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NSW Environmental Education Awards

celebrating the achievements of environmental educators and amplifying their stories

Costa Georgiadis and Lisa Siegel holding her award
The 2024 Awards will open in March

2023 Award Recipients

group of 16 award recipients on stage holding awards looking happy with Costa Georgiadis and Sue Martin

 

Return and Earn Program Leader

Highly Commended – Scott Thompson

Winner – Christian Maait & Meg Thomas

 

Sustainable Schools NSW Teacher of the Year 

Highly Commended – Aaron Parker

Winner – Daniel Levitt

 

Sustainable Schools NSW School of the Year

Highly Commended – Quirindi Public School

Winner – Redlands

 

Sustainability Connect Business of the Year

Winner – Mememe Productions / DirtGirlWorld

Winner – Kids Connecting Nature

 

NSW Emerging Leader in Environmental Education

Highly Commended – Sally Giblin

Highly Commended – Jess Menendez

Winner – Sally Eriksen

 

NSW Environmental Educator of the Year

Highly Commended – Graham Valentine

Highly Commended – Peter Rutherford

Winner – Julia Barnes

 

Recent award recipients

Award Winners and Highly Commended Nominees

Sarah Jantos, Green Hereos, Overall Winner – NSW Environmental Educator of the Year Award

Sarah Jantos, Green Heroes. Winner – Community Educator of the Year Award

Darren Martin, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Highly Commended – Community Educator of the Year Award

Christian Eckardt, Greater Sydney Parklands. Winner – Government Educator of the Year Award

Margaret Gleeson, Keiraville Community Preschool. Winner – Early Learning Educator of the Year Award

Ann-Kathrin Kiehn, St Columba Anglican School. Winner – Sustainable Schools NSW Teacher of the Year Award

Shannon Kelly, The Nature School. Highly Commended – Sustainable Schools NSW Teacher of the Year Award

Belltrees Public School. Winner – Sustainable Schools NSW School of the Year Award

Rose Everingham, Regentville Public School. Winner – Return and Earn Program Leader Award

Rebecca Hoad, St Ignatius College, Riverview. Highly Commended – Return and Earn Program Leader Award

Greening the Green. Winner – Sustainability Connect Business of the Year Award

ReCollect. Highly Commended – Sustainability Connect Business of the Year Award

Read more about the 2022 Award winners here

To celebrate the 2021 Award winners, we held an online event on 18th November 2021. Our  wonderful patron Costa Georgiadis, joined us to celebrate the nominees and award winners. You can watch the recording of the awards night here and find out more about our award winners below.

We celebrated the overall NSW Environmental Educator of the Year Award at the 35th Environmental Education Conference held in Ourimbah in April 2022. We were very pleased that several of our 2021 award winners were there to celebrate again in person.

Award Winners & Highly Commended Nominees

Lisa Siegel. Winner – NSW Environmental Educator of the Year Award

OzHarvest FEAST Program NSW. Winner – Sustainability Connect Business of the Year Award

Seed Harvest Spoon. Highly Commended – Sustainability Connect Business of the Year Award

Jayne Alba, Oxley Park Public School. Winner – Sustainable Schools NSW Teacher of the Year Award

Nicole HextBringelly Public School. Highly Commended – Sustainable Schools NSW Teacher of the Year Award

Aldavilla Public School. Winner – Sustainable Schools NSW School of the Year Award

Caddies Creek Public School. Highly Commended – Sustainable Schools NSW School of the Year Award

Sami BaylyIllustrator and author. Highly Commended – Community Educator of the Year Award

Lisa Siegel, Centre for Ecological Learning. Winner – Community Educator of the Year Award

Jane Smith, Central Coast Environmental Educators Network. Winner – Community Educator of the Year Award

Liana Kay, Sydney Olympic Park Authority. Winner – Government Educator of the Year Award

Jordan Moy, North Sydney Council. Highly Commended – Government Educator of the Year Award

Lisa Siegel, Southern Cross University. Winner – Tertiary Educator of the Year Award

Simone BlomSouthern Cross University. Highly Commended – Tertiary Educator of the Year Award

Read more about each of the winners here

2020 Award Winners

Congratulations to our 2020 Award Winners!

A celebratory online event was held on 5 November to announce the winners of the 2020 NSW Environmental Education Awards. AAEE NSW Patron, Costa Georgiadis and The Hon. Matt Kean MP, Minister for Energy and Environment lent their support to the event.

Professor Lesley Hughes, Macquarie University. Winner – Tertiary Educator of the Year Award and Overall 2020 NSW Environmental Educator of the Year Award

Ashleigh Spillane, Bradman Road Early Education Centre. Winner – Early Childhood Educator of the Year Award

Guido Verbist, The Bower Reuse and Repair Centre. Winner – Community Educator of the Year Award

Julia Strykowski, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Winner – Government Educator of the Year Award

Christopher Yates, Ryde Secondary College. Winner – Sustainable Schools NSW Teacher of the Year Award

Julie Rogers, Lucas Heights Community School. Winner – Return and Earn Program Leader Award

Dapto High School. Winner – Sustainable Schools NSW School of the Year Award

Seaforth Public School, Garden Frog Pond Project. Winner – Take Me Outside NSW Excellence Award

Read more about each of the winners here

Award Winners

Congratulations to our 2019 NSW Environmental Educator of the Year Award winners!

  • Jenny Hill, Blue Mountains City Council, was the winner of the Government education category and overall winner for 2019!
  • David Giblin, Chifley College Bidwill Campus, was the winner of the Formal education category; and
  • Lisa Wriley, Kariong Eco Garden, was the winner of the Community education category.

Read their stories here

 

2022 – Sarah Jantos

2021 – Lisa Siegel

2020 – Professor Lesley Hughes

2019 – Jenny Hill

2018 – Nikki Dixon

2017 – Nick Carson

2016   Owen Dunlop

2015   Judy Christie

2014   Jem Hansen

2013   Susan Mayo

2012   Phil Smith

2011    Nell Graham

2010   Rosemary Hadaway 

2009   Grahame Collier

2008   Syd Smith

2007   Helen Tyas Tunggal 

2006   Helen Scott

2004   Bill Dixon

2002   Stuart DeLandre

2001-2 Cameron Archer and Colin Mondy

2000   No Award (due to dissolution of the AAEE State Executive)

1999   Christine Prietto

1998   Sue and Col Lennox  

1997   Alan Fox 

1996   David Goldney   

1994   Joan Webb   

1993   Max Maddock   

1992   Beryl Strom   

1991   Ken Schaefer 

1990   Carolyn Pettigrew  

1989   Geoff Young  

1988   Neil Dufty   

1987   Kevin McDonald   

1986   Peter Metcalfe    

1985   Di Collins  

1984   Jack Sinclair 

1983   Brian Gilligan    

1982   David Tribe   

1981   Allen Strom    

2023 Awards and Criteria

awards banner image and sponsor logos

2023 NSW Environmental Education Awards

The Awards are presented to individuals, programs and businesses who have made an exemplary contribution to the field of environmental education. In 2023, the Awards will comprise of six awards across three categories:

  1. Excellence in Environmental Education Awards
  2. Program Excellence Award
  3. Business Excellence Award
 
This year the awards presentations will be celebrated in person at the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability in North Sydney on November 24th. Stay tuned for more information about this event via our newsletter. 

We are very grateful to our esteemed judge teams, our patron Costa Georgiadis, our program award sponsor Return and Earn and our event sponsor Tamburlaine Organic Wines for their generous support. 

Return and Earn logo

Tamburlaine Organic Wines logo

 

1. Excellence in Environmental Education Awards:

– NSW Environmental Educator of the Year Award
Nominations for individuals with more than 5 years experience across early learning, professionals, volunteers, community, government, tertiary, non-profit sector

– NSW Emerging Leader in Environmental Education
Nominations for individuals with 5 or less years experience across early learning, professionals, volunteers, community, government, tertiary, non-profit sector

– Sustainable Schools NSW Teacher of the Year Award
Nominations for individual educators who have excelled in embedding sustainability in a NSW primary or high school in line with the values of Sustainable Schools NSW.

 

2. Program Excellence Award:

– Sustainable Schools NSW School of the Year Award
Nominations for a school that has shown excellence in embedding sustainability within their school and in the broader community in line with the values of Sustainable Schools NSW. Note: the Sustainable Schools NSW program has been focused on Primary and High Schools and therefore only these may apply. We hope to support an early learning program award in the future. 

– Return and Earn Program Leader Award
Nominations for a teacher, student or parent who has excelled in embedding the Return and Earn program into their school.

3. Business Excellence Award:

– Sustainability Connect Business of the Year Award
Nominations for organisations or businesses that have excelled in delivery of their environmental education products and services. Businesses must be listed on the Sustainability Connect directory sustainabilityconnect.org.au to be eligible. Note: this year’s award is for the business sector, therefore government-funded programs are not eligible.

REQUIREMENTS:
  • To nominate for any of the above awards, please follow the prompts in the form below. A nominee may only be nominated in ONE category. 
  • Please submit a new form for each award submission you would like to submit.
  • All schools, organisations or individuals nominated must be located in New South Wales or undertake the majority of their activities in New South Wales.
  • Nominees do not currently have to be an AAEE member, however it is strongly encouraged. You can become a member or check your status here. 
  • All nominations must be received by midnight Friday 6th October 2023
 
PLEASE NOTE:
  • We suggest you prepare your answers in a word document first, then copy and paste them here when you are ready to submit your nomination as you cannot save and return to this form. You can view a PDF summary of the nomination questions for all awards here