Early childhood STEM excellence celebrated in 2026 Little Scientist Awards

Spotted Frog Kindergarten in NSW is this year’s national winner of the 2026 Little Scientists Early STEM Education Awards.

The awards celebrate excellence in inquiry-based STEM education for children aged 0–8 years.

The award-winning projects show the many ways inquiry-based learning and child-led STEM activities can be used in early childhood education. 

These projects encourage children to ask questions, be curious about the world around them, and explore interesting and challenging ideas through hands-on learning.

Spotted Frog Kindergarten was recognised for its 12-week project, "Can colours mix without actually mixing?”, which sparked children’s interest as they investigated optical blending, reflection and perception through experiments.

The 2026 national and state and territory winners will receive valuable STEM resources and prizes to help educators continue to find fun and practical ways to teach STEM.

The Australian Government is supporting the Little Scientists program with $700,000 in funding in 2026-27, helping to empower early childhood educators and teachers to build their skills and confidence to deliver engaging STEM experiences for young children.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Early Childhood Education Jess Walsh:

“I’d like to congratulate Spotted Frog Kindergarten and all the winners across the nation.

“Developing a curious mind is the foundation to developing STEM skills throughout education.

“Skilled educators create environments and experiences that invite children to explore and experiment – to imagine, solve problems, and make connections.

“These award-winning projects demonstrate how hands-on, child-led learning can inspire our littlest learners to become little scientists too.”