The Inaugural Bendigo Sustainability Awards 2026

Celebrating the power of sustainable living at home

The Bendigo Sustainability Group is proud to announce the launch of the Bendigo Sustainability Awards 2026, an exciting new initiative recognising leadership, innovation, and everyday action in creating more sustainable homes and home environments.

To be launched as a feature event of the 2026 Bendigo Sustainability Festival, these awards celebrate the power of local people, businesses, and communities in building a more resilient, climate-conscious future—starting at home. Whether through clever retrofits, community outreach, education, or groundbreaking products, these awards honour those who are reshaping what it means to live sustainably.

Award Categories

  1. Home Sustainability Champion – Business

    For companies or startups making a real impact on how we live sustainably at home. This could include businesses that create eco-friendly home products, provide green home retrofitting services, or innovate in areas like waste reduction, water reuse, renewable energy, or insulation.

  2. Home Sustainability Champion – Community Group or Not-for-Profit

    For grassroots or not-for-profit organisations helping homes and households become more sustainable. This may include groups running repair cafés, community composting hubs, workshops, share libraries, home energy support services, or neighbourhood-based resilience programs.

  3. Home Sustainability Champion – School or University Initiative

    For schools, universities or TAFES which have created impactful student-led projects or curriculum-based programs that support households to become more sustainable. Projects might include family take-home sustainability kits, home energy audits by students, home-relevant inventions, sustainable cooking programs, or intergenerational home-and-school collaborations.

  4. Home Sustainability Champion – Individual

    For a household hero who has transformed their living space into a model of sustainability—no matter how big or small. From renters finding clever low-cost solutions to homeowners leading full-scale retrofits, this category celebrates individual leadership, resourcefulness, and creativity in everyday living.

How to Nominate

Nominations are open to everyone, and free to submit. You may nominate yourself or others.

To nominate, please provide:

  • A brief description of the nominee and their contribution (max. 500 words)

  • Supporting evidence (photos, links, testimonials, results)

  • Contact information for the nominee and nominator

  • Confirmation you accept the below terms and conditions

Submit your nomination online here. Nominations close: 1 November 2025.

Terms & Conditions

  • Entries must demonstrate recent activity related to improving sustainability in home environments.

  • Projects, efforts or initiatives must have been active within the last 24 months.

  • All entries must be based within the City of Greater Bendigo or actively serve the region.

  • Judges’ decisions are final.

  • Shortlisted finalists will be notified in December 2025, asked for a video recording describing their efforts to create more sustainable home environments, and invited to attend the awards ceremony at the Bendigo Sustainability Festival 2026.

  • By submitting a nomination, you confirm the nominee will agree to their story potentially being shared publicly as part of festival communications.

Join us in recognising those who are showing that sustainability starts at home and celebrating the creative, courageous, and practical efforts shaping our future.

Nominate now.