The Australian horticulture industry has celebrated the best of the best at the Horticulture Awards for Excellence.

Held at the Hort Connections 2026 Gala Dinner in Adelaide, the awards recognised 12 growers, businesses, researchers and industry innovators for their achievements in horticulture, across production, research, innovation, community contribution, marketing and sustainability.

The awards also recognised the importance of family businesses in the sector, as well as the crucial contributions of women in horticulture and the next generation of young growers.

AUSVEG CEO Michael Coote congratulated this year’s winners who were selected from a full field of more than 100 worthy nominees across 12 award categories.

“The depth and breadth of talent and inspiring contributions on display among all award winners and nominees deserves to be recognised and celebrated as another reminder of what makes our horticulture industry so great,” he said.

The Managing Director of the International Fresh Produce Association, Australia-New Zealand Belinda Wilson congratulated not only the award winners, but all finalists for their drive and guidance creating a prosperous future for the industry.

“Connecting with each other and hearing first-hand about the innovation, leadership and passion of our fresh produce supply chain has energised all of us at Hort Connections,” she said. “If you can do better, good is not enough, and we’ve seen this week that we are ready as a united industry to rise to that challenge.”

The Horticulture Awards for Excellence 2026 winners:

• Grower of the Year Award: Steve Marafiote, Sundrop Farms, South Australia.
• Young Grower of the Year Award: Luca Farmer, Farmer Group, South Australia.
• Researcher of the Year Award: Dr Sukhvinder Pal (SP) Singh, NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, NSW.
• Environmental & Sustainability Award: Craig Van Rooyen, Van Rooyen Family Trust, Queensland.
• Tech & Innovation Award partnered: Charles Simons, BioScout, NSW.
• Community Stewardship Award: John Tselekidis, Mitolo Farmily Farms, South Australia.
• Exporter of the Year Award: Francis Tedesco, Center West Exports, Western Australia.
• Women in Horticulture Award: Julie Bird, Hort Innovation.
• Industry Impact Award: David Harris, Harris Farm Markets, NSW.
• Ag Tech & Mechanisation Award: Charles Simons, BioScout, NSW.
• Family Business of the Year Award: Ben Martin, Marto’s Mangoes, Queensland.
• Marketer of the Year Award: Flavorite Group – Maddie’s Month Campaign.