2025 ResourceSmart Schools Awards
The ResourceSmart School Awards are Victoria’s largest sustainability celebration of students, teachers and volunteers who are working together in schools and the community to build the future we need.
The 2025 theme is “Working together.”
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!
'This was a wonderful day of celebration! More than this — it was a collective "ideas" generation and "gathering support" kind of day! To have a day like this where young people feel valued and celebrated is KEY!'
Since 2008, more than 1,600 schools have participated in the program. Together, they have:
- saved more than $68 million on bills
- planted 5.1 million trees
- avoided more than 110,000 tonnes CO2e (greenhouse gas emissions)
- diverted 170,000 cubic metres of waste from landfill
- 1.9 million kilolitres of water saved.
Why schools enter the awards
By entering the Awards, schools can:
- Stay active in RSS: Active schools can receive fully subsidized support from a local RSS Facilitator.
- Reflect on their progress: An opportunity to take stock of how much they’ve achieved.
- Recognise sustainability legends: An opportunity to acknowledge excellence and hard work by schools or specific teachers, students, volunteers and partnerships.
- Receive prizemoney and a platform: An opportunity to amplify school sustainability projects and goals.
- Attend a special ceremony: All finalists attend a ceremony at the MCG with special guests.
Award categories and prizemoney
The awards celebrate all steps towards a sustainable future – no action is too small. Schools and individuals achieving great things by working together and are invited to enter the following categories. Prize money is awarded to the school to put towards sustainability projects.
- Campus Infrastructure and Operations School of the Year
- Emerging School of the Year
- School Volunteer of the Year
- Student Action Team of the Year (Primary)
- Student Action Team of the Year (Secondary)
- Curriculum Leadership School of the Year (Primary)
- Curriculum Leadership School of the Year (Secondary)
- CDS Vic Excellence Award (Primary) - Sponsored by Victoria's Container Deposit Scheme
- CDS Vic Excellence Award (Secondary) - Sponsored by Victoria's Container Deposit Scheme
- Teacher of the Year (Primary)
- Teacher of the Year (Secondary)
- ResourceSmart School of the Year
Please read specific eligibility requirements on the How to Enter page.
Event details
Date: Early June at Melbourne Cricket Ground, from 10 AM – 1.30 PM
This premier event is by invitation only, with all finalists, event sponsors, 5-Star Schools, delivery partners (CERES, Environment Education Victoria, and Eastern Alliance for Sustainable Learning), and government, state ministers and industry leaders in sustainability. The event will also be livestreamed.
'It's the happiest and most invigorating day of the year for RSS! It's so important to share the achievements and efforts in a celebratory way with a big audience and have fun! It's really inspiring for everyone involved to see the positive efforts that schools are making and to get ideas to be shared around.’
Support available
Support for schools to attend the Awards
Sustainability Victoria offers subsidies for travel and for casual relief staff so that our finalist schools can attend the ResourceSmart Schools Awards as cost neutral as possible.
Tutorial for writing an entry
Tips and tricks to writing a good entry session - 29 October 2024, 4 pm
Kickstarting Sustainability in your School: Awards edition - 20 November 2024, 4pm
Tips and tricks to writing a good entry session - 14 February 2025, 4 pm
Sample entries to download
The Awards team have prepared sample entries against the scoring rubric. These are available to download from the How to Enter page.
1:1 coaching available
Book a timeslot to talk through your entry with the Awards team.
Get written feedback on your entry
Schools that submit before 20 December 2024 can request written feedback on their entry. You can modify your entry at any time up until the Award closing date on 28 February 2025. Submissions are managed online by Awardsforce, please see How to Enter page for details.
Read the projects submitted by previous finalist and winners
2015-2024 finalists and winners from 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, contact us