2026 Topic: SOIL MATTERS
Calling all Aussie students, schools, preschools, specialist schools & homeschoolers!
The 2026 Healthy Soils Competition will open for registrations March 1st 2026.
This year’s theme is:
“ Soil Matters” – Its Importance to Our Food and Environment” 🌏🍎We’re looking for creative entries that celebrate the vital role of soil in our food and environment.
Some ideas include:
🎭 Plays | 🎤 Songs/Raps | 💃 Dance | 🎥 Videos | 🎨 Artwork | ✍️ Poems
(Digital entries only)
💵 Fantastic prizes up for grabs!
🏆 1st Prize for each school category: $500
🥈 2nd Prize for each school category: $100
🏡 Homeschoolers winner: $100 voucher
📜 Every participant receives a printed certificate!
Preschool & primary school prize money goes to the school
Secondary and homeschool prize money goes to the student
Key Dates
Competition closes: 25 September 2026
Please ensure all entries are submitted by this date.
About the Competition
“Soil Matters” invites students to explore, celebrate, and share their understanding of healthy soil and its importance to our environment and food systems.
We strongly encourage creativity, inclusiveness, and student voice. Every student’s perspective and experience is valued.
Entry Formats
Entries may be submitted in any digital format, including:
- Comic strips
- Short videos
- Infographics
- Murals (photographed and submitted digitally)
- Stories or short narratives
- Newsletters
- Websites
- Other creative digital formats
Video Guidelines:
- Maximum length: 3 minutes
- Maximum file size: 200–250 MB
If submitting a larger file, please use the Google Drive option below.
Prize Categories
🏆 Prizes
- First Prize: $500
- Second Prize: $100
(Awarded in each category)
📚 School Categories
Kindergartens & Pre-Schools
Primary Schools
- Prep / Grade 1
- Grade 2 / 3
- Grade 3 / 4
- Grade 5 / 6
Secondary Schools
- Years 7 & 8
- Years 9 & 10
Specialist Schools
Home School Students
- Same categories/levels as schools
- Prize: $100 voucher
Helpful Resources
To support your students:
- Download the Competition Resource Pack for ideas and guidance.
- Visit the Resource Page on the Soil Week Australia website for valuable insights into healthy soil and regenerative agriculture.
These materials are optional but highly recommended to inspire learning and creativity.
How to Submit
Please upload your completed entry by:
Email:
soilweek@localfoodconnect.org.au
OR
Google Drive:
Upload to the Soil Week Google Drive (link provided upon registration).
If your file is large, Google Drive is the preferred option.
Important
- Please ensure you have read the Terms and Conditions at the bottom of the Competition page before submitting.
- Make sure student names, school details, and contact information are clearly included with your entry.
Need Assistance?
If you have any questions, please contact:
Bev Middleton
📧 soilweek@localfoodconnect.org.au
📱 0419 777 606
Thank you for supporting students to explore why Soil Matters. We can’t wait to see the creativity and passion your students bring to this important topic! 🌱
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➡️ Enter now!
Proudly supported by @LocalFoodConnect 💚
Congratulations to everyone who participated in our past school competition!
In 2022-2025 Soil Week Australia gave out over $27,000 in prizes to schools and students across Australia!
Past Themes:
2025 – Health Soils
2024 – Healthy Soil, Healthy Food
2023 – Wonderful Worms
2022 – The World under our feet
A BIG THANK YOU to all the parents and the teachers who encouraged their students to explore the natural world and its importance to our food and climate. We hope to see you again in 2026……
We hope you learnt something new and enjoyed research about the incredible world under our feet.
Congratulations to the Secondary School Winners
Yr 9/10
First Place – Glasshouse College- Qld
Second Place – Miley Tsilomanis- Vic
Year 7/8
First Place – Theodore Huang
Second Place– Adil from Richmond High School, Vic
Congratulations to Primary School Winners
Year 5/6
First Place – St Angela of the Cross- Warragul
Second Place– Bullarto Primary School, Vic
Year 3/4
First Place– St Mary’s Primary School – Maffra
Second Place– Kangaroo Island Community Education, SA
Year 1/2
First Place – Armstrong Creek Primary School, Vic
Second Place– Lansdown Crescent Primary School, Tas
Prep Kinder
First Place– Byford Community Kinder, WA
Second Place– St Angela of the Cross- Warragul
The Calvin Muller Prize– Belltrees Primary School, NSW
Congratulations to the Homeschool/Individual Students Entries-
Grade 5/6 Vir Mattoo, Vic
Grade 3/4– Theo Tolson, Qld
Grade 1/2– Rocco McFarlane NSW & Zechary, NSW
Prep/Kinder– The Homies, Vic
Congratulations to everyone who participated in our 2024 ‘Healthy Soil, Healthy Food’ school competition!
Primary schools Winners
Prep/Kindergarten – Sherbourne Pre-school VIC
Grades 1 & 2 – Port Elliot Primary School SA
Grades 3 & 4 – Lakelands Primary School WA (entry by Jannat Riaz)
Grades 5 & 6 – Research Primary School VIC
Runners up
Prep/Kindergarten – Byford Community Kindergarten WA
Grades 1 & 2 – Landsdowne Crescent Primary School TAS
Grades 3 & 4 – St Monica’s Primary School VIC
Grades 5 & 6 – Wheeler Heights Public School NSW
Secondary school Winners
Years 7 & 8 – Maddison, Mia & Laura from Beerwah State High School QLD
Years 9 & 10 – Mayank, Rafsun, Trish & Prajwal from East Hills Boys High School NSW
Runners up
Years 7 & 8 – Riley from Greater Shepparton Secondary College VIC
Years 9 & 10 – Caitlin from Lisarow High School NSW
Specialist schools Winner
Rockhampton North Special School QLD
Home schools
Prep/Kindergarten – Zechary Foulsham
Grades 1 & 2 – Ariel Grixti-Cheng
Grades 3 & 4 – Coralie Mauger & Louie Collins
Grades 5 & 6 – Alana & Alyssa Tainsh
Grades 7 & 8 – Heidi Collins
We want to acknowledge the hard work and effort put into so many entries this year. The level of creativity and knowledge was fantastic, and many entries received a $50 voucher ‘shout-out’ award.
We hope to see you all again in 2025 for our next competition!
The results are in for Soil Week Australia’s successful Healthy Soil Competition for 2023. The topic is “Wonderful Worms.”
The competition attracted over 180 entries from schools and students from diverse rural and urban areas from all States in Australia. The entries showcased the creative talent of our students and teachers and it was a pleasure for the judges to view all the entries. Congratulations to everyone for the effort and enthusiasm.
Congratulations to all primary and secondary school entrants, and a special thank you to the wonderful teachers, who encourage their students to explore nature and their student’s creativity.
Each winner in their category receives a $500 voucher.
Primary School – Foundation to G2. Riverside Primary School
Primary School- G3 toG6 Citipoint Christian College
Secondary Student Yr 7 to 8 Brooke McDougall, Homeschool
Secondary Student Yr 9 to 10 Immi McKean, Kangaroo Island Community Educations
Wimmera District Category
Primary School Wendouree Primary School
Secondary Student Keeley McDermott. Horsham Secondary College.
Calvin Muller Prize Kintore Street School
Each winner in the following category receiving a $100 voucher
Homeschool student- Primary foundation to G2 Emin Ishmail
Homeschool student- Primary G3 to G6 Charlotte Collins
The following schools and students entries received a special mention for their entries with $50, $100, or $200 vouchers.
Primary
Apollo Bay College- Primary
Delacombe Primary School
Hailebury Pangea Online- Vihaan
Brighton Primary School
Concord School
Lota State Primary School
Bonbeach Primary School
MacFarlane Primary School
Bemboka Primary School
Black Rock Primary School
Woodend Primary School
Seaforth Primary School
Preston South Primary School
Homeschool- Roseabella
Silkstone Primary School
Pakenham Consolidate Primary School
Jarrahdale Primary School
Clarendon Vale Primary School
Laurimah Primary School
Sunshine Heights Primary School
West Launceston Primary School
St Angela of the Cross Primary School
Torbanleas Primary School
Wangaratta West Primary School
Pyalong Primary School
St Helens State School
Korumburra Primary School
Eltham East Primary School
Auburn East Primary School
Red Rock Christian College
Cobdogla Primary School
Kilmore Primary School
Kurrajong Primary School
Zuccoli Primary School
Baulkham Hills Primary School
Inglefarm Primary School
Homeschool- Zenith
Secondary
Glasshouse Christian College
St Mary’s School – WA
Beerwah State High School
Greater Shepparton Secondary College
Glenwood High School
East Hills Boys High School
Burnside State High School
Emmanuelle College
WA College of Agriculture- Harvey Campus
Sommerville House
Apollo Bay Secondary College
Kew High School
Cairns School of Distance Education- Tijhana
Parade College
Kintore Street School
Greenvale Secondary College
Congratulations – the entries all told wonderful stories about the miracle of healthy soil. The judges found their task of selecting the winning entry very difficult.
Winner of the Primary School Category- Grovelands Primary School. Camillo WA
Runners Up
-Bees Creek Primary School. NT
-Ringarooma. Tasmania
-Coolbinia. WA
-Perth Montessori. WA
-Clyde Fenton Primary School. NT
-Jahara Walker. Wauchope Primary School.NSW
-Emily Mate and Charlotte Ruan. Vermont Primary School.Vic
Winners of the Secondary School Category- East Hills Boys High School. NSW
Runners Up
-David Lin &Aditya Purchit. Girraween Secondary college. NSW
-Imogen Bolton. Kangaroo Island Community Education. SA
-Kabir Qazizada. Glenwood High School. NSW
-Caleb McDonald. Bellarine Secondary College. VIC
-Beerwah School. QLD
Winners of the Wimmera region Victoria category
Winner of the Primary School Category – Warracknabeal Primary School
Runner Up – St Arnaud Primary School
Winner of the Secondary Schools category – Teagan Goss. Horsham Secondary College
Runner Up –Keeley McDermott. Horsham Secondary College
Winners of the Calvin Muller Prize- Greater Shepparton Secondary College
Cody Fairless, Gabby Sinclair, Hajar Mehdi, Helen Nguyen, Sakhi and Jed Ferguson, Lief, and Sophia and Alicia.
Thank you again to the wonderful teachers who encouraged their students to enter and who so wonderfully supported their students.
Schools Competition Terms and Conditions
Healthy Soils Competition 2026
“Soil Matters” – Parent & School Information
The Healthy Soils Competition is proudly presented by Soil Week Australia, auspiced by Local Food Connect. (ABN 24 920 029 361
Participation is free, and we welcome entries from schools and home school students across Australia.
Who Can Enter?
- Kindergartens & Pre-Schools
- Primary School Students (Prep – Grade 6)
- Secondary Students (Years 7–10)
- Specialist Schools
- Home School Students (same categories as schools)
Students under 18 must have parent/guardian or teacher consent at registration.
Key Dates
- 1 March 2026 – Competition opens
- 15 October 2026 – Entries close
- By 12 November 2026 – Winners notified
What Students Need to Do
The 2026 theme is “Soil Matters.”
Students are invited to creatively explore why healthy soil is important.
Entries must be submitted in digital format and can include:
- Short videos (up to 3 minutes, 200–250MB max)
- Stories or essays
- Infographics
- Comic strips
- Digital artwork
- Websites or multimedia presentations
Students may submit more than one entry.
Submitting an Entry
Entries can be:
- Emailed to: soilweek@localfoodconnect.org.au
- Uploaded via the official Soil Week Google Drive (link provided at registration)
Prizes
Prizes include:
- $500 winner prizes in each major category
- $100 second prizes
- Additional special and regional awards
All participating students will receive a certificate.
Prizes are provided as vouchers and are not redeemable for cash.
Judging
Entries will be judged on:
- Relevance to the theme
- Creativity and originality
- Clarity of message
- Overall presentation
Judges’ decisions are final.
Original Work & AI Use
Entries must be the student’s original work.
AI tools may be used for limited support (such as editing or brainstorming), but entries that are entirely AI-generated will not be accepted.
Privacy & Permissions
- Entries remain the property of the student or school.
- We may share winners’ names and schools on our website and social media.
- We will always seek permission before publishing a full entry.
- Personal information is handled in accordance with Australian privacy laws.
If you have any questions, please contact Soil Week Australia at
soilweek@localfoodconnect.org.au (ABN 24 920 029 361)
We look forward to seeing how students show us why Soil Matters 🌱