We are excited to announce the winners of this year’s Reviva Reuse Competition

December 17, 2025

We are excited to announce the winners of this year’s Reviva Reuse Competition

Overall Winner

We are thrilled to announce the Local Winners and the Grand National Winner of the Reviva Reuse Competition – Mike Tikkeros

“My violin sculpture is true to size. I welded together many types of nuts, washers and hooks taken off gurneys, bikes, microwaves and food processors. I then ground them and polished them up to be shiny. The neck is a pipe cut in half with strings on top made from stainless steel wiring from an old balcony. The string tightening turners are from a drum kit. The bow consists of a golf stick, horse bridle and a wire tensioner for the handle.” Mike Tikkeros

Held across our Reviva Reuse Shops, The Tinkerage and Resource Recovery Australia sites, the standard of entries this year was exceptional. It was incredibly hard to choose winners, as every single project demonstrated outstanding creativity, effort and commitment to reuse.

This competition highlights the power of repurposing materials and the passion within our communities for reducing waste and giving items a second life.

Our Overall winner was an extraordinary violin sculpture by Mike Tikkeros, that captured the imagination of our judging panel and stood out for its craftsmanship, creativity and outstanding commitment to reuse.

This piece is a powerful example of how discarded materials can become art, and how reuse can bring new life, beauty and imagination into our community.
A huge congratulations to Mike for this incredible piece in reuse!

Here are our 2025 local winners:

👉 Reviva Noosa
Gene, aged 11, built a fully functional wheelbarrow using a discarded timber pallet and a saw he purchased from the Reviva tip shop. A remarkable effort and a wonderful example of the next generation embracing reuse.

👉 Reviva Dunmore
Edward created “Sandfly 121”, a sculptural letterbox crafted entirely from reclaimed materials sourced from The Tinkerage and the Resource Recovery shop. A masterclass in craftsmanship and creative reuse.

👉Reviva Darwin
Martina built a chicken coop from old fence panels, a repurposed flyscreen door, reused metal sheets and recycled baskets, with around sixty per cent of the materials purchased from the Reviva Reuse Shop.

👉Reviva MidCoast
Deb established a beautiful community library using repurposed pallets, a salvaged stained glass window and reused books to create a welcoming space for locals to connect through reading and reuse.

👉 Reviva Rockhampton
Bruce transformed an unused gas bottle into a firepit and cooking unit, proving how a single discarded item can become both practical and meaningful for a family.

These projects reflect exactly what our Reviva Reuse Shops and The Tinkerage were created for. They show how community-led creativity can reduce waste, support circular solutions and inspire others to reconsider what can be made from what we already have.

Congratulations again to all of our winners and thank you to everyone who entered. Your work continues to inspire our teams and the communities we serve.

We cannot wait to bring the Reviva Reuse Competition back again next year.

Find out more: RRA Reviva Reuse Competition