady’s Primary School Surrey Hills
Andrew Walker Parade College Bundoora
Cathryn Templeton Red Rock Christian Colege
Aga Jones Riddells Creek Primary School
Denise Webb St Liborius Primary Eaglehawk
Frank Overberg St Louis de Montfort’s PS, Aspendale
Franceen Inness St Mary’s Primary Inglewood
Belinda White Tanjil South Primary School
Karina Bruce Vermont South Special School
Jill Dowling (Farmer) Wandin Yallock Primary School
Allesha Gardner Warrnambool East Primary School
Stephen McNeight Wendouree Primary School

2024 School Garden Champion – Bryan Hunter

An exceptional educator and a true school garden champion, Bryan has for over 12 years poured his heart into creating a vibrant, educational garden that has become a cornerstone of learning and sustainability at Athol Road Primary School in Springvale South.

Bryan not only teaches gardening and specialty skills like grafting, pruning, and espalier, but inspires curiosity, connecting students to nature. He has turned the garden into a hands-on classroom where students learn more than about plants but about sustainable living and innovative designs like aquaponics systems, crop rotation, vertical gardens, and wicking beds. He’s also enriched the ecosystem with bee hives, wetlands, and an onsite farm. He empowers students, listens to their ideas, and involves families through fresh produce markets and the Hunter Community Garden. His dedication goes beyond school days to weekends and holidays.

Bryan’s work has inspired students, staff, and families to appreciate the importance of sustainability and the beauty of nature.

Filed Under: News

The Principals’ Breakfast – Cultivating Leaders to Grow School Gardens

06/01/2025 By Tania Karamitos

The Principal’s Breakfast on Monday morning was a resounding success, inspiring attendees with ideas and strategies to enhance school gardens. The event brought together a diverse group of principals, school garden specialists, and teachers, fostering a vibrant sharing of knowledge and experiences.

A lineup of speakers shared personal stories, highlighting the triumphs and challenges of building and maintaining school gardens while integrating them into the curriculum. Special guest Costa Georgiadis’ infectious passion for gardening and sustainability captivated the audience with a heartfelt message encouraging attendees to lead with the heart, to grow from the ground up and make a difference for generations to come.

Sponsors of the breakfast Plantfulness, believe children need to understand the earth and enjoy the health and benefits of gardens. They support projects with resources and knowledge.

Key takeaways included:

  • Learn Together: If you don’t know how, learn alongside students.
  • Student-Centered Design: Involve children in envisioning and shaping the garden.
  • Integrated Learning: Use every garden task as a learning opportunity – identify, research, and solve problems.
  • Leadership Matters: While passionate garden educators are essential, strong support from principals is crucial for success.

The morning was a celebration of the enduring value of gardens as an integral part of school life and learning. It encouraged commitment to nurturing both gardens and young minds, inspiring a collective vision for sustainable education and student health and wellbeing.

Missed it this year? Don’t worry – next year’s Principals’ Breakfast will be bigger, better, and greener.

Event sponsors

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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

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