Keep Australia Beautiful NSW (KAB NSW) has announced the finalists for the 2026 Sustainable Cities Awards, recognising sustainability initiatives, innovation and environmental achievement across metropolitan NSW.
The awards highlight how councils are embedding sustainability into their operations, services and planning.
They also acknowledge the contributions of businesses, schools, community organisations and individuals working to improve their local environments.
The program covers a wide range of environmental and social outcomes, from reducing waste and preventing litter to protecting biodiversity, responding to climate change and strengthening community participation.
Each recognised initiative is assessed on the practical benefits it delivers.
KAB NSW Chief Executive Officer Val Southam said the awards provide an opportunity to recognise achievement and share approaches that other councils and organisations can learn from.
“Councils play an important role in creating more sustainable cities, through the services they deliver, the places they manage and the partnerships they build,” said Southam.
She said the awards also recognise the work of schools, businesses, community organisations and individuals, and give successful initiatives a wider audience.
“They also give successful initiatives a wider audience, helping others learn from the ideas, experience and commitment behind them.”
Southam congratulated this year’s finalists and said KAB NSW looks forward to celebrating their achievements.
Established in 1994, the Sustainable Cities Awards have spent more than three decades recognising a broad range of sustainability achievements.
The program reflects the connections between environmental protection, community wellbeing and the liveability of our cities.
Winners, including the recipient of the Overall Sustainable Cities Award, will be announced at the 2026 Sustainable Cities Awards Luncheon on Thursday 12 November at Hornsby RSL.
The luncheon will be preceded by a morning seminar titled “Closing the Loop: FOGO, Soft Plastics and the Circular Economy”.
The session will give councils and other organisations an opportunity to share their experiences and explore practical approaches to waste reduction and recycling.
Food organics and garden organics (FOGO) collection services and the recovery of soft plastics are among the topics expected to feature, reflecting the growing focus on keeping valuable materials in use for longer.
The KAB NSW Sustainable Cities Awards Program and Event is made possible through the generous support of the NSW Environment Protection Authority, Red Energy and Hornsby Shire Council.
The full list of finalist projects is available here.