Awards Of Excellence Nominations 2026

GX Outdoors

Pandanus is a groundbreaking permanent shade solution redefining how councils deliver shade in public spaces. With growing demand for accessible shade and designers seeking site-responsive solutions, Pandanus responds with a modular system using just three components to form interlocking panels - creating permanent shade structures limitless in size and configuration. Laser-cut panels offer more than cover, casting shadow art that creates place-specific storytelling, while raising expectations of what permanent shade infrastructure can achieve.

Manningham Council

Templestowe Memorial Reserve has been a true heart and soul project, revitalised with the spirit of ANZAC at its core. The renewed space now offers a dignified setting for remembrance and a peaceful place for personal reflection, allowing the community to connect deeply with history, landscape, and legacy.

ACT Government - Infrastructure Delivery - Sport and Recreation Portfolio

This project redefines sportsground lighting from a compliance-driven infrastructure asset to a strategic turf management and lifecycle optimisation tool. By engineering zoned LED illumination capable of independent activation, rotational programming, and full remote control, the ACT Government has introduced an innovative system that integrates lighting engineering, asset management, agronomy, and smart control systems into a single operational strategy — addressing a longstanding industry problem that has traditionally been accepted as unavoidable. Senior Project Manager Mick Roberts

City of Wanneroo

Dordaak Kepup in Landsdale is a landmark $18.4M civic facility. Opened in December 2025, it combines a library and youth innovation hub with creative studios and flexible community spaces in a culturally grounded, Noongar-inspired design. Featuring contemporary library areas, group and study zones, a dedicated children’s space, and cutting-edge STEAM facilities—including recording and podcast studios, a demonstration kitchen, gaming room, and maker technologies—it empowers young people to explore, play, collaborate, and innovate, setting a new benchmark for learning and community connection.

AFL NSW/ACT

The upgraded Bob Prenter Reserve delivers a modern, inclusive facility for south-west Sydney. Developed with the AFL and Campbelltown City Council, it features flexible changerooms, umpire amenities, improved spectator areas, and upgraded lighting for night games. Supporting the South West Sydney Blues and community participation in AFL.

Macedon Ranges Shire Council

The Gilbert Gordon Oval project represents a model of community partnership, cultural responsibility and strategic infrastructure delivery. It has elevated local netball facilities to a contemporary standard, enabled significant participation growth and positioned Woodend as a hub for women’s and junior sport. The strong collaboration between Council, clubs, government partners and volunteers demonstrates how shared vision and perseverance can deliver exceptional outcomes.

Blacktown City Council

The Big Plans for Little Creek - Waterway Masterplan presents the opportunity to create a new benchmark in creek restoration through a deep and genuine engagement with one of the largest urban Indigenous populations in New South Wales. This project will transform Little Creek from a grass and concrete channel into a naturalised creek that will embed First Nations cultural and community values to ensure Little Creek is returned to a vibrant and ecologically diverse waterway, enhancing the amenity of the waterway for the benefit of the local community. The masterplan is an extension of communit

Sutherland Shire Council

Waratah Park All Abilities Playground is a regional destination setting a new benchmark for inclusive play in metropolitan NSW. Jointly funded by Sutherland Shire Council and the Australian Government’s Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, it features a nationally certified Changing Places facility, digital interactive play and fully accessible design. Delivered through strong community collaboration, it enables children of all abilities to play together while strengthening connection and belonging.

City of Joondalup

The Duncraig Adventure Hub is a vibrant, youth driven and multigenerational recreation precinct that brings energy, connection and creativity to the community. Combining skate and BMX facilities, sensory play spaces and WA’s first outdoor rollerdisco, it champions inclusion and evidence based wellbeing, fostering activity, belonging and community pride while setting a bold new benchmark for innovative, fun and welcoming public spaces.

City of Joondalup

The Sensory Monsters Playground is an imaginative, inclusive playspace that helps children explore and understand sensory differences through play, storytelling and creative discovery. Designed with occupational therapy input and linked to a custom picture book, it offers sensory rich zones, accessible features and story guided quests. Integrated with Duncraig Library programs, it has become a cherished community space supporting learning, connection and wellbeing.

City of Joondalup

Setting a new standard for innovative youth infrastructure the Duncraig Adventure Hub Rollerdisco is considered Australia’s first permanent outdoor roller disco, transforming public space into a vibrant hub of movement, music and connection. Designed to support adolescent girls, it delivers a safe, joyful and inclusive environment where they can skate, belong and thrive. The Rollerdisco is reshaping youth recreation and setting a bold new benchmark for gender inclusive community spaces.

Maribyrnong City Council

Maribyrnong River and Stony Creek wildlife protection fencing Maribyrnong City Council has installed wildlife protection fencing to help habitat creation and conservation along the Maribyrnong River and Stony Creek. The project will help protect wildlife in and around wetlands, at Frogs Hollow and Newells Paddock. The project will also create new habitat for wildlife by planting new plants along the Stony Creek. This project is funded by the Victorian Government’s Green Links Grants.

Blacktown City Council

Van Diemen Park represent how local parks, designed with local voices, can have big impacts for local communities. Prior to the Park’s revitalisation, the space existed simply as open lawn with mature canopy. Whilst open space is important – under activation of the space resulted in limited use by community. The renewal was guided by community voices, with equity in provision, strong representation of culture, and community needs at the forefront of design decisions. Van Diemen Park is now a celebrated local park that engages with the community for which it was built, allowing them to be more

City of Cockburn

The $8.9 million Malabar Park BMX and Community Facility Redevelopment has created one of Western Australia’s most exciting community recreation spaces. Delivered by the City of Cockburn, the precinct features a Union Cycliste Internationale accredited BMX racing track supported by a playground and pump track, creating a clear pathway from first ride to competitive racing. Malabar Park is a place where young riders progress, families gather and the community comes together — reflecting Cockburn, the best place to be.

Northern Beaches Council

Brick Pit Reserve transforms a former quarry in Frenchs Forest into a vibrant, restored natural space. Once degraded and unsafe, it is now a biodiverse reserve with native planting, accessible paths and cooling canopy. The park provides a peaceful place for walking and nature connection, supporting nearby residents and the growing hospital precinct while strengthening the local green network and community wellbeing.

City of Salisbury

Inspiring community activity and connection, Happy Home Reserve has been reimagined into one of Salisbury’s leading community destinations—a vibrant, year-round hub for health, recreation, aquatics and road safety education. Once an ageing, underused precinct, it now features the Salisbury Aquatic Centre, Road Safety Centre and a suite of free outdoor spaces that together attract more than 400,000 visits annually. The precinct delivers inclusive, accessible facilities that strengthen wellbeing, connection and community pride.

City of Gold Coast

The vision for Greenheart Robina Parklands is centred on the delivery of a multi-faceted, deeply layered design outcome which demonstrates investment in high quality infrastructure and the provision of vast recreation opportunities for visitors of all ages and abilities to engage with and enjoy.

CITY OF MITCHAM

Pasadena Community Centre is a welcoming, climate‑smart community hub in the City of Mitcham, brought to life through adaptive reuse and strong local leadership. Shaped through genuine community co‑design, it offers flexible, universally accessible spaces for learning, wellbeing and connection. The all‑electric building showcases circular construction, solar energy and water‑sensitive design. Since opening in 2025, the Centre has quickly become a much‑loved local gathering place, building participation, pride and resilience, and showing what’s possible when community leads.

City of Swan

The Ellenbrook Community Centre is a $9.5 million district-scale facility delivering flexible and inclusive community infrastructure within one of Western Australia’s fastest growing regions. Ellenbrook Community Centre provides capacity for over 500 users across adaptable spaces including a 300-person function room and specialised workshop facilities supporting skills development and volunteering. Designed as a 50-year civic asset, Ellenbrook Community Centre strengthens social connection, supports community-led programs and expands essential community infrastructure in Ellenbrook.

Penrith City Council

Penrith City Council has successfully transformed Regatta Park, creating new opportunities for the community to connect with the Nepean River like never before. This ambitious project reimagined the foreshore of the Nepean River to prioritise community use and access to Penrith’s most valuable natural asset. Welcoming thousands of visitors weekly, Regatta Park delivers active, inclusive and vibrant recreation, enhancing community wellbeing and strengthening Penrith’s status as Western Sydney’s most liveable city.

City of Swan

The City of Swan’s Trees to Residents initiative is a large-scale community revegetation program improving biodiversity, canopy cover and climate resilience across rural properties. In 2024/25, approximately 69,000 endemic Western Australian native plants were distributed to residents, enabling landscape-scale planting across private land. The program empowers the community to create habitat, support pollinators and contribute to a greener, more sustainable environment.

Blacktown City Council

Sport Stories is the result of an ongoing 13-year study into the growth of sport membership in Blacktown City. Designed to help facilitate sports field and facility planning across the city, Sport Stories has enabled Council to critically and comprehensively examine and determine how and where it plan its facilities now and into the future. The project has been wide ranging and evolves yearly, allowing for cross-community collaboration and the growth of critical stakeholder relationships not only within the sport and recreation industry but also the disability and education communities.

SPORTENG

Firth Park is a key sporting hub for the Gold Coast hinterland, used by local clubs, schools and the wider community. With growing demand and the deteriorating condition of the existing courts, the netball facility was no longer fit for purpose. SPORTENG was engaged by the City of Gold Coast to deliver the detailed design and construction documentation for a major upgrade, including the reconstruction of the courts, car parking, access roads, lighting, spectator grandstand, shade structures, landscaping and site services.

South Gippsland Shire Council

The Leongatha Rail Precinct Reimagined project transformed disused rail land into a vibrant, accessible community hub with new paths, parking, landscaping, and event spaces. Designed with strong community input and local partnerships, it now supports markets, festivals, rail trail users, and local businesses, boosting connectivity, participation, and pride across Leongatha.

Ben Lehmann is a humble and modest community leader, making a significant contribution to the Parks and Leisure sector through: His commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, his passion for engaging community in the wonder and benefits of Parks and nature, and his stewardship of ensuring local government continues to value and produce high quality, meaningful, connected public open spaces for all. Ben models sustainability in his resourcefulness, collaboration in his partnership with community and growth in his personal commitment to learning.

Inspiring Place

Inspiring Place has supported the 24 Carrot Garden program since 2018. 24 Carrot Gardens are living classrooms immersing students in the cycles of growth through hands-on food production. Our close engagement with students/staff in developing plans has empowered participants to overcome social and economic barriers while improving educational outcomes.

Inspiring Place

The Circular Head Open Space Strategy is an exemplary framework for planning, development and management of public open space. Success of the Strategy is evidenced by its immediate adoption and commissioning of a master plan for the transformation of the municipality’s flagship open space, the West Esplanade Foreshore Park, Smithton.

Town of Victoria Park

The Cockitrough® is an award-winning biodiversity innovation developed by the Town of Victoria Park to help wildlife adapt to a drying climate. This four-metre-high elevated watering station provides safe, clean water for endangered black cockatoos and other native species where natural sources are declining. More than 180 units are now installed across WA and interstate, supporting over 50 bird and other endangered species and strengthening ecological connectivity while demonstrating how simple, scalable infrastructure can deliver practical climate adaptation and urban biodiversity outcomes.

City of Gold Coast

The City of Gold Coast now provides live access to a suite of more than 20 beach cameras to show real time surf, weather, and crowd conditions, across our iconic coastline. The initiative proved extremely popular, achieving over five million streams in the first year, supporting safer beach visits, better planning, sustainable beach use, and adding value for parks and recreation. Download the Mobile App: https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/About-our-city/Digital-connectivity/Mobile-app

City of Melville

Ric Vosper Reserve has been transformed into a vibrant, community shaped playspace featuring a new playground, learn to ride track, renewed basketball court, artwork, nature play, imaginative elements, shelters, and a BBQ facility. Enhanced with native planting, interactive art, and strong community involvement, the revitalised reserve now offers an inclusive, creative, safe, and much loved destination that encourages connection, active play, and exploration for families and park users of all ages.