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2025 winners and finalists
Parliamentary Secretary for Children Nathan Lambert MP, Parliamentary Secretary for Education Nina Taylor MP, and VAEAI Senior Project Officer Annie Edmonds on behalf of Uncle Keith Randall, announced the winners at an awards ceremony on 23 October at the Centre for Higher Education Studies.
Thank you to everyone who entered, and congratulations to our winners.
Best kindergarten or early learning centre
What the kindergarten gained
- Room rebuilt to match the space and heritage character of the kinder’s other larger learning area
- New fun and inspiring spaces that preserve and celebrate heritage features
- Large timber-decked verandah for outdoor play and learning in all seasons
- Upgraded services and improved sustainability, with passive environmental design supported by a solar electric system
What the architects highlighted
- Design retained key heritage features and reused and repurposed materials such as window frames and roof beams
- Material philosophy was ‘natural, not neutral’ – maintaining the old building’s ‘timber language’ and using the playground’s gum tree as inspiration for internal colours
- Using scale to create a sense of ‘just for us’, with miniature doors, low-level peekaboo windows and ‘small toilets for small bums’
- A robust and sensory-rich landscape constructed almost entirely from salvaged materials
What impressed the judges
- Beautiful design with a lot of character and respect for the kinder’s heritage and community’s values
- Very engaging outdoor play spaces
- Wonderful use of natural light and natural materials creates a sense of cosiness and warmth
- Inspired, simple ideas for engaging kids, like the steps in front of the kitchen bench
- ‘This one tugs at the heartstrings – it was clearly a special project for the architect!’
What the kindergarten gained
- New kinder building with room for almost double the number of local children
- New welcoming foyer, refurbished staff room and disability-compliant toilets
- More flexible learning spaces with a better flow to the outdoors
- Transformation of a public park on a corner of the site, which is shared with the wider community
What the architects highlighted
- Design preserves the original building’s charm and connects seamlessly to the modern extension
- Expansive windows provide abundant natural light, improve playground supervision and connect to the greenery and mature trees retained in the design
- Sustainable materials such as timber, brick and stone used inside and out to create a warm, tactile environment and connection with surrounding landscape
What impressed the judges
- Preservation of original building was important for the community, and it’s been done very nicely
- Fluid indoor–outdoor connections
- Design is warm and homey but also approachable for the public
- ‘That wall of windows just celebrates the kinder’s wonderful trees and natural playground.’
What the kindergarten gained
- More space to offer kinder to more local children
- Modern, flexible and functional learning spaces
- Dedicated meeting spaces for staff to gather with other professionals and families
- Landscaping of outdoor play areas that retain and feature cherished mature trees
What the architects highlighted
- Design is sympathetic to the neighbourhood’s leafy suburban character
- It has achieved this with a single-storey building with a double-gable roof and using warm timber and neutral brick materials
- New playground wraps around a mature oak tree planted 70 years ago at the kinder opening
- Operable glass doors improve natural lighting and outdoor spaces designed to encourage a wide range of imaginative and physical play
What impressed the judges
- Design creates really good connections with the outdoor areas
- Impressive outcome on a challenging site
- Sensitive revamp of a 70-year-old building
- ‘Love the little pockets of space carved out for smaller group activities in this design.’
Best School Project - below $5 million
What the school gained
- Covered outdoor synthetic multi-sports courts
- Large reception and staff areas
- Library extension
- Café extension that opens to the covered outdoor courts
- Refurbished and extended junior classrooms
What the architects highlighted
- Much of the existing 2000s building has been retained, with simple extensions and courtyards to stretch the budget, reduce waste and improve circulation
- New reception, café and library create welcoming meeting and waiting spaces
- Flexible classrooms and sensory areas respond to student needs
- Inclusive, community-friendly spaces, with the café and central sports courts supporting both learning and local events
What impressed the judges
- Exceptional planning and the way everything relates to the new campus ‘heart’
- A design that really suits the Swan Hill location but with many ideas that could be replicated elsewhere
- A strong functional outcome – a lot has been achieved for the budget
- Details like the subtle use of primary feature colours in windows and exteriors
- ‘There’s a common challenge about how to design outdoor play and community spaces without compromising either – this is how!’
What the school gained
- Modern specialist science and technology classrooms
- Upgraded art and music rooms
- Staff hub
- Gallery to showcase student work
What the architects highlighted
- Design achieves goals with minimal structural changes (just 2 new walls) – reducing costs and waste
- Highly adaptable layout with large, glazed doors and partitions offers flexibility for a wide range of learning activities
- Central gallery doubles as an exhibition space and a zone for connecting classrooms and encouraging STEAM creativity, collaboration and innovation
- Energy efficiency greatly improved with a new roof (with skylights), modern windows and better insulation
What impressed the judges
- Good example of adaptive reuse
- Smart reuse of materials and retaining much of the building fabric to make the most of a limited budget
- Project completed ahead of schedule and within budget
- ‘A disused building has new life, and the kids have much-needed modern STEAM spaces.’
What the school gained
- Four modern flexible classrooms
- Withdrawal spaces and breakout areas
- New staff work areas
- More natural indoor–outdoor connections to support different learning and social activities
What the architects highlighted
- Distinctive sweeping archways of the brick facade reflect the school’s coastal location and update its street identity
- Classrooms can be closed off for focused learning or opened up for teamwork and student interaction
- Sheltered areas beneath the arches, and the circulation spaces, add to the variety of learning zones for individual or small-group work
- Design improves natural light and ventilation to create better learning spaces and lower running costs
What impressed the judges
A small building that makes a huge impact on the campus
- The wavy, brick skin creates a modern identity and ties in with the school’s nearby brick heritage building
- Every space is functional and supports the school’s style of teaching and learning
- Strong collaboration on the design with local Traditional Custodians, teachers and students
- ‘That wave of organic shapes brilliantly reflects this windy, coastal place.’
Best School Project - between $5 million and $15 million
What the school gained
- Refurbished heritage-listed hall
- Renovated library wing
- New central courtyard and redeveloped playground
What the architects highlighted
- Heritage hall was carefully restored, with relocated entry and sliding doors to improve flow
- Internal design inspired by stained glass windows, drawing on colours and native birds and plants
- Library wing reimagined as the Curiosity Centre, a hub for literature, art, science, language and music with reading nooks, breakout and project spaces
- Playground upgraded into a nature-based zone with slides, tree house, rope climbs and sensory elements
- Central courtyard themed around local indigenous painted lady butterfly, reflected through equipment, planting and colour
What impressed the judges
- Impressive relationship between the modern design and the heritage space
- Beautiful, functional and clever use of spaces
- Fit-out is exceptional – the interior is a model for how modernising a heritage building can be done really well
- ‘If I was back in primary school, I’d want to be here.’
What the school gained
- A competition-grade gymnasium with basketball and netball courts
- Features to support community use, including accessible public entry, foyer, canteen, and dedicated
- Music and performing arts space, and outdoor amphitheatre
- Upgrades to Block A, including accessibility improvements, staff facilities and a new piazza space
What the architects highlighted
- Sustainability has been prioritised, with all-electric systems, natural ventilation, rainwater collection and recycled or local materials
- By preserving trees, updating buildings, and creating a central piazza, the design strengthens the school’s heritage and identity
- The new gym and outdoor areas are flexible spaces for sport, performances, community events, and everyday learning – giving students and families more ways to connect
What impressed the judges
- Impressive relationship with the heritage building it sits next to
- Thoughtful planning of how the indoor and outdoor spaces could be used, illustrated by the amphitheatre and its potential as a community-gathering space
- ‘This ticks a lot of access and inclusion factors that gyms often don’t – it’s a step above what you normally see.’
What the school gained
- Competition-grade gym with canteen, changing rooms, and staff room
- Science and technology classroom with informal learning space
What the architects highlighted
- Gym connects to the street and oval, creating a community hub and new school entrance
- Colourful rainwater features promote sustainability and water conservation
- Design respects the surrounding residential context while providing flexible, connected spaces
- Flexible spaces can accommodate different group sizes and support sporting, art, cultural, and social events for the school and the community
- Entrance celebrates local First Nations culture with a greeting in Wurundjeri WoiWurrung language
What impressed the judges
- Strong, clean architectural lines, highlighted by the ‘ribbon’ feature running through the project
- Spaces throughout are functional and welcoming for students and the wider community
- ‘The design is inspiring – it makes you feel like you would like to be there.’
Best School Project – above $15 million
What the school gained
- Two levels of modern purpose-built science environments to inspire STEM learning
- A modern library that acts as an academic and social hub and a centre for student support services
- Broad range of flexible learning spaces with breakout areas for small group and individual work
- Design that allows entire floor levels to switch from teaching mode to open spaces for assemblies, student exhibitions and school events
What the architects highlighted
- Red bricks used for the building base tie the design with neighbouring older buildings, while silver cladding above matches the softness of the surrounding trees
- Creative solution to the steep sloping site, with an undercroft used for lockers and walkways
- Large windows and open areas on the upper levels create abundant natural light and views across the surrounding tree canopy
- A former student created the First Nations designs featured extensively in the building facade
What impressed the judges
- Love how the building fits with rest of school
- Great floor arrangements and inspiring spaces
- Refined and mature design has resulted in a big building that sits quite lightly
- ‘Great achievement on a tricky site – it really looks like it belongs.’
What the school gained
- A vertical building creating places for more local students and freeing up outdoor space
- Centralised specialist spaces for art, digital media, textiles, food technology, wood and metal work and science
- Integrated outdoor learning areas
- Student-run café for teaching business and hospitality skills
- New student toilets and staff work areas
What the architects highlighted
- A double-height central atrium eases movement and provides natural light, while also serving as an exhibition, presentation and assembly area
- Plentiful informal learning zones and break-out spaces to support small group work and a variety of teaching styles
- Layout, use of glass, and flexibility of learning spaces encourages collaboration across the different STEAM disciplines
- The building roof is designed as an outdoor learning and social space with shade and integrated seating
- Thoughtful design and planning overcame the challenges of construction on a tight site and completed the building under budget
What impressed the judges
- Design of the roof terrace is excellent for a range of uses and such a valuable asset on a campus with limited outdoor space
- The atrium, with its bleacher seating and art wall, works beautifully as a connection between the floors
- ‘An amazing achievement, especially given the complexity of working on such a constrained site with a huge number of students operating around 7 timetables.’
What was built
- A new school with places for 525 students
- Two learning neighbourhoods
- Administration and library building
- A community hub with competition-grade gym
- Hard courts and sports field
What the architects highlighted
- Learning buildings designed as a network of flexible connected spaces
- Buildings share an amphitheatre, collaborative spaces, reading nooks, small group rooms and direct access to outdoor learning areas to suit varied learning methods
- Design and positioning of buildings responds to the challenges of bushfire restrictions and a steeply sloping site
- Connection to Bunurong Country was a central design focus for buildings, artworks and landscaping, serving as prompts for cultural education
- Design decisions, including having a commercial canteen alongside the sports areas, help the school share its resources with the wider community after hours
What impressed the judges
- Careful choice of materials and attention to detail in the design gives the school a refined look
- Broad range of learning spaces that are creative, fun and functional
- ‘There is a strong story here behind the First Nations design elements that reflects meaningful engagement with Elders and promotes curiosity about Bunurong culture.’
Best project – First Nations design
What the community gained
- Landmark First Nations-led education centre offering flexible pathways-based learning for secondary and tertiary students and the broader community
- Academic and community building with state-of-the-art classrooms, yarning rooms, child-friendly study areas, an Elders’ lounge and outdoor learning environments
- Outdoor spaces, with culturally significant indigenous plants, for community events
- Centre includes the local First Nations Rumbalara Football Netball Club, with upgraded courts and clubrooms
What the architects highlighted
- Design of new building resembles the Aboriginal flag from above, with red and black steel roofing surrounding a circular courtyard lined with golden artwork panels
- Inside and out, learning spaces are rooted in cultural connections and meaning, reflecting the same approach in the education programs
- Artworks, including the courtyard panels, are co-creations from workshops involving community members and local First Nations artists
- Design process involved a thousand community members, including Elders, students and educators
- The centre is a powerful example of what can be achieved through respectful collaboration, cultural authority and genuine community leadership
What impressed the judges
- Amazingly detailed and respectful engagement with the Yorta Yorta community
- Involving local First Nations people in the design and construction has created incredible ownership
- A striking design and a strong sense of who is occupying this place
- ‘You can tell it has come from everybody’s stories – it’s quite magical.’
Minister’s Award
What the school gained
- Five dedicated learning communities, each with general-purpose classrooms, breakout spaces and intensive learning spaces
- New office and reception spaces
- A lift
- Outdoor learning space, including a food garden
What the architects highlighted
- Flexible glass sliders let teachers shift between traditional lessons, collaborative teaching and large gatherings
- Smart upgrades to the building keep it low-maintenance, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly
- Flexible learning spaces allow students to choose where and how they learn, helping them become more aware of what works best for them
- Classrooms and shared areas are designed for all students, with adjustable furniture, quiet nooks, and layouts that meet sensory, academic, and emotional needs
What impressed the judges
- Superb example of how a 1970s building design can be modernised for today’s education
- Every part of the upgrade is a functional place
- Highly successful in offering maximum flexibility for a broad range of learning and welfare needs
- ‘Sensory retreats, wet areas, flexible spaces, playful functional design – it’s got everything.’
- ‘A lot of love and pedagogical understanding has gone into this. It’s outstanding!’
Victorian School Design Awards honour roll
The annual Victorian School Design Awards recognise the creative role architects are playing in the record expansion and modernisation of our state education network.
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