Applications are now open for the 2026 Play Award, an annual prize presented by the Sydney Opera House in collaboration with internationally renowned Professor Pasi Sahlberg.
Running since 2024 (and continuing to 2027 inclusive), the $10,000 yearly award recognises a primary school, class, learning program, teacher or student who has made a remarkable and ongoing contribution to embedding play within learning, making a demonstrated positive impact in children’s lives.
That idea may include, but is not limited to, a new learning program, redesigned physical environment or community partnership that has contributed to children’s opportunities to play.
Play Award: who is it for?
The Award is for anyone in early learning or primary schools, including teachers, as well as those who aren’t in casual or permanent roles, such as artist educators, music teachers and PDHPE (Personal Development, Health and Physical Education) educators.
It can be used to further facilitate the successful institution or individual to create a more comprehensive program to centre play-based learning. It may also be used to raise additional funding or partnerships if necessary. The only stipulation is that the prize money needs to be spent on the nominated program.
Professor Sahlberg is a Finnish education expert, author and Professor in Educational Leadership at the University of Melbourne. In the 2019 he book published with co-author William Doyle, Let the Children Play: How More Play Will Save Our Schools and Help Children Thrive, he wrote:
‘Play is how children explore, discover, fail, succeed, socialise, and flourish. It is a fundamental element of the human condition. It’s the key to giving schoolchildren skills they need to succeed – skills like creativity, innovation, teamwork, focus, resilience, expressiveness, empathy, concentration, and executive function.’
A spokesperson for the Play Award said: ‘The Sydney Opera House has an ongoing and rich connection with play and its intrinsic connection to the arts and learning.
‘From the inspiring stories on our stages, to the artists who enliven our Centre for Creativity, we are committed to equipping artists and audiences with the capacity and skills to embed play in their classrooms, creative and civic spaces, and everyday life.
‘It is in this spirit that we continue our relationship with renowned educator Professor Pasi Sahlberg, and present the Sydney Opera House Play Award.’
You can watch a video highlighting the inaugural Play Award winners in 2024, Avondale Primary School in northern Western Australia. This year, meanwhile, saw Berrima Public School in the NSW Southern Highlands selected as the winner.
Applications for 2026 will close at 5pm on Saturday 25 April 2026. Schools can submit one application each via the Sydney Opera House website, responding to three short questions about their play idea, its impact and how the $10,000 Award would benefit their program.
Optional supporting material (images or video) may also be included. Self-nominations are welcome, and a reference letter is encouraged.
If you’re an educator, teacher or team working to embed play positively at a primary school, the Opera House Creative Learning team would love to hear from you.
You can find out more, meet the award panelists and enter via the Play Award website
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