Following a fantastic evening at the Parks and Leisure Australia VIC/TAS Regional Awards of Excellence gala dinner at CENTREPIECE, we’re excited to reveal the 2025 winners across our 11 award categories below.
With the event hosted by renowned tennis commentator and broadcaster Brett Phillips, we hope you enjoyed the celebration as much as we did, recognising the outstanding achievements and innovative contributions within our industry. Congratulations to all the exceptional nominees, and a special applause to our winners, who will now advance to the Parks and Leisure Australia National Awards of Excellence in Hobart this November. To learn more about the award-winning projects, please explore the links provided under each award category below.
WITH THANKS TO OUR PRINCIPAL PARTNER LANDMARK PRODUCTS AND MC SPONSOR GREENLIFE GROUP
2025 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS
ABOUT THE AWARDS & WINNING PROJECTS
Each year, PLA acknowledges excellence in our industry through its prestigious Awards of Excellence. These annual awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding initiatives and innovative efforts of ‘the people behind the places’ which promote good use of leisure time for a number of social, environmental and economic benefits to the community.
Check out all the 2025 nominees and winners below
David Aldous Emerging Leader Award
Proudly sponsored by
The YMCA is one of the world’s longest-running and largest youth-focused movements. Y Victoria has been supporting communities for more than 170 years. We offer a wide range of programs and services that support children and young people across their life cycle.
www.victoria.ymca.org.au
This award seeks to recognise and celebrate outstanding contributions made by a student or emerging professional (under 30 years of age) in a course of study leading to a nationally recognised qualification in the sector throughout Australia or who has made a significant contribution to the parks and leisure industry.
Environmental Stewardship Award
Proudly sponsored by
Christie Barbecues is an Australian family-owned public barbecue manufacturer. We have focused exclusively on providing the safest, most reliable and sustainable products for over fifty years.
This award celebrates and acknowledges those who protect nature and parks, improve climate resilience, ensure sustainability, and care for our land, as well as champions in all of these areas as part of this award. Awarded to an individual, a team, or an organisation for the development of innovative processes, practices, or technologies that contribute to the development of a sustainable future.
Community Based Initiative of the Year Award
Proudly sponsored by
@leisure is a sports, aquatic, open space planning consultancy with more than 30 years of experience. We provide rigorous strategies, business cases, feasibility studies and facility plans that are market tested and practical to implement. www.atleisure.com.au
This award is designed to recognise the combined effort that is required to successfully plan, organise and manage effective initiatives, projects, programs, events and/or festivals which promote and enhance leisure time for a number of social, environmental and economic benefits to the community. Evidence of success should form a component of the submission.
Best Regional/Rural Industry Contribution Award
Regional/Rural Australia includes all of the towns, small cities and areas that lie beyond the major capital cities, who make a significant contribution through community initiatives which contribute to the parks and leisure industry. These projects can be playspaces, events, tourism, trails, programs, repurposing of facilities and environmental initiatives.
Research Award
Proudly sponsored by
Endeavour Turf Professionals are one Australia’s leading sports field design and turf agronomy consultancies. For over 17 years, our expert team of designers, consultants and agronomists have been working with LGA’s and the professional turf industry designing and improving natural turf surfaces. www.etpturf.com.au
This award acknowledges outstanding research achievement by a group or individual, professionals, student or academics who have made a significant contribution to the parks and leisure industry through expanded knowledge enhancement promoting the benefits or importance of the parks and leisure sector in Australian society.
Strategic and Master Planning Award
Proudly sponsored by
WillPlay is an Australian manufacturer of play and fitness equipment with an extensive range of products to suit all size projects and budgets. WillPlay’s custom design capabilities can bring your next project to life and create a true destination experience for all users.
This award recognises the development of strategies for parks, open space, sport, recreation and leisure opportunities by rewarding outstanding examples of strategic planning that have enriched and revitalised a community.
Community Facility of the Year Award
Produly sponsored by
insideEDGE passionately supports communities to enhance sport, leisure, and recreation programs and services. Our mission is to drive more thoughtful decision-making regarding investment in community infrastructure, ultimately leading to increased participation and improved facility utilisation. www.ieslp.com.au
This community facility award recognises facilities that demonstrate innovative features of design, development and operation.
Park of the Year Award
Proudly sponsored by
An industry leader in the production, sale and distribution of premium instant turf and lawns for life. Coolabah Turf are passionate about the turf and lawn industry and the power their people and products have to make a positive impact on people’s lives. www.coolturf.com.au
This award celebrates and promotes vibrant, successful well designed and managed new or significantly revitalised parks/ open spaces by recognising and rewarding exceptional examples of best practice in terms of design and management. This includes parks and open spaces that are large, small, linear, along transport corridors, road closures, foreshore and reclaimed urban spaces.
Playspace Award (<$0.5m)
Proudly sponsored by
Shade N Sails is an Australian company that specialises in designing manufacturing and installing shade products. With over 150 years of combined industry experience and a focus on exceptional customer service and communication they service both the Australian and global markets, offering a wide range of solutions. www.shadensails.com.au
This award is given to a playspace under the value of $500,000 that involves a range of stakeholders, contributes to the creation of a sense of ‘place’ for its local community and exhibits landscape and/or structural design innovation that delights and aids childhood development.
Playspace Award (>$0.5m)
Proudly sponsored by
Ground Science is a multi-disciplinary geotechnical consultancy company, that specializes in all forms of sports field profile design and engineering. A leading consultancy in this space they service clients Nationally and Internationally. www.groundscience.com.au
This award is given to a playspace over the value of $500,000 that involves a range of stakeholders, contributes to the creation of a sense of ‘place’ for its local community and exhibits landscape and/or structural design innovation that delights and aids childhood development.
Best Use of Technology Award
Proudly sponsored by
GreenLife Group is a national leader in property services and open space management. GLG delivers a wide range of integrated commercial landscape, horticultural and environmental services that include property and ground maintenance, sports turf, arboriculture, and development of sustainable solutions. www.glgcorp.com
This award acknowledges outstanding and innovative achievement in the area of technology application and how that application has benefited the industry.
Thankyou to our event and award category sponsors for their support
