A Wheatbelt town has been named the national winner of the 2026 Keep Australia Beautiful Australian Tidy Towns Awards.
Williams won the overall national title as well as three category awards — behaviour change and engagement, heritage and culture, and young legends.
The 2026 national tidy towns awards were held in Launceston, Tasmania over the weekend bringing together six finalist communities from across the country.
Contesting the top prize were Ikuntji in the Northern Territory, Orange in New South Wales, Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Huon Valley in Tasmania and Cloncurry in Queensland.
Williams topped them all by impressing the judges with the town’s culture of sustainability where volunteers, community groups and local organisations all work hand-in-hand to care for the environment and for each other.
At the heart of Williams’ win is the Williams Community Resource Centre, which runs the Williams Wildlife Warriors program free to local families.
The program allows children from pre-primary to year six the chance to explore the Williams River and local reserves, learning about flora, fauna, soils and waterways while taking part in revegetation, litter removal and weed control.
Williams took out the heritage and culture category for the Williams historical records project, an initiative led by two volunteers who have contributed more than 2000 hours of cleaning, repairing and preserving local records damaged by fire, water and rodents.
The Little Helpers program won the young legends category for encouraging children as young as seven to give their time to community events, school holiday activities and support for older residents.
Williams shire president Jarrad Logie said winning the overall national title came as a surprise.
“It was actually very surprising,” he said.
“We came across to Launceston thinking that we might have picked up a few category awards but not the major one, so it was very surprising to the group that we brought across.
Cr Logie said members of the local community resource centre were pivotal in Williams’ win.
“The CRC have done an amazing job getting the application in and pushing all the categories forward,” he said.
Gemma Haddrick and Hazel Harris with the Wildlife Warriors at the CRC have done an unbelievable job
“The CRC is doing an amazing job with the kids and involving the community in different projects so its been good.”
Cr Logie hopes the award will inspire the community to keep the town clean.
“I think (this award) is going to give us a bit more driving force but now we’ve got to start getting organised for next year,” he said.
Chief executive of Keep Australia Beautiful Val Southam said Williams’ win reflected the strength of the whole community.
“Williams is a powerful example of what happens when a community decides together to take care of its place,” she said.
“That decision shows up everywhere, from children planting along the river, to volunteers preserving local history, to young people helping older residents at community events.
“This is a huge achievement for Williams, and for WA. It shows that small towns can lead the country when it comes to environmental action, community pride and local leadership.”
Ms Southam said Williams’ success was a reminder that regional communities are often leading some of Australia’s most practical sustainability work.
“These awards aren’t about ticking boxes — they spotlight the real, often quiet work that keeps communities moving forward,” she said.
“Williams has shown what is possible when resilience, purpose and local leadership come together for a better future.”
The town of Williams will now host next years national 2027 Keep Australia Beautiful Australian Tidy Towns Awards night.
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