Mitchell Shire residents have their first chance to showcase their repairs, makeovers and creative transformations in the 2026 Reviva Reuse Competition. With a $300 national prize and a $200 Mitchell Shire prize up for grabs, the search is on for the community’s first local reuse champion. Entries close on Sunday 15 November 2026.
Resource Recovery Australia, the not-for-profit social enterprise that opened Reviva Reuse Shops in Seymour and Wallan in March, is bringing the annual competition to Mitchell Shire for the first time. The competition celebrates practical ways of keeping valuable materials in use and out of landfill.
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.
“People across Mitchell Shire have embraced practical, creative ways to give items a second life, and that spirit is exactly what this competition celebrates,” 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 nationally, the Reviva Reuse Competition welcomes entries from across Australia and is being held in Mitchell Shire for the first time.
“We cannot wait to see Mitchell Shire’s entries,” Ms Glendenning said. “A great reuse project can begin with something as simple as an item found at home, rescued from the roadside or discovered at a Reviva Reuse Shop.”
The 2025 grand national prize went to Mike Tikkeros for a true-to-size violin sculpture created from salvaged metal and discarded household items. The body was made with nuts, washers and hooks recovered from gurneys, bicycles, microwaves and food processors, while a halved pipe formed the neck and stainless steel wire salvaged from an old balcony became the strings. Parts from a drum kit, golf club and horse bridle completed the sculpture.
Past entries have been incredibly diverse, showing how creativity and resourcefulness can transform salvaged materials into everything from practical everyday items to remarkable works of art.
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.
