MidCoast residents are being encouraged to turn their repair, restoration and recycling projects into prizes as entries open for the 2026 Reviva Reuse Competition.
A $300 national prize and $200 MidCoast prize are on offer for projects that repair, makeover or creatively transform unwanted materials.
The annual competition is run by not-for-profit social enterprise Resource Recovery Australia, which operates Reviva Reuse Shops at Tuncurry, Taree, Tea Gardens and Bulahdelah.
Now in its seventh year, the competition aims to showcase practical and creative ways of giving unwanted materials a second life and keeping them out of landfill.
Resource Recovery Australia Deputy General Manager Ally Glendenning said entries did not have to be large or complicated.
“If you have repaired something, given an old item a makeover or found a new use for materials that might otherwise have been thrown away, you already have an entry,” Glendenning said.
“Take a photo, briefly tell us what you made and what you reused, and submit it online. Every entry can inspire someone else to rethink what they throw away.”
Entries can include furniture, artwork, garden projects, home improvements, clothing makeovers or other projects made using reused materials.
Last year’s MidCoast winner, Deb Schmitzer, created a community street library using repurposed timber pallets, a salvaged stained-glass window and reused books.
The library provides a place where community members can exchange and enjoy books while demonstrating how discarded materials can be given a new purpose.
“The project emphasises resource recovery and reusability and demonstrates a commitment to sustainable practices,” Schmitzer said.
The 2025 national prize went to Mike Tikkeros for a life-sized violin sculpture made from salvaged metal and discarded household items.
Materials used in the sculpture included parts recovered from gurneys, bicycles, microwaves, food processors, a drum kit, golf club and horse bridle.
Entries are free and require participants to submit a photograph of their project along with a short description explaining what they created and which materials were reused.
Entries close on Sunday, November 15, at the end of National Recycling Week.
More information and entries are available at www.resourcerecovery.org.au/competition.
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