2026 Tidy Towns and Cities Sustainability Awards Winners!

We are so pleased to announce the Keep Australia Beautiful Victoria, 2026 Tidy Towns and Cities Sustainability Awards Winners! After another difficult year of deliberations from our amazing judges, we have a whole suite of worthy winners from across Victoria.

We are so proud of the amazing people that work so hard to Keep Victoria Beautiful, and look after the people and places that make our communities so special.

Click through to read more about the winners and stay tuned for more stories, insights and chats with our 2026 winners in the months to come!

2026 Tidy Town Winner - Mornington Peninsula Shire

2026 Tidy Cities Winner - City of Maribyrnong

2026 - Dame Phyllis Frost Winner - Malcolm Legg

2026 Heritage and Culture - Towns Winner - Ching Ming Commemoration & National Trust Heritage Festival - Indigo Shire Council

2026 Heritage and Culture - City Winner - Asylum Seeker Resource Centre - City of Maribyrnong

2026 - Energy - Towns Winner - Beechworth Community Battery - Indigo Shire Council

2026 - Social Wellbeing - Towns Winner - The Ranch 2.0 - Mornington Community Support Centre - Mornington Peninsula Shire

2026 - Social Wellbeing - Cities Winner - Australia's Most Accessible Beach - Frankston City Council

2026 - Young Legend - Towns Winner - St Josephs Crib Point - Mangrove Warriors - Mornington Peninsula Shire

2026 - Young Legend - Towns Winner - Amy Schilling - Indigo Shire Council

2026 - EPA Waste Prevention and Reduction - Cities Winner - Green Collect - City of Maribyrnong

2026 - EPA Waste Prevention and Reduction - Towns Winner - Hand In Hand For The Coast - Mornington Peninsula Shire

2026 - Indigenous Culture - Towns Winner - Briars Ngawak Biik Briars Junior Ranger Program - Mornington Peninsula Shire

2026 - Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education - Towns Winner - Volunteering Gippsland - South Gippsland Shire

2026 - Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education - Cities Winner - OZ Harvest FEAST: Food Education and Sustainability Training - City of Port Phillip

2026 - Environment - Towns Winner - The Briars Eastern Dwarf Galaxias Recovery Project - Mornington Peninsula Shire

2026 - Environment - Cities Winner - InCanopy: Melbourne Tree Ledger

2026 - ACCIONA Community - Towns Winner - Kyabram Community and Learning Centre: Reuse and Recycle Kyabram - Campaspe Shire

2026 - ACCIONA Community - Cities Winner - Asylum Seeker Resource Centre: Refugee Leadership Program - City of Maribyrnong

2026 - Litter - Towns Winner - Friends of Mallacoota: Foreshore Holiday Park VCDS Diversion Program Partnership - East Gippsland Shire

2026 - Litter - Cities Winner - Jason Cunningham - Lions Club Leopold - Greater Geelong City Council

Meet the 2026 Tidy Towns and Cities Sustainability Awards Finalists

We'd like to congratulate our 2026 Tidy Towns and Cities Sustainability awards finalists. Out of many fabulous entries from all across the State these finalists will go into our judging process, meeting with judges to determine the winner in each category, across the Tidy Town and Tidy City streams.

To be a part of Victoria's biggest night in sustainability and community, join us at Rydges Melbourne on 30th September to meet the finalists and winners - and find out which Town and City will take out the overall Tidy Town and Tidy City Awards.

Tickets available here: https://events.humanitix.com/tidy-towns-and-cities-sustainability-awards-2026

Stay tuned to our newsletter, blog and social media to learn more about our wonderful finalists and the work they are doing!

Finalist	Category	Project Name	Location
Indigo Regen	Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education	Indigo Regen Cool Seat Project	Indigo Shire Council
St Joseph's Nature Play Group	Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education	St Joseph's Nature Play Group	Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Frankston City Council	Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education	Creative Circularity:Embedding Sustainability through Arts, Culture and Community Action in Frankston City	Frankston City Council
OzHarvest FEAST Program (Victoria)	Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education	FEAST: Food Education and Sustainability Training	Port Phillip City Council
Repurpose It	Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education	Living with Purpose Education Program	Hume City Council,Macedon Ranges Shire Council,Melbourne City Council,Port Phillip City Council,Whittlesea City Council
Volunteering Gippsland (auspiced by GippSport)	Behaviour Change Campaigns and Education	Volunteering Gippsland – Youth Volunteering and Leadership Community Development Program	South Gippsland Shire Council
Kyabram Community and Learning Centre Inc.	ACCIONA -Community	Reuse and renewal Kyabram	Campaspe Shire Council
Indigo Shire Council & Tourism North East - Beechworth Railway Precinct	ACCIONA -Community	Beechworth Railway Precinct	Indigo Shire Council
Chinese Stroke Support Group	ACCIONA -Community	The Chinese Stroke Support Group (援豐會): Empowering Migrant Health, Recovery, and Social Inclusion in Victoria	Whitehorse City Council
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre	ACCIONA -Community	Refugee Leadership Program	Maribyrnong City Council
Sunbury Neighbourhood House	ACCIONA -Community	Sunbury Edible Garden Trail 2026	Hume City Council
Spring Ditch, Rikki Raadsveld & Lex Fletcher	ACCIONA -Community	Spring Ditch 2026	Indigo Shire Council
Indigo Power	Energy	Beechworth Community Battery (BEECH01)	Indigo Shire Council
Baw Baw Sustainability Network	Energy	Home Energy Doctor	Baw Baw Shire Council
Porous Lane	Environment	City of Yarra – Clifton Hill tree-growth project	Yarra City Council
St Joseph's Primary School, Sorrento	Environment	Save The Moonah Woodlands Project	Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Mornington Peninsula Shire Destination Conservation & Wildlife Team	Environment	The Briars Eastern Dwarf Galaxias Recovery Project	Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Seaford Banksia Arboretum and Frankston City Council	Environment	Seaford Banksia Arboretum Project	Frankston City Council
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School	Environment	The Sea is our Best Friend - Mangrove Regeneration	Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
InCanopy	Environment	Melbourne Tree Ledger	Bayside City Council, Casey City Council, Frankston City Council, Glen Eira City Council, Greater Dandenong City Council, Kingston City Council, Knox City Council, Monash City Council
Beechworth History and Heritage Society Inc	Heritage and Culture	Dig into Beechworth -  Ching Ming commemoration and National Trust Australia Heritage Festival 2026	Indigo Shire Council
Cyril Young Memorial Chapel Association Inc.	Heritage and Culture	Cyril Young Memorial Chapel Restoration	Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Mornington Peninsula Branch National Trust of Australia (Vic)	Heritage and Culture	McCrae Homestead Roof restoration	Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre - Community Food Services & Womens Empowerment Pathways Program	Heritage and Culture	ASRC Member Recipes Project	Maribyrnong City Council
Friends of Stanley Athenaeum	Indigenous Culture	Spotlight on untold local Indigenous history	Indigo Shire Council
Ngawak Biik Briars Junior Rangers Program	Indigenous Culture	Ngawak Biik Briars Junior Rangers Program	Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagulk Nations (WJJWJ Peoples)	Indigenous Culture	Our Place Our Story: 20 Years of Native Title, Culture and Country	Hindmarsh Shire Council
Indigo Shire Waste Services	Litter	Soft Plastics Collection System	Indigo Shire Council
Zero Plastics Australia	Litter	Zero Plastics Australia	Ballarat City Council
Rochester Lions Club	Litter	Rochester Lions Container Deposit Scheme	Campaspe Shire Council
Jason Cunningham	Litter	See it Bin It - Leopold	Greater Geelong City Council
Community Work & Partnerships Program, North West Metropolitan Region of the Department of Justice and Community Safety	Litter	CCS Litter Work Teams – Brimbank and Banyule City Councils	Banyule City Council,Brimbank City Council
Friends of Mallacoota Inc and Mallacoota Foreshore Holiday park	Litter	Friends of Mallacoota and Mallacoota Foreshore Holiday park VCDS diversion program partnership	East Gippsland Shire Council
Share the Dignity Beechworth	Social Well-Being	"What Women Can Do"	Indigo Shire Council
Mornington Community Support Centre	Social Well-Being	The Ranch 2.0 Crisis Accomodation Service	Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Frankston City Council	Social Well-Being	Australia's Most Accessible Beach	Frankston City Council
Out Loud on the Ninch event with the You & I Exhibition	Social Well-Being	Out Loud on the Ninch event with the You & I Exhibition	Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Chinese Stroke Support Group	Social Well-Being	Empowering Multicultural Communities: A Decade of Health, Wellness, and Leadership Mentorship	Whitehorse City Council
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre - Community Food Services & Womens Empowerment Pathways Program	Social Well-Being	ASRC Member Recipes Project	Maribyrnong City Council
Josie Jones, Melanie Bird and Cara Hull	EPA Waste Prevention and Reduction	Hand in Hand for the Coast	Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Green Collect	EPA Waste Prevention and Reduction	Sustainability and Social Power in Warehouse Processing	Maribyrnong City Council
Quercus Beechworth	EPA Waste Prevention and Reduction	Quercus Beechworth Repair Cafe'	Indigo Shire Council
Cirque du Soil	EPA Waste Prevention and Reduction	LoopLab Yarra	Yarra City Council
A Fitting Connection	EPA Waste Prevention and Reduction	The Fabric ReStore	Banyule City Council
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council	EPA Waste Prevention and Reduction	Wash Against Waste trailer	Mornington Peninsula Shire Council
Amy Schilling	Young Legend	Volunteer Projects + Civic, & Diplomacy Leadership	Indigo Shire Council
Volunteering Gippsland, auspiced by GippSport	Young Legend	Volunteering Gippsland - Youth Volunteering & Leadership Community Development Program	South Gippsland Shire Council
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School	Young Legend	St Joseph's PriMARY School - Mangrove Warriors	Mornington Peninsula Shire Council

Malcolm Legg - 2026 Dame Phyllis Frost Winner

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Malcolm Legg: the ecologist who turned knowledge into action

This year's Dame Phyllis Frost Winner is the inimitable Malcolm Legg.

Some people study nature. Others work to protect it. Malcolm Legg has spent decades doing both – and in the process has changed how the Mornington Peninsula understands, values and cares for its native wildlife.

An ecologist and long-time Landcare volunteer, Malcolm is this year's winner of the Dame Phyllis Frost Award. His work spans ecological research, threatened species conservation, invasive species management, habitat restoration and community education. Based around Rosebud but active in every corner of the Peninsula, he has built a body of work that land managers, councils and community groups still rely on today.

More than 500 surveys, one lasting resource

Malcolm's starting point has always been evidence. Habitat loss, invasive species and human impacts are the biggest threats to Australia's native plants and animals, and he knew that reversing decline depends on first understanding what is there – and what is missing.

So he went looking. Over the years Malcolm has completed more than 500 fauna surveys across the Mornington Peninsula and surrounding regions. From that work he created the Mornington Peninsula Wildlife Atlas, a comprehensive record of local species that has since been incorporated into the Shire's online Biodiversity Atlas.

The atlas is far more than a list. It has given local government, Parks Victoria and Commonwealth land managers the data they need to make evidence-based decisions, prioritise conservation actions and protect critical habitat. His ecological assessments have guided management across multiple land tenures, from Parks Victoria reserves to Commonwealth sites such as HMAS Cerberus.

Finding the bandicoots

Some of Malcolm's most important contributions have come from finding wildlife others had missed.

In 2008 he discovered breeding populations of the endangered Southern Brown Bandicoot on Quail Island. He went on to identify six additional breeding populations along the northern Western Port coastline. These discoveries significantly expanded what was known about the species' distribution and shaped conservation priorities and long-term management for one of the region's most vulnerable mammals.

Mapping the kangaroos

Between 2007 and 2011, Malcolm carried out extensive ground-based surveys of Eastern Grey Kangaroos across the Peninsula. Working on foot across diverse habitat types, he mapped where kangaroos were present and where they were absent, producing one of the most comprehensive local datasets available at the time.

His findings overturned a common assumption. Kangaroos were not spread evenly across the Peninsula. Instead, they were concentrated in specific habitat corridors – particularly an arc running from Bushrangers Bay through Greens Bush and Arthurs Seat (Wonga) to the Devilbend (Daangean) area.

That work became an important local reference point. It has been used as a comparison in later assessments and has highlighted the limits of relying solely on broad-scale modelling. On-ground ecology, Malcolm showed, still matters.

Taking on feral predators

Knowing where native animals live is only half the job. Protecting them means tackling the threats.

As part of the Western Port Ramsar Protection Program, Malcolm conducted extensive fauna surveys that helped establish ongoing feral animal control programs and monitoring of threatened wildlife. Through Southwest Mornington Peninsula Landcare, he has volunteered on fox control in high-quality bushland at Merricks North and across the Boneo, Rosebud and Main Ridge area for the Greens Bush to Arthurs Seat Biolink. He has also contributed to feral animal management across the wider Gippsland Plain bioregion.

The payoff is real. These programs support vulnerable ground-dwelling wildlife, including bandicoots, the Growling Grass Frog and the Agile Antechinus.

Restoring what was lost

If surveys are Malcolm's foundation, restoration is his passion. He has long championed the removal of invasive environmental weeds such as boneseed, bluebell creeper, pittosporum and wild pine – and proven that degraded land can return to healthy indigenous bushland.

For Malcolm, restoration has never been just about pulling weeds. It is about rebuilding whole, resilient ecosystems that native wildlife has evolved to depend on. He has worked hard to change perceptions, showing landholders and land managers that indigenous vegetation supports far greater biodiversity than introduced landscapes.

Two Landcare projects show this in practice. Through the London Bridge Grassy Bowl Restoration Project, Malcolm has helped restore endangered Calcareous Swale Grassland on the Southern Peninsula. At Fingal, he has worked to restore Moonah Woodland, another endangered ecological vegetation class.

The missing link between research and action

What sets Malcolm apart is not only the depth of his science, but his ability to share it. Those who nominated him describe him as "the missing link between research and action".

His unparalleled knowledge of species distribution and habitat condition lets him see not just what is present, but what is missing and what an ecosystem needs to recover. Crucially, he can explain that to anyone – a landholder, a volunteer, a council officer or a decision-maker.

As a founding and active member of the Southwest Mornington Peninsula Landcare group, Malcolm has given countless presentations, mentored volunteers and offered practical conservation advice to Landcare and Friends groups, councils, committees of management and community organisations. His clear, passionate communication has inspired people to value native landscapes and to act to protect them. His work has contributed to the conservation of many Peninsula species, including koalas, bandicoots and antechinus.

He is also tenacious. His advocacy for removing invasive species and re-establishing native vegetation is driven by scientific evidence and a clear vision of what a healthy landscape should look like – and it has been a driving force behind protecting the Peninsula's much-loved fauna.

Lessons from a lifetime in the field

Malcolm's career offers clear lessons for anyone working in conservation.

Good decisions need good data. Accurate information on species, habitat condition and ecological processes allows land managers to set priorities, protect critical habitat and measure whether restoration is working.

Restoration works best at the scale of whole ecosystems. Controlling invasive species, re-establishing indigenous vegetation and protecting habitat connectivity together create landscapes that can recover on their own.

Lasting change is a shared effort. The best outcomes come when landholders, volunteers, government agencies and environmental groups pool their knowledge and work towards common goals.

And above all, patience and persistence pay off. Ecological recovery takes time. With informed management and sustained commitment, degraded landscapes can heal and threatened species can be given a fighting chance.

A legacy that will keep growing

Malcolm set out to leave healthier ecosystems, better-informed communities and a stronger foundation for biodiversity conservation than existed when he began. By any measure, he has done it.

His legacy lives in the Wildlife Atlas and the data that continues to guide planning. It lives in restored grasslands and woodlands, in protected bandicoot populations and in feral control programs that keep running. It lives in the restoration mindset he has helped embed – the confidence that damaged land can be brought back.

Most of all, it lives in people. Through decades of education and collaboration, Malcolm has built a network of people who understand, value and actively protect native ecosystems. That cultural shift will keep benefiting biodiversity on the Peninsula for generations.

Congratulations, Malcolm – a richly deserved recognition of a lifetime spent caring for land, wildlife and community.