The winner of the iconic Keep Victoria Beautiful 2021 Sustainable Communities – Tidy Town Awards was announced on Wednesday 10 November 2021 during a virtual presentation held in Hastings.

The Overall 2021 Sustainable Communities – Tidy Town Award was presented to Horsham, qualifying the town to represent Victoria in the Keep Australia Beautiful National Sustainable Communities Awards.

As part of their win, Horsham also picked up the Highly Commended Waste Award, won by the Horsham Tidy Towns Committee for their Polyrok Soft Plastic Reuse – Coles Carkpark.

Horsham won the Energy Award received for the Horsham Regional Livestock Exchange Roofing project; the Community Award received for Wimmera Cancer Centre; and the Young Legend Award, won by Bart Turgoose.

The virtual Awards program was hosted by Keep Victoria Beautiful and the 2020 winner, Hastings in the Mornington Peninsula Shire Council.

The Sustainable Communities – Tidy Towns program recognises and rewards the accomplishments of regional communities, many of whom are volunteers actively working towards making their regional communities a prime model for sustainable practices.

A Keep Victoria Beautiful initiative, the Sustainable Communities – Tidy Towns Awards have been going since 1983. Over the years, the awards have gradually moved beyond simply rewarding towns for their tidiness, now focusing on recognising and celebrating positive actions taken by communities and individuals.

Commenting on this year’s Sustainable Communities – Tidy Towns Awards, Keep Victoria Beautiful Tidy Town spokesperson, Dick Gross said he was impressed by the calibre of entries and continued resilience of communities in challenging times.

“Clearly, the awards have acted as an inspiration and provided our rural and regional communities with a sense of achievement that, even in difficult times, community spirit shines through.

“Each year, over 20,000 Victorians across our state are positively impacted and involved in the awards in some way. These amazing volunteers deserve our applause because they are working to create a beautiful, socially connected community.

“Ultimately, the awards don’t just promote the remarkable projects happening across rural and regional Victoria, they also help promote tourism to these amazing communities.”

For the full list of winners, click here