ResourceSmart Schools Awards – How to enter
We can achieve so much more when we work together, whether that’s with other students, other schools, other teachers, or the wider community beyond the school gate. By working together, our efforts combine to build the future we need!
Each category will ask entrants to reflect on how they have worked together to achieve great things in sustainability at school.
Award categories
- Campus Infrastructure and Operations
- Emerging School of the Year
- School Volunteer of the Year
- Student Action Team of the Year (primary and secondary)
- Curriculum Leadership School of the Year (primary and secondary)
- CDS Vic Excellence Award (primary and secondary)
- Teacher of the Year
- ResourceSmart School of the Year.
Eligibility
Only active ResourceSmart Schools are eligible to enter. Schools must have completed an action in ResourceSmart Schools Online between 1 July 2024 to 28 February 2025.
The following categories have special eligibility criteria:
- RSS of the Year: Schools entering the ResourceSmart School of the Year category must have at least a 3 Star ResourceSmart Schools certification.
- Volunteer of the Year: To qualify as a volunteer, the individual or group must not have been remunerated for their time/activities.
- CDS Vic Excellence Award: Schools entering this category must be signed up as a 'donation partner' with Victoria's Container Deposit Scheme (CDS Vic) as well as be an active ResourceSmart School.
- Emerging school of the Year: For the 2025 awards, the school must have signed an RSS MOU during 1 July 2023 to 28 February 2025 for the first time and/or set a resource baseline during 1 July 2023 to 28 February 2025.
Attend an online tutorial
Sessions available to help support your entry with writing.
Tips and tricks to writing a good entry session - 29 October 2024, 4 pm.
Kickstarting Sustainability in your School: Awards edition - 20 November 2024, 4 pm.
Tips and tricks to writing a good entry session - 14 February 2025, 4 pm.
Judging criteria
Download and read the scoring rubric and sample entries.
The following documents explain how entries are judged in each award category and include sample entries:
Sample entries
Entries are incomplete without at least one media ready photograph and a signed consent form/s.
A media friendly photograph must:
- Be at least 1 MB in size
- Include a recognisable face or faces to the project being celebrated
- have signed consent form/s for Sustainability Victoria to use the image.
Consent forms
Book 1:1 coaching
Book a time slot to talk through your entry with the Awards team.
Early draft feedback
Schools that submit before 20 December 2024 can receive written feedback on their entry. You can resubmit or modify your entry at any time up until the award close on 28 February 2025. Please submit your draft via Awardforce.
Previous finalists and winners
Finalists and winners from 2015-2024 are available to read here.
Contact us
If you have questions or have been working on sustainability but you aren't part of the ResourceSmart Schools community yet, please contact us.