Darwin residents are being encouraged to showcase their creativity and help reduce waste by entering the 2026 Reviva Reuse Competition, with local prizes available for the Territory's best repair, makeover or repurposing project.
Run by not-for-profit social enterprise Resource Recovery Australia, which operates the Reviva Reuse Shop at the Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility, the annual competition celebrates repairs, makeovers and creative projects that give unwanted materials a second life instead of sending them to landfill.
Entrants can win a $300 national prize and a $200 Darwin prize, with submissions open until Sunday 15 November 2026, coinciding with National Recycling Week.
The competition is open to anyone who has repaired, restored, repurposed or transformed an item using reused materials, whether it's a piece of furniture, artwork, garden project, home improvement, clothing makeover or something completely unique.
Resource Recovery Australia's Deputy General Manager Ally Glendenning said the competition showed that anyone could take part in reuse, with entries not needing to be large, complicated or perfect.
"Territorians have always been practical and creative when it comes to making the most of what they have," Ms Glendenning said.
"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," Ms 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."
Now in its seventh year, the Reviva Reuse Competition welcomes entries from across Australia and is being held in Darwin for the second consecutive year.
The competition also highlights the growing impact of the Reviva Reuse Shop at the Shoal Bay Waste Management Facility. Since opening 18 months ago, the shop has helped give quality donated items a second life while supporting local employment and training opportunities and reducing the amount of material sent to landfill.
Last year's Darwin winner, Martina, transformed discarded materials into a functional chicken coop using old fence panels, a flyscreen panel, roofing sheets and other salvaged items, with about 60 per cent of the materials sourced from the Reviva Reuse Shop in Darwin.
Past entries have included repurposed clothing, furniture makeovers, mosaic art, garden creations and entire kitchens made with salvaged materials. Together, they show how creativity can transform unwanted or overlooked items into something useful, beautiful or unexpected.
To enter, participants simply need to submit a photo of their project and a short description of what they created and the materials they reused at www.resourcerecovery.org.au/competition.
Entries are free and close on Sunday 15 November 2026, at the end of National Recycling Week.
