Mar 20, 2026

The Produce Awards are back!

For 21 years, the delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards have been showcasing the unsung heroes of the Australian food scene – the farmers, fishers, growers, artisans and produce pioneers who put the very best food on our plates.

We know that behind every amazing meal is a passionate and dedicated producer. That’s why we’re on a mission to find and celebrate the very best in the business.

In 2026, the Produce Awards are continuing to shine the spotlight on primary producers and the innovative ways they grow, cultivate, harvest and catch the produce that ends up on the menus of Australia’s top restaurants.

We’re searching for the producers who are pushing boundaries, changing the conversation and leading the charge towards a more sustainable food future. We want to recognise the hardworking trailblazers who are making a real difference in the industry, and who stand out from the crowd for their commitment to sustainable food production, exceptional quality, pride in provenance, greater species diversity, environmental preservation and community support.

In 2026, nine delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Award trophies will be awarded:

From the Dairy
From the Earth
From the Paddock
From the Sea
Producer of the Year
Changemaker
One to Watch
Artisan
Icon Award

The 2026 delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Award winners will be announced in August 2026.

FAQs

What are the differences between the Produce Award categories?

From the Dairy: this category is for Australian primary dairy producers who farm livestock – including cows, goats, sheep, buffalo and camels – to produce outstanding milk, cream, yoghurt, cheese and other dairy products, with a focus on environmental sustainability and supporting the local community. Artisan cheesemakers who source their milk directly from local dairies who would themselves meet the Produce Awards criteria are also eligible.
From the Earth: this category is for Australian primary producers who cultivate outstanding seasonal fresh vegetables and fruit, native produce, nuts, rice and grains, with a focus on heritage/heirloom varieties and using regenerative farming practices with a focus on environmental sustainability and supporting the local community.
From the Paddock: this category is for Australian primary producers who cultivate outstanding fresh pastured poultry and game birds, pork, lamb, beef, goat and venison using regenerative farming practices, with a focus on environmental sustainability and supporting the local community. Producers who hunt, harvest, process and sell wild or native animals, with a focus on environmental sustainability and supporting the local community, are also eligible.
From the Sea: this category is for those who catch outstanding fresh seasonal wild catch from sustainable sources, and/or cultivate sustainably farmed fresh seafood, shellfish and/or crustaceans, with a focus on environmental sustainability and supporting the local community.
Artisan: this award recognises the art of traditional food preparation techniques that require training, skill and time to finesse. It rewards Australia’s finest artisans for their craft and skill in sourcing Australian-grown and cultivated primary ingredients and transforming them into high-quality, handcrafted, small-batch food products. The artisan award is open to nominations. Once nominations are closed, the nominees are assessed, shortlisted and discussed, and the winner is decided by the National Judges.
Changemaker and One to Watch: these trophies are awarded to 2026 National Finalists selected from eligible 2026 nominees who, in the National Judges’ view, exemplify exceptional dedication to sustainability, quality and innovation – those who are helping to shape the future of food. The recipients will have demonstrated significant achievements in sustainable practices and ethos while actively reshaping the narrative around sustainable food production.
Producer of the Year: this trophy will be awarded to the ‘best in class’ producer out of the above categories, as determined by the National Judges.
Icon Award: this new award recognises someone who has had a significant impact on the direction, quality and amplification of Australian food and Australia’s food culture, setting a national benchmark for excellence.

What are the criteria for the From the Dairy, Earth, Paddock and Sea categories?

The Produce Awards categories From the Dairy, Earth, Paddock and Sea are focused on celebrating Australia’s best primary food producers.
We are seeking nominations for primary food producers whose produce is of exceptional quality, and is 100 percent Australian grown, made, cultivated, harvested or caught; producers who stand out from the crowd for the way they pursue food production, cultivation, harvest or wild-catch practices. Producers must demonstrate a dedication to environmental sustainability, provenance, species diversity and preservation in ways that support their local community.
The business must be predominantly Australian owned and operated.
An exception to the focus on primary producers is that within the From the Dairy category. We accept nominations for artisan cheesemakers who use milk sourced directly from local dairies that would also meet Produce Awards criteria.
Producers that hunt, harvest, process and sell wild or native animals, with a focus on environmental sustainability and supporting the local community, are eligible for these awards.
Trophy Winners from 2025 are not eligible for consideration in 2026, in order to achieve greater diversity within the Produce Awards program.

The Dairy, Earth, Paddock and Sea categories are NOT for:

Value-add products.
Businesses who do not grow, cultivate or farm the produce they sell.

The Produce Awards does not accept nominations for / from:

Hen eggs: Australia has a remarkable community of pasture-raised egg farmers producing exceptional eggs nationwide. The scale and depth of quality in this category means we cannot do it proper justice within the Produce Awards program.
Olive oil: Australia has an exceptionally strong olive oil industry, with more high-quality producers than we can accommodate within the Produce Awards program. There are dedicated olive oil awards that already exist to recognise and celebrate this category.
Beverages: The Produce Awards focuses on ingredients and food products, not drinks.
Publicly listed businesses.

What are the criteria for the Artisan category?

Recognising the art of traditional food preparation techniques that require training, skill and time to finesse, this award rewards Australia’s finest artisans for their craft and skill in sourcing Australian primary* ingredients and transforming them into high-quality, handcrafted, small-batch food products.

*The primary produce being sourced by the nominated artisan producers must be Australian and fulfil the same criteria as the primary produce categories. There must also be a direct relationship between the primary and artisan producers.

The business must be predominantly Australian owned and operated.
Trophy Winners from 2025 are not eligible for consideration in 2026, in order to achieve greater diversity within the Produce Awards program.

The Produce Awards does not accept nominations for / from:

Eggs; olive oil; beverages (refer to notes above).
Publicly listed businesses.

I’ve been nominated – what happens next?

Nominations will be reviewed against award criteria. Eligible nominees for the Dairy, Earth, Paddock and Sea categories will be invited to complete an application form and submit produce for State Judging. Eligible nominees for the Artisan award will be assessed, shortlisted and discussed, and the winner will be decided by the National Judges.
Due to the volume of nominations and nature of the program, we are not able to communicate with every business who does not move forward in the program. The decision is at the discretion of our program coordinators.
The State Judging for the Dairy, Earth, Paddock and Sea nominees will be held in April, and will determine the 2026 National Finalists.
One finalist per category (Dairy, Earth, Paddock and Sea) will be selected in each state (NSW/ACT; Vic; SA; Tas; Qld/NT; WA).
National Finalists for the Dairy, Earth, Paddock and Sea categories will proceed to National Judging, which will be held in Sydney in late May 2026.
National Judges will gather to taste samples from each National Finalist, and evaluate each finalist’s food production ethos and practices.
The National Judging will determine the 2026 From the Dairy, From the Earth, From the Paddock, From the Sea, Changemaker, One to Watch and Producer of the Year award winners.
The National Judges will review and discuss the shortlist of Artisan nominees and determine the 2026 Artisan award winner.